The Ubiquitous Gunboat By CHARLES H. HALL Reprinted from March, 1917, Sea Power For Additional Copies of this Pamphlet No. 134, apply to the NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES SOUTHERN BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C. Copyright, 1917, by the Navy League of the United States THE NAVY LEAGUE A SOCIETY TO HELP INSURE THE UNITED STATES AGAINST INVASION HE Navy League is an association of people who wish to Tkeep war out of the United States and believe that the surest way to do so is to maintain a navy so strong that no nation can get its forces across the ocean to attack us. It has no connection with any business or political organization of any kind and is neither pro-anything nor anti-anything, but just plain American. The League was organized in 1903, and includes among its membership Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Hon. Alton B. Parker, Cardinal Gibbons, Bishop John N. McCormick, Jacob H. Schiff, Isaac N. Seligman, Henry Watterson and Joseph H. Choate, and such women as Mrs. William Cumming Story, Mrs. George Dewey, Mrs. Hugh L. Scott, Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, Mrs. Emma Smith DeVoe, Mrs. Genevieve Champ Clark Thomson, Miss Mabel P. Boardman and Mrs. George Barnett. Its ac­ counts are, and always have been, open to inspection on proper application. NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES SOUTHERN BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C. OFFICERS GENERAL HORACE PORTER, Honorary President ROBERT M. THOMPSON President HENRY H. WARD Vice-President ALBERT B. LAMBERT Vice-President HENRY B. JOY Vice-President HERBERT L. SATTERLEE Counsel LEWIS L. CLARKE Treasurer E. A. BENNETT Assistant Treasurer THE UBIQUITOUS GUNBOAT By CHARLES H. HALL Policeman of the sea, explorer, surveyor, and jack of all trades OKING her nose into all the They were cheap to build, costing nooks and corners of our own but $5,000 each and only $11,000 P and foreign coasts, the littlegun- armed and equipped, which appealed boat carries her country's flag to all to the economical spirit of the ad­ parts of the seven seas. She cruises ministration. They averaged about in the West Indies or a thousand miles thirty men to a crew. The men, as up the Amazon, in the upper reaches a rule, did not sleep on board, but of the Yangtse Kiang or in the waters were quartered ashore or on hulks. of the eastern Mediterranean. The boats were dull sailers and were A century ago the American gun­ practically useless in time of war. boat was a useless craft and Jeffer­ Once or twice a number of gunboats son's ridiculous "Gunboat Policy" a caught a British frigate aground in waste of public money. Instead of smooth water and peppered her at building seagoing ships, a couple of long range, but no particular military hundred tiny gunboats were ordered. effect was produced except that the To use Jefferson's phrase, these were enemy were a little more cautious in to protect us "from the ruinous folly their foraging expeditions. Commo­ of a navy." In October, 1803, the dore Barney had thirteen gun vessels first fleet of them sailed for the Medi­ on the Chesapeake, ten of them being terranean. They were 71 feet long, merely large rowing galleys. 18 feet wide and sloop rigged. They • Though of little military value the carried two long 32 pounders—big gunboats defended themselves with guns for such little vessels. Contem­ valor on occasion. The Asp, com­ poraries suggested that if the guns manded by a midshipman and with were fired in any direction except a crew of 21 men, was captured by ahead or astern the boat would cap­ five boats after she had nine men size. killed and wounded. Before the bat­ tle of New Orleans, in 1815, Lieuten­ The next year a number sailed for ant Thomas ap Catesby Jones with Tripoli and all but one arrived. They five gunboats and one light schooner had to stow their guns in the hold be­ yielded to a British expedition of 45 fore they ventured to sea. These boats only after a desperate resist­ were tiny craft of only 25 tons, armed ance. The British loss in this action with a long 24-pounder. By 1808, was 17 killed and 77 wounded. 176 gunboats were built and scattered up and down the coast. The smaller After the close of the war of 1812 ones could be rowed by oars and even the gunboats—which had been de­ the large ones were fitted with sweeps. risively nicknamed "Jeffs"—fell into 3 The Ubiquitous Gunboat disrepute and no more were built. steam frigates, such as the Colorado Instead, seagoing schooners, such as and the Wabash, did magnificent work the Experiment and Enterprise were when they could get close to the Con­ constructed and were active in the federate fortifications, as they did at West Indies, the Mediterranean, and Hilton Head and Fort Fisher, but on the West Coast of Africa. They they were big ships with large crews were vessels of nearly 200 tons, mount­ and were expensive in upkeep and ing 10 guns and carrying crews of 80 drew too much water to get "inside". or 90 men. Piracy flourished in the To meet the improvised warships of West Indies and our small cruisers the South swarms of gunboats were were extremely active and made built. They were thrown together honorable records in its suppression. hastily, a number, called the "90 day With the advent of steam, the cau­ gunboats," being constructed in four tious official mind hesitated to try months. They were screw-propelled the new motive power on the splendid boats of about 700 tons and in their ship-of-the-line, but experimented with batteries followed the American tra­ the smaller classes, planning to use dition of plenty of guns. The Aroos­ the little "paddle-flappers" to tow the took, for instance, had one XI-inch sailing ships into action when necess­ pivot, four 24-pounders, one 20- ary. Several of them did good ser­ pounder and a 12. The Kineo vice in the war with Mexico. They mounted an XI-inch pivot, two 32s, were small craft, side-wheelers, and two 24s and a 20-pounder. The mounted a few rather heavy guns. Pinola had the same brg XI-inch The Civil War gave a tremendous Dahlgren with two 24-pounders in impetus to the building of the smaller broadside and a brass 20. class of war vessel. The splendid For service in the broad shallow U. S. S. YORKTOWN WAS ONE OF OUR FIRST GUNBOATS, BEING COMMISSIONED IN 1889. SHE IS A 1,000-TON VESSEL. HER ORIGINAL MAIN BATTERY WAS SIX 6-INCH GUNS, THOUGH SHE NOW MOUNTS THE SAME NUMBER OF 5-INCH. 4 The Ubiquitous Gunboat THE DOUBLE-ENDER AGAWAM, BUILT IN 1862. HER FIRST EXECUTIVE OFFICER WAS LIEU­ TENANT GEORGE DEWEY, WHO SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY UNTIL SEPTEMBER, 1864. SHE WAS A WOODEN SIDE-WHEELER WITH A FORMIDABLE BATTERY. SHE MOUNTED TWO 100- POUNDER PARROTT RIFLES, FOUR IX-INCH, TWO 24-POUNDER AND ONE 12-POUNDER SMOOTH BORES AND A RIFLED 12-POUNDER. THE NASHVILLE IS A 1,400-TON STEEL GUNBOAT WITH A BATTERY OF EIGHT 4-INCH GUNS, FOUR 6-POUNDERS AND TWO 1-POUNDERS. SHE STEAMED 16.3 KNOTS ON HER TRIALS IN 1897. DURING THE WAR WITH SPAIN SHE CAPTURED THE FIRST SPANISH SHIP TAKEN AND LATER HER BOATS TOOK A NOTEWORTHY PART IN CUTTING THE CABLE AT CIENFUEGOS. 5 The Ubiquitous Gunboat The Ubiquitous Gunboat sounds and narrow winding '89, the Castine and Machias. rivers of the South a special These little craft were found type was evolved. In the to be lacking in stability and early part of the war the De­ altogether too small for their partment had bought and work so they were put in the hastily armed two or three dry dock and cut in two. New York ferryboats and The two halves were then they proved valuable vessels. pulled apart and a 14-foot The "double-enders" were the section built connecting the outcome of thisj experiment bow and the stern. and rendered very good ser­ When Manila was captured vice. They were light draught by Dewey's squadron, a num­ side wheelers with a rudder at ber of Spanish vessels fell into each end and, in fact, were our hands. They had been of the glorified ferryboat type. built for service in the Islands They too, had plenty of guns and were taken over by us. and their original batteries Most of them were small craft were in many cases increased and ensigns or midshipmen toward the end of the war. were assigned to command The Cimmarron, one of the first them, and each of these young double - enders built, origin­ officers had a territory to care ally mounted three VHI-inch for, of which he was absolute and six 32-pounders but later lord. They would come to these were changed and three Manila, load up with ammu­ XI-inch smooth bores and two nition and stores and go out 100 - pounder rifles were to patrol their districts. They mounted. When the Sebago ON OCTOBER 1, 1800, THE U. S. SCHOONER EXPERIMENT, 10 GUNS, COMMANDED BY LIEUTENANT CHARLES STEWART, CAPTURED were seldom attacked and was commissioned in 1861 she THE FRENCH 8-GUN SCHOONER DIANE. THE AMERICAN VESSEL WAS A TWO-TOPSAIL SCHOONER—A YANKEE RIG—AND MAY BE CONSIDERED A FORERUNNER OF THE MODERN GUNBOAT. usually quite able to take care carried one IX-inch Dahlgren, of themselves if they were. one 100-pounder and four 24-pounders.