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'''CSS ''Scorpion''''' was a [[Squib class torpedo boat|''Squib''-class torpedo boat]] procured late in 1864 by the [[Confederate States Navy]] and armed with a [[spar torpedo]] fitted to her stem. She performed picket duty in the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]] under command of Lieutenant E. Lakin, CSN.<ref name="hazegray"/>
On January 23 to January 25, 1865, torpedo boats ''Scorpion'', {{Ship|CSS|Hornet||2}} and {{Ship|CSS|Wasp||2}}, under the overall command of Lieutenant [[Charles Read (naval officer)|Charles W. Read]], CSN, joined Flag Officer J.K. Mitchell's [[James River Squadron]] in the abortive attack on General [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s main supply base at [[City Point, Virginia]]. Attempting to rejoin her consort, the ironclad {{Ship|CSS|Richmond}} ran aground above Trent's Reach; ''Scorpion'' ended up fast ashore also and was severely damaged by the magazine explosion which destroyed nearby gunboat {{Ship|CSS|Drewry}}, on January 24. Abandoned, she fell into Federal hands.<ref name="hazegray"/>▼
▲''Scorpion'', {{Ship|CSS|Hornet||2}} and {{Ship|CSS|Wasp||2}}, under the overall command of Lieutenant [[Charles Read (naval officer)|Charles W. Read]], CSN, joined Flag Officer J.K. Mitchell's [[James River Squadron]] in the abortive attack on General [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s main supply base at [[City Point, Virginia]]. Attempting to rejoin her consort, the ironclad {{Ship|CSS|Richmond}} ran aground above Trent's Reach; ''Scorpion'' ended up fast ashore also and was severely damaged by the magazine explosion which destroyed nearby gunboat {{Ship|CSS|Drewry}}, on January 24. Abandoned, she fell into Federal hands.<ref name="hazegray"/>
==Construction and characteristics==
During the [[American Civil War]], the [[Union blockade]] was slowly suffocating the breakaway [[Confederate States of America]]. In an attempt to break the blockade, the [[torpedo boat]] [[CSS David|CSS ''David]] attacked the Union [[ironclad]] [[USS New Ironsides|USS ''New Ironsides'']] on October 5, 1863, damaging the Union vessel. Afterwards, the Confederates continued to build additional torpedo boats. While some were built on a similar pattern to ''David'', a group, known as the [[Squib class torpedo boat|''Squib''-class]], were built at [[Richmond, Virginia]], on a different pattern, with [[Lieutenant]] Hunter Davidson playing a significant role in the design.{{sfn|Pry|Zeitlin|1984|pp=384{{endash}}385}} One of the ''Squib''-class torpedo boats was ''Scorpion''. She was constructed in late 1864, and was {{convert|46|ft|m}} long, had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|6|ft|3|in|m}}, and a [[depth of hold]] of {{convert|3|ft|9|in|m}}.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite web |title=Scorpion |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/scorpion.html |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=27 February 2022}}</ref> [[Tonnage]] for the class is unknown.{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=219}} The ''Squib''-class ships were powered by two [[oscillating engine|oscilliating condensing engines]], which had a {{convert|7|in|cm|adj=on}} diameter [[cylinder (engine)|cylinder]] and a {{convert|6|in|cm|adj=on}} [[stroke (engine)|stroke]], as well a single [[boiler]]. Her steering gear was towards the front of the vessel. According to a Union engineer, she could go at "a fair speed for a boat of her kind".{{sfn|Campbell|2000|p=105}} The ''Squib''-class vessels were manned by a crew of five or six.{{sfn|Pry|Zeitlin|1984|p=385}} They were armed with a single [[spar torpedo]]. The torpedoes were {{convert|5|in|cm}} in diameter, and the spar shaft itself was either {{convert|18|ft|m}}<ref name="DANFS" /> or {{convert|16|ft|m}} long.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=125{{endash}}126}} The spar could be raised or lowered by the ship's crew using a chain and tackle system.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=126}} Thin plates of iron served as armor on the ships's sides.{{Sfn|Pry|Zeitlin|1984|p=385}}
==References==
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