Editing Torpedo boat (section)

==Spar torpedo boats==
[[File:CSS David drawing.jpg|thumb|Confederate torpedo boat CSS ''David'']]
The [[American Civil War]] saw a number of innovations in naval warfare, including an early type of torpedo boat, armed with [[spar torpedo]]es. In 1861, President [[Abraham Lincoln]] instituted a naval [[Union blockade|blockade of Southern ports]], which crippled the South's efforts to obtain war [[materiel]] from abroad. The South also lacked the means to construct a naval fleet capable of taking on the [[Union Navy]] on even terms. One strategy to counter the blockade saw the development of torpedo boats, small fast boats designed to attack the larger [[capital ship]]s of the blockading fleet as a form of [[asymmetrical warfare]].

The {{ship|CSS|David||2}} class of torpedo boats were steam powered with a partially enclosed hull. They were not true submarines but were ''semi-submersible''; when ballasted, only the smokestack and few inches of the hull were above the water line. CSS Midge was a ''David''-class torpedo boat. [[CSS Squib|CSS ''Squib'']] and {{ship|CSS|Scorpion||6}} represented another class of torpedo boats that were also low built but had open decks and lacked the ballasting tanks found on the ''David''s.

The Confederate torpedo boats were armed with [[spar torpedo]]es. This was a charge of powder in a waterproof case, mounted to the bow of the torpedo boat below the water line on a long spar. The torpedo boat attacked by ramming her intended target, which stuck the torpedo to the target ship by means of a barb on the front of the torpedo. The torpedo boat would back away to a safe distance and detonate the torpedo, usually by means of a long cord attached to a trigger.

In general, the Confederate torpedo boats were not very successful. Their low sides made them susceptible to swamping in high seas, and even to having their boiler fires extinguished by spray from their own torpedo explosions. Torpedo misfires (too early) and duds were common. In 1864, Union Navy Lieutenant [[William B. Cushing]] fitted a steam launch with a spar torpedo to attack the Confederate [[ironclad]] {{ship|CSS|Albemarle||2}}. Also the same year the Union launched {{USS|Spuyten Duyvil}}, a purpose-built craft with a number of technical innovations including variable ballast for attack operations and an extensible and reloadable torpedo placement spar.