History - Deep Sea Detectives Damn The Torpedoes

The Tecumseh was an iron-hulled, single-turret monitor, similar in design to the famous USS Monitor. In August 1864, she was in the vanguard of a monitor flotilla that spearheaded the Federal attack on Mobile Bay. The Confederate defense centered on theirshore batteries and the CSS Tennessee, a powerful ironclad ram. As Tecumseh tacked to engage the attacking Tennessee, she suddenly listed, as an explosion erupted beneath the hull. Tecumseh sank quickly with all crewmen. Conventional wisdom and navy records indicated a "torpedo"--an underwater mine--caused the explosion. Others believe this could have been the work of the shore-based artillery, while still others believe it was a Confederate submarine. Join our veteran divers as they try to solve the mystery.