Battleship killed by a bottle
12 December 1862, during the war between the United States and the Confederate States of America, on a minefield set up by the Confederates on the Yazoo River, exploded and sank the unionista battleship “First” stories the ship that died from this new and, as it turned out, very effective weapons.
Unfortunately, Nobel mines, first used by Russians against English fleet eight years earlier, in the Crimean War, they were too weak (only four kilograms of black powder) to lead to the destruction of the ship. None of the British steam frigates that had come up against them sank, escaping with relatively minor injuries.
And the Confederate mine contained five gallons (about 19 liters) of gunpowder in a large glass bottle, and that was enough to sink the river wheel armadillo with a displacement of 512 tons. Previously, "Kairo" managed to distinguish himself in the Battle of Memphis, having sustained artillery shells on steel sides, but he was defenseless against an explosion under a wooden bottom. On the screen saver - undermining "Kairo" in the image of a modern American artist.
Scheme weapons and booking "Kairo". Green is marked with armor protection of vertical steel plates with a thickness of 64 mm on a wooden base. Blue - railroad rails laid close to each other and also attached to a wooden backing.
I have already quoted the photograph of Cairo in a note describing the Battle of Memphis, and now let there be a color drawing in which he is depicted at the time of the onboard volley.
On the left is the anchor mine that destroyed the Kairo. The letter "A" in the picture marked a rope, the tension of which regulated the depth of the mine, "B" - a wooden float, "C" - a bottle braided with a rod with electric powder and an electric detonator, "D" - a cable to the blasting machine. On the right, Confederate Southern States Navy engineers (colonel, lieutenant, and sergeant) engaged in mine productions.
At the end of the last century, the remains of "Kairo" were raised, partially restored and put on display. Below - photos of this unique monument of the era.
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