The sinking of the Confederate ship was the first combat the California had encountered. Ashley hoped that the two released survivors would spread the word. Fighting a Gray Ship means death.
Chapter 53
Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America since its inception. Elected to a term of six years in 1861, he would serve through the entire Civil War. Davis wasn’t well known for his ability to work with others, and he insisted on answers from subordinates even when there were no answers to be had.
On June 5, 1861, he met with Stephen Mallory, Secretary of Confederate Navy. Mallory was a former United States Senator and had long held the position of Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs for the United States. Mallory knew the United States Navy as well as any man alive. Jefferson Davis wanted to know everything Mallory knew about the Gray Ships.
“Have a seat, Mr. Secretary. We have a lot to talk about. If there is one subject that I hear about every day it is the Gray Ships. Just this morning I received a report that the Chattanooga was sunk two days ago with just one shot from the USS Colorado, one of the Gray Ships. Please tell me what you know, Mr. Secretary.”
“Mr. President, I served as Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs for over 10 years, and I knew everything there was to know about the ships of the United States Navy. I was kept informed about any new ship building projects. A log in my office had details on every vessel in the Navy. I never heard anything about any Gray Ships,. an obvious secret that nobody wished to share with the Senate.”
“You never heard any mention about any secret shipbuilding project?” asked Davis.
“No Sir. If it was a secret I would be the first to know. Congress provided the funding for all naval matters.”
“But here is what I now know about these strange ships,” said Mallory. “There have been hundreds of sightings by hundreds of people, most of whom are of unimpeachable integrity. My office has put together all of the reports and organized the information. Twenty different ships have been sighted. Each ship is between 600 and 1,000 feet in length, although size estimates vary. All of the ships are extremely fast, over 30 knots. They are also highly maneuverable.”
“They all bear a resemblance to the USS California, the first Gray Ship sighted, but there are many different variations. Some of the ships boast gigantic guns on their forward turrets. Some of the ships have round white objects about ten to twelve feet in diameter along the rails of the ship. There are six on each side. We have no idea what these objects are for. Many of the armaments aren’t recognizable. Some of the weapons are not guns as we know them. In the incident where the Chattanooga was sunk two days ago, The Gray Ship only fired one shot. Witnesses described the shell as a long object, between 10 and 15 feet. It entered the Chattanooga’s hull and exploded. When it hit the Chattanooga, the ship was blown up into two pieces and sunk in less than a half minute. Witnesses from nearby ships told of a tower of fire and smoke over 100 feet in the air.”
“We have interviewed the only two surviving sailors who had been taken prisoner,” Mallory continued. “They described sights that are hard to believe. They told of weapons so powerful, that the shell that sank the Chattanooga was only a small part of their arsenal. We don’t know why the men were put ashore and not kept as prisoners of war. Neither do the men themselves. They described being treated fairly and even in a friendly manner. The most amazing thing that they reported was that the captain of the ship is a colored woman.”
Davis stood up. If Mallory had told him that the Gray Ship was made out of cheese, he couldn’t have been more shocked. “Are these men reliable?” asked Davis. “They went through a terrifying ordeal, and it may have affected their thinking.”
“I met them myself, and I’m convinced of their truthfulness. They talked about meeting with the captain in her office and being given coffee and food. They described her physical appearance so exactly I find it impossible to believe that they created the story.”
“Mr. Secretary, you held the office of Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs until five months ago. Besides not knowing about the Gray Ships, you were also kept ignorant of a colored woman serving as a captain of a Union ship. How can that possibly be, sir?”
Mallory shook his head as if to clear it. “Mr. President, I was in regular communication with Isaac Toucey, Secretary of the Union Navy until he was replaced by Gideon Wells three months ago. Toucey and I had become friends, and we met at least once a month. He kept me informed about personnel matters as well as the fleet. I find it unbelievable that he would have kept from me the fact that a Negro woman was the commanding officer of a Navy ship.”
“Secrecy,” Davis said, “appears to be deeply imbedded in the Union government. I was in the United States Senate, and I served as Secretary of War under President Pierce. I never heard of these matters and neither did you. I wonder how much other information was kept from us.”
“Mr. Secretary, keep me informed by cable dispatch whenever you hear of anything new involving the Gray Ships or the mysterious captain.”
“I fear that there will be many more surprises for us in the future,” said Davis.
Chapter 54
The California steamed up and down the Southern coast for three weeks. Captain Patterson followed the procedure of firing across the bow of merchant ships and blockade runners, then executing The Gray Ship Moon to make sure the men on the Confederate vessel got a good look at her name.
On June 26, 1861, under the name USS Massachusetts, the California was cruising slowly to update her nautical charts. The Officer of the Deck received a sonar report that an underwater object was bearing down on the ship at a slow rate of speed. Based on research from Father Rick’s Civil War library, the OOD identified the object as the CSS Hunley, a Confederate submarine. According to the history books, the Hunley was 40 feet long and travelled at a speed of four knots, propelled by a hand cranked shaft. The Hunley carried a crew of eight. It was armed with an explosive torpedo at the end of a long spar. Whoever commanded the vessel was unaware of sonar, and believed that he could sneak up on the California.
The OOD contacted Captain Patterson who immediately went to the bridge. The Hunley was 200 yards from the California and closing. “Whoever is driving this thing is crazier than the skipper of the Chattanooga,” Ashley said to the OOD.
“Order all ahead two-thirds and steer course 090 Lieutenant.” A course that would take the California away from the submarine. “Aye Aye, Captain.”
That thing can’t possibly do us any harm, thought Ashley. Yes, it’s an enemy vessel, and yes, it’s aiming for us, and yes, we can blow it out of the water easily, she thought. But the idea of killing eight people who didn’t stand a chance bothered her.
“Screw it,” Ashley said the Bellamy. “We’ll just leave the area and let them get their exercise with their hand-driven propeller. Do not engage.”
“Aye Aye, Captain.”