Kearsarge vs Alabama

[Werner]

Does anyone have a description of the "sheet chain" with which Capt. Winslow corseted the Kearsarge before her battle with CSS Alabama?

[Devin]

I've never seen a specific description of that and I honestly doubt you'll find one. It most likely wasn't a specifically designed piece, but merely whatever chain or line was around, tied together, and hung over the side. The Civil War saw a lot of impromptu armor, from bales of cotton stacked around engine spaces and uptakes on riverboats, to anchor chain coiled on top of the pilot houses of coastal monitors. Basically if they thought it would slow or deflect a shot they used it. One of the oddest cases I have read of was of the monitor Nahant; before the initial attack on Charleston her crew coated her decks and turret with grease in the hopes that it would cause shots to "slip off" without doing damage. All the grease did accomplish, however, was to cause a lot of cleaning as it was tracked throughout the ship for weeks afterwards.

[Pieter]

Does anyone have a description of the "sheet chain" with which Capt. Winslow corseted the Kearsarge before her battle with CSS Alabama?

This may just have been a reference to the chain used for the sheet anchor - the anchor which was usually stowed about half way between the fore and main mast on fully rigged warships. As sheet anchors were handled using the ship's main rigging the sheet chain was very long. Sheet anchors were almost never used, hence its suitability for other uses such as armor. Winslow may have kept one bower anchor and one piece of chain in order to be able to anchor if neccesary.

[Steve Sobieralski]

Beginning with the December, 1999 issue (Vol 44, No4) of the Nautical Research Journal, Arthur C Roberts published a four part series detailing his extensive research of the Kearsarge's appearance at the time of her battle with Alabama. In Part 2 of his article he quotes this desription of the chain armor, taken from the official navy report on the battle, which questions its efectiveness:

"The quantity of chain used on each side of the vessel in this much talked-about armoring is one hundred and twenty fathoms, and it covers a space amidships of forty-nine feet six inches in length, by six feet six inches in depth. The chain, which is single, not double, was and is stopped to eyebolts with rope-yarns and by iron dogs. Is it reasonable to suppose that this plating of 17-10 inch iron (the thickness of the links of chain) could offer any serious resistance to the heavy 68-pound and the 7-inch Blakely rifle of Alabama at the comparatively close range of seven hundred yards?"

Unfortunately, the photos of Roberts' model included in the article do not show how he modeled the chain armor very clearly. He appears to have left the chain on the starboard side exposed and placed a layer of planking covering the chain on the port side. According to Donald Canney's book "the Old Steam Navy, Volume One" the planking covering the chain was faired into the hull and can be seen in this photo staring just forward of the funnel:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/imag ... h78638.jpg

In the photos o0f Roberts' model the planking covering the chain on the port side does not appear to be faired into the hull, just somehow suspended in front of the hanging lengths of chain.

[Werner]

It looks like he was worried a splinter might disable his steam plant.

Thanks!

[Gerarddm]

In a modern context, think of the chain hung from the turret rear of the Israeli Merkava main batle tanks to thwart incoming rounds.