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Data Analytics VCE Units 3&4 © 2019 Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited

5th Edition
Gary Bass Copyright Notice

Natalie Heath This Work is copyright. No part of this Work may be reproduced, stored in a
Therese Keane retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior
Anthony Sullivan written permission of the Publisher. Except as permitted under the

Mark Kelly Copyright Act 1968, for example any fair dealing for the purposes of private study,
research, criticism or review, subject to certain limitations. These limitations

include: Restricting the copying to a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this

Senior publisher: Eleanor Gregory book, whichever is greater; providing an appropriate notice and warning with the
Editor: Scott Vandervalk copies of the Work disseminated; taking all reasonable steps to limit access to
Proofreader: Nadine Anderson these copies to people authorised to receive these copies; ensuring you hold the
Indexer: Bruce Gillespie appropriate Licences issued by the Copyright Agency Limited (“CAL”), supply a

Visual designer: James Steer remuneration notice to CAL and pay any required fees. For details of CAL licences
Cover design: Chris Starr, MakeWork and remuneration notices please contact CAL at Level 11, 66 Goulburn Street,
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Permissions researcher: Lyahna Spencer Email: [email protected]
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For permission to use material from this text or product, please email
[email protected]
Acknowledgements

Extracts from the VCE Applied Computing Study Design (2020–2023), are ISBN 978 0 17 044087 5
reproduced by permission, © VCAA. VCE is a registered trademark of the VCAA.
The VCAA does not endorse or make any warranties regarding this study Cengage Learning Australia
resource. Current VCE Study Designs, past VCE exams and related content can be Level 7, 80 Dorcas Street
accessed directly at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au South Melbourne, Victoria Australia 3205

Cengage Learning New Zealand

Unit 4B Rosedale Office Park

331 Rosedale Road, Albany, North Shore 0632, NZ

For learning solutions, visit cengage.com.au

Printed in Singapore by 1010 Printing International Limited.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 23 22 21 20 19
 Contents
Preface v
About the authors vi
How to use this book vii
Outcomes ix
Problem-solving methodology xiii
Key concepts xvi

3
Unit

Introduction 1 Chapter 3 Project management and

data analysis 113
Chapter 1 Data and presentation 2 What is data? 114
Project management 114
What is data? 3
Why must we begin with a research question? 124
Referencing data sources 14
Primary and secondary data 128
Data types 16
Quantitative and qualitative data 129
Data structures 19
Data types and data structures 136
Data integrity 20
Referencing data sources 137
Data validation 24
Data integrity 139
Data visualisation 25
Data security 152
Designing solutions 37
Next steps 158
Design principles 37
Formats and conventions 39
Design tools for data visualisation 46 Chapter 4 Drawing conclusions 165
Continuing Unit 3, Outcome 2 166
Chapter 2 Data manipulation and Solution specifications 166
presentation 57 Design principles 171
Databases 58 Generating design ideas 176
Creating a database structure 59 Design tools 187
Spreadsheet tools 84 Types of infographics and data visualisations 190
Data visualisation 89 Preparing for Unit 3, Outcome 2 204
Testing 96
Review the Outcome’s steps 106
Preparing for Unit 3, Outcome 1 112

iii
9780170440875
 4
Unit

Introduction 207 Chapter 6 Information management 262

Networks 263
Chapter 5 Development and evaluation 208 Threats to data and information 272
Data visualisations 209 Physical and software security controls 275
Procedures and techniques for managing files 214 Managing data on a network 284
Functional capabilities of software 220 Network attached storage and cloud computing 289
An effective infographic or data visualisation 221
Manipulating data 234 Chapter 7 Cyber security measures 297
Formats and conventions 237
Manipulating data with software 238 The importance of data and information to organisations 298
Verification and validation 243 Information management strategies 301
Testing 244 Data security 302
Evaluating your solution 248 The importance of diminished data integrity in
information systems 303
Documenting the progress of projects 250
Key legislation relating to data and information 304
Assessing your project plan 254
Ethics and security practices 314
Next steps 255
Resolving legal and ethical tensions 317
Preparing for Unit 4, Outcome 1 261
Reasons to prepare for disaster 318
Consequences of security failure 328
Evaluating information management strategies 331
Preparing for Unit 4, Outcome 2 338
Index 339

iv CONTENTS
9780170440875
 Preface

This fifth edition of Data Analytics VCE Units 3 & 4 incorporates the changes to the VCAA
VCE Applied Computing Study Design that took effect from 2020.
This textbook looks at how individuals and organisations use, and can be affected by,
information systems in their daily lives.
We believe that teachers and students require a text that focuses on the Areas of Study
specified in the Study Design and which presents information in a sequence that allows
easy transition from theory into practical assessment tasks. We have, therefore, written this
textbook so that a class can begin at Chapter 1 and work their way systematically through
to the end. Students will encounter material relating to the key knowledge dot points for
each Outcome before they reach the special section that describes the Outcome. The
Study Design outlines key skills that indicate how the knowledge can be applied to produce
a solution to an information problem. These Outcome preparation sections occur regularly
throughout the textbook and flag an appropriate point in the student’s development for each
Outcome to be completed. The authors have covered all key knowledge for the Outcomes
from the Data Analytics VCE Units 3 & 4 course.
Our approach has been to focus on the key knowledge required for each school-assessed
Outcome, and to ensure that students are well prepared for these; however, there is
considerable duplication in the Study Design relating to the knowledge required for many of
the Outcomes. We have found that, with an Outcomes approach, we are covering material
sometimes several times. For example, knowledge of a problem-solving methodology is listed
as key knowledge for many different Outcomes. In these cases, we have tried to provide
a general coverage in the first instance, and specifically apply the concept to a situation
relevant to the related Outcome on subsequent encounters.
The authors assume that teachers will develop the required key skills with their students
within the context of the key knowledge addressed in this textbook and the resources
available to them.
We have incorporated a margin column in the text to provide additional information and
reinforce key concepts. This margin column also includes activities that relate to the topics
covered in the text and considers issues relevant to information systems usage.
Outcome features appear at several points in the book, indicating the nature of the tasks
that students undertake in the completion of the school-assessed Outcome. We have listed
the steps required to complete the Outcome, together with advice and suggestions for
approaching the task. We have also described the output and support material needed for
submission. You will also find sample tasks and further advice relating to the Outcomes are
available at https://nelsonnet.com.au.
The chapters are organised to present the optimum amount of information in the most
effective manner. The book is presented in concise, clearly identified sections to guide
students through the text. Each chapter is organised into the sections described on pages
vii–viii.

9780170440875
 About the authors

Gary Bass teaches VCE Applied Computing at Year 11 and Year 12 in an online course
environment at Virtual School Victoria. Previously, he has taught VCE Physics, as well as
developing and delivering middle school ICT courses. Gary has presented at DLTV DigiCON
and the annual IT teachers conference on many topics including Pop-up Makerspace; Big
Data requires huge analysis – data visualisation; AR + VR = Mixed reality; and Marshall
McLuhan-Medium is the message. Gary was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator
(ADE) in 2002 and 2011. In 2016, he was presented with DLTV’s IT Leader of the Year award.
Natalie Heath is the eLearning/ICT Leading Teacher at Eltham High School. She has been
an IT specialist teacher for nearly 20 years, teaching at all secondary levels including VCE
Informatics, IT Applications, Information Processing and Management, and Software
Development. She has extensive experience around VCE, having assessed examinations in
various subjects for more than two decades. Natalie has also developed many resources for
VCE Computing subjects over the years, including trial examinations. She has presented at
teacher professional learning conferences as an expert in Unit 3 and 4 subjects and in 2018
was presented with the DLTV’s Maggie Iaquinto VCE Computing Educator of the Year award
for her services to the VCE Computing teaching community and resource development.
Associate Professor Therese Keane is Deputy Chair of the Department of Education at
Swinburne University and has worked in a variety of school settings where she has taught IT in
K–12 education as the Director of ICT. Her passion and achievements in ICT in the education
and robotics space have been acknowledged by her peers in her receiving numerous national
and state awards. Therese has presented seminars and workshops for teachers involved in the
teaching of IT. She has written several textbooks in all units of VCE Information Technology.
Therese’s research interests include the use of technology in education, gender inequalities
in STEM-based subjects, robotics in education and computers in schools for teaching and
learning purposes. Therese is involved with the FIRST LEGO League as the Championship
Tournament Director for Victoria and she is a lead mentor for the RoboCats – a female
school student only robotics team that participates in the FIRST Robotic Competition.
Anthony Sullivan is a Curriculum and Learning Specialist at Monash College where he is
responsible for creating assessment and learning materials for accounting and computing
subjects as part of the Monash University Foundation Year program. Anthony has more
than 25 years experience teaching business and computing subjects. He has taught in both
government and non-government settings in Australia and taught computing and information
technology courses in schools in Asia and the United Kingdom. Anthony has also been a VCE
Examination Assessor, a member of the committee that reviewed and wrote the previous
Study Design for VCE Computing, and has written a range of commercial resources related
to VCE Computing. He has presented at conferences and professional development events
and student examination preparation sessions.

vi

9780170440875
 How to use this book

KEY KNOWLEDGE
The key knowledge from the VCE Applied Computing Study Design that you will cover
in each chapter is listed on the first page of each chapter. The list includes key knowledge
specified in the Outcome related to the chapter.

FOR THE STUDENT

Each chapter’s opening page includes an overview of that chapter’s contents so that you are
aware of the material you will encounter.

FOR THE TEACHER

This section is for your teacher and outlines how the chapter fits into the overall study of
Data Analytics, and outlines how the material relates to the completion of Outcomes.

CHAPTERS
The major learning material that you will encounter in the chapter is presented as text,
photographs and illustrations. The text describes in detail the theory associated with the
stated Outcomes of the VCE Applied Computing Study Design in easy-to-understand
language. The photographs show hardware, software and other objects that have been
described in the text. Illustrations are used to demonstrate concepts that are more easily
explained in this manner.
Throughout the chapter, glossary terms are highlighted in bold and you can find their
definitions at the end of each chapter, in Essential terms.
The School-assessed Task Tracker at the bottom of every odd-numbered page provides
you with a visual reminder to help you track your progress in the School-assessed Task (SAT),
which is derived from Unit 3, Outcome 2 and Unit 4, Outcome 1, so that you can complete 3.1
all required stages on time. THINK ABOUT
DATA ANALYTICS

MARGIN COLUMN Project management

tools are useful to find
The margin column contains further explanations that support the main text, weblink icons, the perfect number
additional material outside the Study Design and cross-references to material covered of people needed on
a task so it is finished
elsewhere in the textbook. Issues relevant to Data Analytics that you can discuss with your as quickly as possible
classmates are also included in the form of ‘Think about Data Analytics’ boxes. without anyone being
idle. Use software to
CHAPTER SUMMARY develop a Gantt chart
to plan the baking of a
The chapter summary at the end of each chapter is divided into two main parts to help you cake. Assume you can
use as many cooks as
review each chapter. you want.
Essential terms are the glossary terms that have been highlighted throughout the chapter.
The Important facts section is a list of summaries, ideas, processes and statements
relevant to the chapter, in the order in which they occur in the chapter.

vii
9780170440875
 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Short-answer questions will help you to review the chapter material. The questions are
grouped and identified with a section of the text to allow your teacher to direct appropriate
questions based on the material covered in class. Teachers will be able to access answers to
these questions at https://nelsonnet.com.au.

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Each chapter concludes with a set of questions requiring you to demonstrate that you
can apply the theory from the chapter to more complex questions. The style of questions
reflects what you can expect in the end-of-year examination. Teachers will be able to access
suggested responses to these questions at https://nelsonnet.com.au.

PREPARING FOR THE OUTCOMES

This section appears at points in the course where it is appropriate for you to complete an
Outcome task. The information provided describes what you need to do in the Outcome,
the suggested steps to be followed in the completion of the task and the material that needs
to be submitted for assessment.

NELSONNET
The NelsonNet student website contains:
• multiple-choice quizzes for each chapter, mirroring the VCAA Unit 3 & 4 exam
• additional material such as spreadsheets and infographics.
An open-access weblink page is also provided for all weblinks that appear in the margins
throughout the textbook. This is accessible at https://nelsonnet.com.au.
The NelsonNet teacher website is accessible only to teachers and it contains:
• answers for the Test your knowledge and Apply your knowledge questions in the book
• sample School-assessed Coursework (SAC)
• chapter tests
• practice exam.
Please note that complimentary access to NelsonNet and the NelsonNetBook is only
available to teachers who use the accompanying student textbook as a core educational
resource in their classroom. Contact your sales representative for information about access
codes and conditions.

viii HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

9780170440875
 Outcomes
OUTCOME KEY KNOWLEDGE LOCATION
Unit 3 Data analytics
Area of Study 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to respond to teacher-provided solution
Outcome 1 requirements and designs to extract data from large repositories, manipulate and cleanse data and
apply a range of functions to develop software solutions to present findings.
Data and • techniques for efficient and effective data collection, including methods to collect census, pp. 6–10
information Geographic Information System (GIS) data, sensor, social media and weather
• factors influencing the integrity of data, including accuracy, authenticity, correctness, pp. 20–23
reasonableness, relevance and timeliness
• sources of, and methods and techniques for, acquiring authentic data stored in large pp. 10–13
repositories
• methods for referencing primary and secondary sources, including American Psychological pp. 14–16
Association (APA) referencing system
• characteristics of data types pp. 16–18
Approaches to • methods for documenting a problem, need or opportunity p. 37
problem solving
• methods for determining solution requirements, constraints and scope p. 37
• naming conventions to support efficient use of databases, spreadsheets and data visualisations p. 67
• a methodology for creating a database structure: identifying entities, defining tables and fields
to represent entities; defining relationships by identifying primary key fields and foreign key pp. 58–66
fields; defining data types and field sizes, normalisation to third normal form
• design tools for representing databases, spreadsheets and data visualisations, including data pp. 46–9, 84
dictionaries, tables, charts, input forms, queries and reports
• design principles that influence the functionality and appearance of databases, spreadsheets pp. 37–9, 84–93
and data visualisations
• functions and techniques to retrieve required information through querying data sets, pp. 74–5
including searching, sorting and filtering to identify relationships and patterns
• software functions, techniques and procedures to efficiently and effectively validate, pp. 80–2, 88
manipulate and cleanse data including files, and applying formats and conventions
• types and purposes of data visualisations pp. 25–31
• formats and conventions applied to data visualisations to improve their effectiveness for pp. 39–45
intended users, including clarity of message
• methods and techniques for testing databases, spreadsheets and data visualisations pp. 96–106
Interactions and • reasons why organisations acquire data p. 4
impact
Key skills • interpret solution requirements and designs to develop data visualisations pp. 37, 167–71
• identify, select and extract relevant data from large repositories pp. 4, 9–13
• use a standard referencing system to acknowledge intellectual property p. 14
• organise, manipulate and cleanse data using database and spreadsheet software pp. 74–5, 80–8
• select, justify and apply functions, formats and conventions to create effective data visualisations pp. 39–45
• develop and apply suitable validation and testing techniques to software tools used pp. 24–5

ix
9780170440875
OUTCOME KEY KNOWLEDGE LOCATION
Unit 3 Data analytics: Analysis and design
Area of Study 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to propose a research question, formulate
Outcome 2 a project plan, collect and analyse data, generate alternative design ideas and represent the
preferred design for creating infographics or dynamic data visualisations.
Digital systems • roles, functions and characteristics of digital system components p. 148–52
• physical and software security controls used by organisations for protecting stored and p. 152–8
communicated data
Data and • primary and secondary data sources and methods of collecting data, including interviews, p. 128
information observation, querying of data stored in large repositories and surveys
• techniques for searching, browsing and downloading data sets p. 126
• suitability of quantitative and qualitative data for manipulation p. 129–30
• characteristics of data types and data structures relevant to selected software tools p. 136–7
• methods for referencing secondary sources, including the APA referencing system p. 137–9
• criteria to check the integrity of data, including accuracy, authenticity, correctness, p. 139–47
reasonableness, relevance and timeliness
• techniques for coding qualitative data to support manipulation p. 130–6
Approaches to • features of a research question, including a statement identifying the research question as an p. 124–6
problem solving information problem
• functional and non-functional requirements, including data to support the research question, p. 167–71
constraints and scope
• types and purposes of infographics and dynamic data visualisations p. 190–8
• design principles that influence the appearance of infographics and the functionality and p. 171–6
appearance of dynamic data visualisations
• design tools for representing the appearance and functionality of infographics and dynamic p. 187–9
data visualisations, including data manipulation and validation, where appropriate
• techniques for generating alternative design ideas p. 176–85
• criteria for evaluating alternative design ideas and the efficiency and effectiveness of p. 185–7
infographics or dynamic data visualisations
• features of project management using Gantt charts, including the identification and p. 114–23
sequencing of tasks, time allocation, dependencies, milestones and the critical path
Interactions and • key legal requirements for the storage and communication of data and information, including p. 307–14
impact human rights requirements, intellectual property and privacy
Key skills • frame a research question p. 124–6
• analyse and document requirements, constraints and scope of infographics or dynamic data pp. 167–171
visualisations
• apply techniques for searching, downloading, browsing and referencing data sets p. 126
• select and apply design tools to represent the functionality and appearance of infographics or p. 187–9
dynamic data visualisations
• generate alternative design ideas p. 176–85

x OUTCOMES
9780170440875
Visit https://testbankfan.com
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 OUTCOME KEY KNOWLEDGE LOCATION
• develop evaluation criteria to select and justify preferred designs p. 185–7
• produce detailed designs using appropriate design methods and techniques p. 187–98
• propose and apply appropriate methods to secure stored data p. 152–8
• create, monitor and modify project plans using software p. 114–23
Unit 4 Data analytics: Development and evaluation
Area of Study 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to develop and evaluate infographics or
Outcome 1 dynamic data visualisations that present findings in response to a research question, and assess
the effectiveness of the project plan in monitoring progress.
Digital systems • procedures and techniques for handling and managing files, including archiving, backing up, pp. 214–20
disposing of files and security
• the functional capabilities of software to create infographics and dynamic data visualisations p. 220
Approaches to • characteristics of information for educating targeted audiences, including age appropriateness, p. 221–9
problem solving commonality of language, culture inclusiveness and gender
• characteristics of efficient and effective infographics and dynamic data visualisations p. 221–34
• functions, techniques and procedures for efficiently and effectively manipulating data using pp. 234, 238
software tools
• techniques for creating infographics and dynamic data visualisations pp. 238–42
• techniques for validating and verifying data p. 243
• techniques for testing that solutions perform as intended pp. 244–8
• techniques for recording the progress of projects, including adjustments to tasks and pp. 250–3
timeframes, annotations and logs
• strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of infographics and dynamic data visualisations pp. 248–50
solutions and assessing project plans
Key skills • monitor, modify and annotate the project plan as necessary p. 251
• propose and implement procedures for managing files pp. 214–20
• select and apply software functions, conventions, formats, methods and techniques to develop pp. 237–8
infographics or dynamic data visualisations
• select and apply data validation and testing techniques, making any necessary modifications pp. 243–8
• apply evaluation criteria to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of infographics or dynamic pp. 248–50
data visualisations solutions
• assess the effectiveness of the project plan in managing the project pp. 254–5

OUTCOMES xi
9780170440875
 OUTCOME KEY KNOWLEDGE LOCATION
Unit 4 Cybersecurity: Data and information security
Area of Study 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to respond to a teacher-provided case
Outcome 2 study to investigate the current data and information security strategies of an organisation,
examine the threats to the security of data and information, and recommend strategies to
improve current practices.
Digital systems • characteristics of wired, wireless and mobile networks pp. 263–71
• types and causes of accidental, deliberate and events-based threats to the integrity and pp. 272–5
security of data and information used by organisations
• physical and software security controls for preventing unauthorised access to data and pp. 275–84
information and for minimising the loss of data accessed by authorised and unauthorised users
• the role of hardware, software and technical protocols in managing, controlling and securing pp. 284–9
data in information systems
• the advantages and disadvantages of using network attached storage and cloud computing for pp. 289–90
storing, communicating and disposing of data and information
Data and • characteristics of data that has integrity, including accuracy, authenticity, correctness, pp. 20–3
information reasonableness, relevance and timeliness
Interactions and • the importance of data and information to organisations
impacts p. 298

• the importance of data and information security strategies to organisations p. 302

• the impact of diminished data integrity in information systems pp. 303–4
• key legislation that affects how organisations control the collection, storage, communication
and disposal of their data and information: the Health Records Act 2001, the Privacy Act 1988 pp. 304–13
and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014
• ethical issues arising from data and information security practices pp. 314–17
• strategies for resolving legal and ethical issues between stakeholders arising from information pp. 317–18
security practices
• reasons to prepare for disaster and the scope of disaster recovery plans, including backing up, pp. 318–27
evacuation, restoration and test plans
• possible consequences for organisations that fail or violate security measures p. 328
• criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of data and information security strategies pp. 331–3
Key skills • analyse and discuss the current data and information security strategies used by an pp. 298–302
organisation
• propose and apply criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of current data and information p. 302
security strategies
• identify and evaluate threats to the security of data and information pp. 272–5, 302
• identify and discuss possible legal and ethical consequences of ineffective data and information p. 328
security strategies
• recommend and justify strategies to improve current data and information security practices p. 328
Reproduced from the VCE Applied Computing Study Design (2020–2023) © VCAA; used with permission.

xii OUTCOMES

9780170440875
 Problem-solving
methodology
When an information problem exists, a structured problem-solving methodology is followed
to ensure that the most appropriate solution is found and implemented. For the purpose of this
course, the problem-solving methodology has four key stages: analysis, design, development
and evaluation. Each of these stages can be further broken down into a common set of
activities. Each unit may require you to examine a different set of problem-solving stages. It
is critical for you to understand the problem-solving methodology because it underpins the
entire VCE Applied Computing course.

Problem-solving methodology
.noissimrep htiw desu ;AACV
© )3202–0202( ngiseD ydutS gnitupmoC deilppA ECV eht morf decudorpeR

Analysis Design Development Evaluation

Activities Activities Activities Activities

Solution Solution Solution
Manipulation
requirements design evaluation

Solution Evaluation Evaluation

Validation
constraints criteria strategy

Solution
Testing
scope
FIGURE 1 The four
stages of the problem-
Documentation solving methodology and
their key activities

Analyse the problem

The purpose of analysis is to establish the root cause of the problem, the specific information
needs of the organisation involved, limitations on the problem and exactly what a possible
solution would be expected to do (the scope). The three key activities are:
1 identifying solution requirements – attributes and functionality that the solution needs
to include, information it must produce and data needed to produce this information
2 establishing solution constraints – the limitations on solution development that need to
be considered; constraints are classified as economic, technical, social, legal and related
to usability
3 defining the scope of the solution – what the solution will and will not be able to do.

xiii
9780170440875
 Design the solution
During the design stage, several alternative design ideas based on both appearance and
function are planned and the most appropriate of these is chosen. Criteria are also created
to select the most appropriate ideas and to evaluate the solution’s success once it has been
implemented. The two key design activities include the following.
1 Creating the solution design – it must clearly show a developer what the solution should
look like, the specific data required, and how its data elements should be structured,
validated and manipulated. Tools typically used to represent data elements could
include data dictionaries, data structure diagrams, input–process–output (IPO) charts,
flowcharts, pseudocode and object descriptions. The following tools are also used to show
the relationship between various components of the solution: storyboards, site maps, data
flow diagrams, structure charts, hierarchy charts and context diagrams. Furthermore,
the appearance of the solution, including elements like a user interface, reports, graphic
representations or data visualisations, needs to be planned so that overall layout, fonts and
their colours can be represented. Layout diagrams and annotated diagrams (or mock-ups)
usually fulfil this requirement. A combination of tools from each of these categories will
be selected to represent the overall solution design. Regardless of the visual or functional
aspects of a solution design at this stage, a design for the tests to ultimately ensure the
solution is functioning correctly must also be created.
2 Specifying evaluation criteria – during the evaluation stage, the solution is assessed to
establish how well it has met its intended objectives. The criteria for evaluation must be
created during the design stage so that all personnel involved in the task are aware of
the level of performance that will ultimately determine the success or otherwise of the
solution. The criteria are based on the solution requirements identified at the analysis
stage and are measured in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.

Develop the solution

The solution is created by the developers during this stage from the designs supplied to them.
The ‘coding’ takes place, but also checking of input data (validation), testing that the solution
works and the creation of user documentation. The four activities involved with development
include the following.
1 Manipulating or coding the solution – the designs are used to build the electronic solution.
The coding will occur here and internal documentation will be included where necessary.
2 Checking the accuracy of input data by way of validation – manual and electronic
methods are used; for example, proofreading is a manual validation technique. Electronic
validation involves using the solution itself to ensure that data is reasonable by checking
for existence, data type and that it fits within the required range. Electronic validation,
along with any other formulas, always needs to be tested to ensure that the solution works
properly.

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9780170440875
3 Ensuring that a solution works through testing – each formula and function, not to
mention validation and even the layout of elements on the screen, needs to be tested.
Standard testing procedures involve stating what tests will be conducted, identifying
test data, stating the expected result, running the tests, reporting the actual result and
correcting any errors.
4 Documentation allowing users to interact with (or use) the solution – while it can be
printed, in many cases it is now designed to be viewed on screen. User documentation
normally outlines procedures for operating the solution, as well as generating output (like
reports) and basic troubleshooting.

Evaluate the solution

Sometimes after a solution has been in use by the end-user or client, it needs to be
assessed or evaluated to ensure that it has been successful and does actually meet the user’s
requirements. The two activities involved in evaluating a solution include the following.
1 Evaluating the solution – providing feedback to the user about how well the solution meets
their requirements or needs or opportunities in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
This is based on the findings of the data gathered at the beginning of the evaluation stage
when compared with the evaluation criteria created during the design stage.
2 Working out an evaluation strategy – creating a timeline for when various elements of
the evaluation will occur and how and what data will be collected (because it must relate
to the criteria created at the design stage).

PROBLEM-SOLVING METHODOLOGY xv

9780170440875
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
position from a military point of view, made it the most important
object for any military expedition.
There is a great bend in the Mississippi, thirty miles above the
head of the passes, the lowest favorable locality for defence, where
two forts had been erected by the United States Government, St.
Philip on the left, or north bank, and a little further down, Fort
Jackson, on the right bank. A single fort at this point had held a
British fleet in check for nine days, in spite of a vigorous shelling by
their guns and mortars. Fort St. Philip was originally built by the
Spaniards, but had been completely reconstructed. It was a
quadrangular earthwork, with a brick scarp, and powerful batteries
exteriorly, above and below. Fort Jackson was more important, and
rose twenty-five feet above the river and swamp, while St. Philip was
only nineteen feet above them.
The Confederates had taken possession of these works, and had
put them in complete order; Jackson mounted seventy-five powerful
guns, and St. Philip forty. Fourteen of Fort Jackson’s guns were in
bomb-proof casemates. The works were garrisoned by fifteen
hundred men, commanded by Brigadier General Duncan; St. Philip
being commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Higgins, formerly
an officer of the United States Navy.
Above the forts lay a fleet of fifteen vessels, under Commodore J.
K. Mitchell, formerly of the United States Navy, which included the
ironclad ram Manassas, and a huge floating battery, covered with
railroad iron, called the “Louisiana.”
Just below Fort Jackson the river was obstructed by a heavy
chain, brought from the Pensacola Navy-yard. This chain was
supported by cypress logs, at short intervals; the ends made fast to
great trees on shore, and the whole kept from sagging down with the
current by heavy anchors.
This contrivance was swept away by a spring freshet, and was
replaced by smaller chains, passed over eight dismasted hulks,
anchored abreast, and partially by logs, as before. There was a
battery at the end opposite Fort Jackson.
A number of sharpshooters patrolled the banks below, to give
notice of any movements of the United States forces.
 Farragut’s task was to break through the obstructions, pass the
forts, destroy or capture the Rebel fleet, and then to place New
Orleans under the guns of his own ships, and demand its surrender.
He had six sloops-of-war, sixteen gun-boats—all steam-vessels—
and twenty-one schooners, each with a 13-inch mortar, and five
sailing vessels, which were to act as magazines and store-ships.
The fleet carried over two hundred guns, and was the largest that
had ever been seen under our flag, up to that time; but was
afterwards much exceeded by that which bombarded Fort Fisher.
There was little opportunity for General Butler and his fifteen
thousand troops to co-operate in the passage of the forts; so they
only held themselves ready to hold what Farragut might capture.
Farragut hoped to have taken the Colorado, a most powerful
frigate, up the river, but she drew entirely too much water to be got
over the bar. Great difficulty was experienced in getting the Brooklyn,
Mississippi, and Pensacola into the river. The Mississippi, although
lightened in every possible way, had to be dragged through at least a
foot of mud.
When the arduous labor was finished, and the time for action
arrived, Butler’s troops were embarked on the transports, and
Porter’s mortar-schooners were placed on each bank, below the
forts; being protected from the view of those in the batteries by the
forest trees, and by having great branches lashed at their mast-
heads, which blended with the foliage on the banks.
The mortars threw shells weighing two hundred and eighty-five
pounds, and their fire was guided by a careful triangulation, made by
Mr. Gerdes, of the Coast Survey. Fort Jackson received most of the
shells, of which about a thousand a day were thrown, for six days.
The Confederates had a good many killed and wounded by this
means, and much damage was done, but the forts were not
silenced; and Lieutenant Weitzel reported, after their surrender, that
they were as strong as before the first shell was fired.
 NEW ORLEANS—FLEET PASSING FORTS JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP.

One schooner was sunk, and one steamer disabled by the return
fire from the fort.
In the course of the delay waiting for the result of the
bombardment, many of Farragut’s ships were damaged by collisions,
caused by strong winds and currents, and by efforts to avoid the fire-
rafts which the enemy sent down. Only one of the latter put the ships
in any danger, and that was at last turned off. These fire-rafts were
flatboats piled with dry wood, sprinkled with tar and turpentine. They
were towed out of the way by the ships’ boats.
Farragut had issued orders to his commanding officers in regard to
preparing their ships for this particular service. After providing for the
top hamper, and dispensing with many masts and spars, he says,
“Make arrangements, if possible, to mount one or two guns on the
poop and top-gallant-forecastle; in other words, be prepared to use
as many guns as possible, ahead and astern, to protect yourself
against the enemy’s gun-boats and batteries, bearing in mind that
you will always have to ride head to the current, and can only avail
yourself of the sheer of the helm to point a broadside gun more than
three points forward of the beam.
“Have a kedge in the mizzen-chains (or any convenient place) on
the quarter, with a hawser bent and leading through in the stern
chock, ready for any emergency; also grapnels in the boats, ready to
hook on to and to tow off fire-ships. Trim your vessel a few inches by
the head, so that if she touches the bottom she will not swing head
down the river. Put your boat howitzers in the fore and main tops, on
the boat carriages, and secure them for firing abeam, etc. Should
any accident occur to the machinery of the ship, making it necessary
to drop down the river, you will back and fill down under sail, or you
can drop your anchor and drift down, but in no case attempt to turn
the ship’s head down stream. You will have a spare hawser ready,
and when ordered to take in tow your next astern, do so, keeping the
hawser slack so long as the ship can maintain her own position,
having a care not to foul the propeller.
“No vessel must withdraw from battle, under any circumstances,
without the consent of the flag-officer. You will see that force and
other pumps and engine hose are in good order, and men stationed
by them, and your men will be drilled to the extinguishing of fires.
“Have light Jacob-ladders made to throw over the side, for the use
of the carpenters in stopping shot-holes, who are to be supplied with
pieces of inch board lined with felt, and ordinary nails, and see that
the ports are marked, in accordance with the ‘ordnance instructions,’
on the berth deck, to show the locality of the shot-holes.
“Have many tubs of water about the decks, both for the purpose of
extinguishing fire and for drinking. Have a heavy kedge in the port
main-chains, and a whip on the main-yard, ready to run it up and let
fall on the deck of any vessel you may run alongside of, in order to
secure her for boarding.
“You will be careful to have lanyards on the lever of the screw, so
as to secure the gun at the proper elevation, and prevent it from
running down at each fire. I wish you to understand that the day is at
hand when you will be called upon to meet the enemy in the worst
form for our profession. You must be prepared to execute all those
duties to which you have been so long trained in the Navy without
having the opportunity of practicing. I expect every vessel’s crew to
be well exercised at their guns, because it is required by the
regulations of the service, and it is usually the first object of our
attention; but they must be equally well trained for stopping shot-
holes and extinguishing fire. Hot and cold shot will, no doubt, be
freely dealt to us, and there must be stout hearts and quick hands to
extinguish the one and stop the holes of the other.
 “I shall expect the most prompt attention to signals and verbal
orders, either from myself or the Captain of the fleet, who, it will be
understood, in all cases, acts by my authority.”
After the bombardment had continued three days Farragut, who
had made up his mind to attempt the passage of the forts in any
event, called a council of his Captains, to obtain their opinion as to
the best manner of doing so.
Immediately after the council Farragut issued the following general
order:—
“United States Flag-ship Hartford,
Mississippi River, April 20th, 1862.
“The Flag-Officer, having heard all the opinions expressed by the
different commanders, is of the opinion that whatever is to be done
will have to be done quickly, or we shall be again reduced to a
blockading squadron, without the means of carrying on the
bombardment, as we have nearly expended all the shells and fuses
and material for making cartridges. He has always entertained the
same opinions which are expressed by Commander Porter; that is,
there are three modes of attack; and the question is, which is the
one to be adopted? his own opinion is, that a combination of two
should be made; viz., the forts should be run, and when a force is
once above the forts, to protect the troops, they should be landed at
quarantine, from the Gulf side, by bringing them through the bayou,
and then our forces should move up the river, mutually aiding each
other as it can be done to advantage.
“When, in the opinion of the Flag-Officer, the propitious time has
arrived, the signal will be made to weigh and advance to the conflict.
If, in his opinion, at the time of arriving at the respective positions of
the different divisions of the fleet, we have the advantage, he will
make the signal for close action, number 8, and abide the result,
conquer, or be conquered, drop anchor or keep under way, as in his
opinion is best.
“Unless the signal above mentioned is made, it will be understood
that the first order of sailing will be formed after leaving Fort St.
Philip, and we will proceed up the river in accordance with the
original opinion expressed.
 “The programme of the order of sailing accompanies this general
order, and the commanders will hold themselves in readiness for the
service as indicated.
“D. G. Farragut,
“Flag-Officer Western Gulf Blockading Squadron.”
Having decided to run by the forts, he confided to Fleet-Captain
Bell the dangerous mission of proceeding, with the gunboats Pinola
and Itasca, to make a passage for his fleet through the chain
obstructions.
Lieutenant Caldwell, of the Itasca, and his party, with great
coolness and bravery, boarded one of the hulks, and succeeded in
detaching the chains. They were accompanied by the inventor of a
new submarine petard, which he placed under one of the hulks. But
a movement of the Pinola in the swift current snapped the wires, and
it could not be exploded. In spite of a very heavy fire directed upon
them, the party at last succeeded in making a sufficient opening for
the fleet to pass through.
Farragut wrote, the next day: “* * * Captain Bell went last night to
cut the chain across the river. I never felt such anxiety in my life, as I
did until his return. One of his vessels got on shore, and I was fearful
she would be captured. They kept up a tremendous fire on him; but
Porter diverted their fire with a heavy cannonade. * * * * Bell would
have burned the hulks, but the illumination would have given the
enemy a chance to destroy his gunboat, which got aground.
However, the chain was divided, and it gives us space enough to go
through. I was as glad to see Bell, on his return, as if he had been
my boy. I was up all night, and could not sleep until he got back to
the ship.”
Farragut had determined to run by the forts at the end of five days’
bombardment; but he was detained for twenty-four hours by the
necessity of repairing damages to two of his vessels. At first he had
determined to lead, in the Hartford, but was dissuaded from that, and
appointed Captain Bailey, whose ship, the Colorado, drew too much
water to get up, to lead the column, in the gun-boat Cayuga,
Lieutenant Commanding N. B. Harrison.
 Long before this—on the 6th of April—Farragut had himself
reconnoitred the forts, by daylight, going up in the gun-boat
Kennebec in whose cross-trees he sat, glass in hand, until the
gunners in the fort began to get his range.
On the night of the passage, April 23-24, the moon would rise
about half-past three in the morning, and the fleet was ordered to be
ready to start about two.
In this, as in most other important operations during the war, the
enemy were mysteriously apprised of what was to be done.
At sunset there was a light southerly breeze, and a haze upon the
water. Caldwell was sent up, in the Itasca, to see if the passage
made in the obstructions was still open. At eleven at night he
signalled that it was, and just at that time the enemy opened fire
upon him, sent down burning rafts, and lighted immense piles of
wood which they had prepared on shore, near the ends of the chain.
Soon after midnight the hammocks of the fleet were quietly
stowed, and the ships cleared for action.
At five minutes before two, two ordinary red lights were shown at
the peak of the flag-ship, the signal to get under way, but it was half-
past three before all was ready. This was the time for the moon to
rise, but that made little difference, with the light of the blazing rafts
and bonfires.
The mortar-boats and the sailing sloop Portsmouth moved further
up stream, to engage the water battery, as the ships were going by.
This they promptly did, and then Captain Bailey led off, with his
division of eight vessels, whose objective point was Fort St. Philip.
All of these passed safely through the opening in the cable.
The forts opened on them promptly, but in five minutes they had
reached St. Philip, and were pouring grape and canister into that
work.
In ten minutes more the Cayuga had passed beyond range of the
fort, to find herself surrounded by eleven Rebel gun-boats. Three of
these attempted to board her at once. An 11-inch shot was sent
through one of them, at a range of about thirty yards, and she was at
once run ashore and burned up.
The Parrott gun on the Cayuga’s forecastle drove off another; and
she was preparing to close with the third, when the Oneida and
Varuna, which had run in close to St. Philip, thus avoiding the
elevated guns of that fort, while they swept its bastions with grape
and shrapnel, came to the assistance of the Cayuga. S. P. Lee, in
the Oneida, ran full speed into one of the enemy’s vessels, cut her
nearly in two, and left her floating down the current, a helpless
wreck.
She fired right and left into two others, and then went to the
assistance of the Varuna, which had got ashore on the left bank,
hard pressed by two Rebel gun-boats, one of which was said to be
the Manassas. The Varuna was rammed by both of them, and fifteen
minutes after, she sunk. In that time she had put three 8-inch shells
into the Governor Moore, besides so crippling her with solid shot that
she surrendered to the Oneida. She also forced another to take to
the bank by her 8-inch shell. The Varuna was commanded by
Commander (now Admiral) C. S. Boggs. It is said that, before
sinking, he also exploded the boiler of another small steamer.
The Pensacola steamed slowly and steadily by, firing her powerful
battery with great deliberation, and doing especial execution with her
11-inch pivot gun and her rifled eighty-pounder. In return she
received a heavy fire, and lost thirty-seven in killed and wounded;
the greatest number of any of the fleet. Her boats were lowered, and
sent to assist the sinking Varuna.
The Mississippi came up next in line to the Pensacola, but
escaped with light loss of life. She it was that met the ram Manassas,
and the latter gave her a severe cut, below the water, on the port-
quarter, and disabled her machinery. But the Mississippi riddled her
with shot, boarded her, and set her on fire, and she drifted down
below the forts and blew up.
The Katahdin ran close to the forts, passed them rapidly, got near
the head of the line, and was engaged principally with the ironclad
Louisiana. The Kineo ran by, close under St. Philip, and then
assisted the Mississippi with the ram Manassas: but she was
afterwards attacked by three of the enemy’s gun-boats at once, and,
having had her pivot-gun-carriage injured, withdrew, and continued
up stream.
The Wissahickon, the last of the eight vessels of the first division,
was less fortunate. She got ashore before she reached the forts, got
off and passed them, and ran on shore again above.
It must be remembered that these operations were carried on in
the darkness and thick smoke, lighted only by the lurid flashes of
more than two hundred guns.
The second division of the fleet was led by Farragut himself, in the
Hartford, followed by the Brooklyn and Richmond. These were three
formidable vessels. The Hartford opened fire on Fort Jackson just
before four in the morning, and received a heavy fire from both forts.
Soon after, in attempting to avoid a fire-raft, she grounded on a shoal
spot, near St. Philip. At the same time the ram Manassas pushed a
fire-raft under her port-quarter, and she at once took fire. A portion of
her crew went to fire-quarters, and soon subdued the flames, the
working of her guns being steadily continued. Soon she backed off,
into deep water; but this movement set her head down stream, and it
was with difficulty that she was turned round against the current.
When, at last, this was accomplished, she proceeded up the river,
firing into several of the enemy’s vessels as she passed. One of
these was a steamer, packed with men, apparently a boarding party.
She was making straight for the Hartford, when Captain Broome’s
gun, manned by marines, planted a shell in her, which exploded, and
she disappeared.
During the critical period when she was slowly turning up river, the
Admiral stood aft, giving orders, and occasionally consulting a little
compass attached to his watch-chain. During most of the
engagement, however, he was forward, watching the progress of the
fight.
The Brooklyn was also detained by getting entangled with a raft,
and running over one of the hulks which held up the chain, during
which time she was raked by Fort Jackson, and suffered somewhat
from the fire of St. Philip.
Just as she was clear, and headed up stream, she was butted by
the Manassas, which had not headway enough to damage her
much, and slid off again into the darkness. Then the Brooklyn was
attacked by a large steamer, but she gave her her port broadside, at
fifty yards, and set her on fire. Feeling her way along, in a dense
cloud of smoke from a fire-raft, she came close abreast of St. Philip,
into which she poured such tremendous broadsides that by the
flashes the gunners were seen running to shelter, and for the time
the fort was silenced. The Brooklyn then passed on, and engaged
several of the enemy’s gun-boats. One of these, the Warrior, came
under her port broadside, when eleven five-second shells were
planted in her, which set her on fire, and she was run on shore. The
Brooklyn was under fire an hour and a half, but did not lose quite so
many as the Pensacola.
The Richmond, a slow ship, was the third and last of the centre
division. She came on steadily, and without accident, working her
battery with the utmost regularity. Her loss was not heavy, which her
commander attributed mainly to a complete provision of splinter
nettings.
The gun-boat Sciota, carrying Fleet-Captain Bell, led the third
division. She steamed by the forts, firing as she passed, and above
them burned two steamboats. Then she sent a boat to receive the
surrender of an armed steamboat, but the latter was found to be fast
ashore.
The Iroquois, Commander John DeCamp, had not such good
fortune. She passed so close to Fort Jackson as to escape much
injury, but received a terrible raking from St. Philip, and was also
raked by the armed steamer McCrea, with grape. She drove off the
McCrea with an eleven-inch shell and a stand of canister, and then
went through a group of the enemy’s gun-boats, giving them
broadsides as she passed. The Iroquois’ losses were heavy.
The gun-boat Pinola passed up in line, firing her eleven-inch pivot
and Parrott rifles at the flashes of the guns of the forts, which were
all that Commander Crosby could see; then she emerged from the
smoke cloud, steered towards St. Philip, and by the light of the
blazing rafts, received the discharges of its forty guns.
The Pinola was the last vessel which passed the forts, and she got
up in time to fire a few shell at the enemy’s flotilla.
Of the other three gun-boats of the division, the Kennebec got out
of her course, became entangled in the rafts, and did not get free
until it was broad daylight, and too late to attempt a passage. The
Itasca, upon arriving in front of Fort Jackson, received a shot in her
boiler, incapacitating her, and she was obliged to drift down stream.
 The Winona got astray among the hulks, and when she came
within range of Fort Jackson it was broad daylight, and the fleet had
gone on. Fort Jackson opened upon her, and she soon lost all the
crew of her rifled gun but one man. Still she kept on, to endeavor to
get through, but St. Philip opening upon her, from her lower battery,
at less than point blank range, the little Winona was forced to turn
and descend the stream.
Thus did Farragut accomplish a feat in naval warfare which had no
precedent, and which is still without a parallel, except the one
furnished by himself, at Mobile, two years later.
Starting with seventeen wooden vessels, he had passed, with all
but three of them, against the swift current of a river, there but half a
mile wide, between two powerful earthworks, which had long been
prepared for him, his course impeded by blazing rafts, and
immediately thereafter had met the enemy’s fleet of fifteen vessels,
two of them ironclad, and either captured or destroyed every one of
them.
All this was done with the loss of but one vessel from his own
squadron. Probably few naval men would have believed that this
work could have been done so effectually, even with ironclads.
Captain Wilkinson, who was in this battle as executive officer of
the Confederate iron-clad Louisiana, in his “Narrative of a Blockade
Runner,” says: “Most of us belonging to that little naval fleet knew
that Admiral Farragut would dare to attempt what any man would;
and, for my part, I had not forgotten that while I was under his
command, during the Mexican war, he had proposed to Commodore
Perry, then commanding the Gulf Squadron, and urged upon him,
the enterprise of capturing the strong fort of San Juan de Ulloa, at
Vera Cruz, by boarding. Ladders were to be constructed, and triced
up along the attacking ships’ masts, and the ships to be towed
alongside the walls by the steamers of the squadron. Here was a
much grander prize to be fought for, and every day of delay was
strengthening his adversaries.”
The magnitude of Farragut’s novel enterprise was scarcely
realized at the North when the first news was received. It was simply
announced that he “had run by the forts.” The Confederates knew
too well what resistance and difficulties he had overcome, and what
a loss they sustained in New Orleans.
An officer who was in the engagement expressed an opinion that if
the passage had been attempted by daylight the fleet would have
sustained a fearful loss.
After the fleet had passed the forts Captain Bailey, in the Cayuga,
preceded the flag-ship up the river, and at the quarantine station
captured the Chalmette regiment, encamped upon the river bank.
On the morning of the 25th, the Cayuga, still leading, encountered
the Chalmette batteries, three miles below New Orleans. The
Hartford and Brooklyn, with several others, soon joined her, and
silenced these batteries. New Orleans was now fairly under
Farragut’s guns, and this had been effected at the cost of thirty-
seven killed and one hundred and forty-seven wounded.
Farragut appointed eleven o’clock of the morning of the 26th as
the hour “for all the officers and crews of the fleet to return thanks to
Almighty God for His great goodness and mercy, in permitting us to
pass through the events of the last two days with so little loss of life
and blood.”
The ships passed up to the city, and anchored immediately in front
of it, and Captain Bailey was sent on shore to demand the surrender
of it, from the authorities, to which the Mayor replied that the city was
under martial law, and that he had no authority. General Lovell, who
was present, said he would deliver up nothing, but, in order to free
the city from embarrassment, he would restore the city authorities,
and retire with his troops, which he did.
Farragut then seized all the steamboats which had not been
destroyed and sent them down to the quarantine station, for Butler’s
troops. Among them was the Tennessee, which the blockaders had
been so long watching for, but which never got out.
The levee at New Orleans was at this time a scene of perfect
desolation, as ships, steamers, and huge piles of cotton and wool
had been set on fire by the Confederates, and an immense amount
of property was destroyed. A very powerful ironclad, called the
Mississippi, was set on fire, and drifted down past the city, in flames.
Another was sunk directly in front of the Custom House, and others
which had been begun at Algiers were destroyed.
 Several miles up the river, about Carrollton, were extensive
fortifications—all taken possession of by Commander Lee—and an
immense work, supporting chains, to prevent Foote’s gun-boats from
descending the river.
Farragut had sent a party on shore to hoist the flag on the Custom
House and Mint, belonging to the General Government. The party
acted with great firmness and discretion, in spite of insults from a
large and excited crowd. At noon on the 26th, during the
performance of divine service referred to before, the officers and
crews of the vessels were startled by the discharge of a howitzer in
the main-top of the Pensacola. The lookout aloft had seen four men
mount to the roof of the Mint and tear down the United States flag,
and he had instantly fired the gun, which was trained upon the flag-
staff, and loaded with grape.
The leader of these men, a desperado and gambler, who thus
imperilled the lives and property of the whole of the citizens, was, by
order of General Butler, tried for the offence afterwards, was found
guilty, and hanged by a beam and rope thrust out of the highest
window of the Mint.
When Admiral Farragut arrived at the quarantine station, after
passing the forts, he had sent Captain Boggs (whose vessel, the
Varuna, was lost) in a boat, through the bayous, to inform General
Butler and Commander Porter of his success. The Captain was
twenty-six hours in getting through. But General Butler, in the
steamer Saxon, had followed the fleet up near the forts, and had
witnessed the passage of the ships. He then hurried back to his
troops, and they rendezvoused at Sable Island, twelve miles in the
rear of Fort St. Philip, whence they were carried up in transports and
landed at a point five miles above that work. At the same time
Commander Porter had sent six of his mortar-boats to the bay
behind Fort Jackson, where they arrived on the morning of April
27th, thus making a complete investment. That night two hundred
and fifty of the garrison of Fort Jackson came out and surrendered
themselves to the Union pickets.
While Farragut was passing the forts, Porter, with his mortar-
boats, and their attendant steamers, continued the bombardment.
On the 24th he demanded a surrender, but was refused, and for the
three days following there was little or no firing. During these days
the garrisons were occupied in re-mounting some of their
dismounted guns, and transferred others to the floating battery
Louisiana.
On the 28th, General Duncan, the commander of the forts,
learning that Farragut had possession of New Orleans, accepted the
terms offered by Porter. While the articles of capitulation were being
drawn up and signed, on board the Harriet Lane, and flags of truce
were flying, the Confederate naval officers, after destroying three of
their four remaining vessels, set fire to the Louisiana, and cast her
adrift.
Fortunately her magazine exploded before she reached Porter’s
flotilla, or some of his vessels must have shared her fate; and, not
improbably, all of them.
After the surrender had been consummated, he went up the river,
and captured the naval officers who were supposed to have been
guilty of this perfidious and most dishonorable, and murderous act,
and put them in close confinement, to be sent North, and dealt with
as the Government might see fit. John K. Mitchell, the Commodore
of the Confederate flotilla, sent a letter to Farragut, justifying himself
for destroying his vessels, and excusing his attempt to blow up
Porter’s vessels, in this wise:—
“Lieutenant Whittle was sent in a boat with a flag of truce to inform
Commander Porter that in firing the Louisiana, her magazine had not
been effectually drowned and that, though efforts were made to
drown the charges in the guns, they may not have succeeded. This
information was given in consideration of the negotiations then
pending under flag of truce between him and Fort Jackson; but while
the message was on its way the explosion took place, a fact that
does not affect the honorable purposes intended by it.”
This letter seems almost too childish and disingenuous to receive
serious notice. It was almost the only instance during the war when
naval officers did not act in good faith.
The Confederate naval officers claimed, in justification of their
action, that they were no party to the flag of truce, nor were they
included in the terms of surrender of the forts, General Duncan
treating only for the garrisons under his command, and expressly
disclaiming all connection with the navy. The whole was a pitiful
commentary upon the jealousies and want of united conduct, which
rendered Farragut’s task a little more easy. Mitchell had always been
considered an “ill-conditioned” man, in the old navy, and the
Government was disposed to treat him, and some of his officers,
pretty rigorously; but matters were arranged, afterwards, in a
correspondence which took place, upon their being sent North,
between the Secretary of the Navy and Mitchell, that resulted in their
treatment as ordinary prisoners.
In writing to his family, after his capture of New Orleans, Farragut
said, “It is a strange thought, that I am here among my relatives, and
yet not one has dared to say, ‘I am happy to see you.’ There is a
reign of terror in this doomed city: but, although I am abused as one
who wished to kill all the women and children, I still see a feeling of
respect for me.”
 ATLANTA AND WEEHAWKEN. JUNE 17th, 1863

n the latter part of the year 1861 an English steamer,

named the Fingal, ran past the blockading vessels,
and got safely into Savannah.
That part was very well done, but the getting to
sea again was another matter, for she was so
closely watched that it was found impossible to do
so. All sorts of stratagems were resorted to, and
several starts made upon the darkest nights, but
there was always found a Federal gun-boat, or
perhaps more than one, ready to receive her, all
the more that she was a valuable vessel, and
would turn in plenty of prize-money to her captors.
At last, in despair of any more use of her as a
blockade-runner, the Rebel authorities determined
to convert her into an ironclad ship-of-war. She was
cut down, so as to leave her deck not more than two feet above the
water; and upon this deck was built a very heavy casemate, inclining
at an angle of about thirty degrees, and mounting four heavy rifled
guns. The battery-deck was built of great beams of timber, a foot and
a half thick. Her iron armor was four inches thick, then considered
quite formidable, and was secured to a backing of oak and pine,
eighteen inches thick. Her sides about and below the water line were
protected by heavy logs or timbers built upon her, so that from being
a slim and graceful blockade-runner, she attained a breadth of forty-
one feet, with a length of two hundred and four. The ports in her
casemate were closed by iron shutters, of the same thickness as her
armor. Her bow was formed into a ram, and also carried, at the end
of a spar, a percussion torpedo.
In fact, she was a very formidable craft, of the general style of
those built by the Confederates during the war. The Merrimac was
nearly all casemate, but the later built ones had as small a casemate
as was consistent with the working of the guns they were intended to
carry.
Thicker armor than hers had not yet come into use, the English
ironclad ships just then built, in consequence of the success of the
Monitor and Merrimac, not being any more protected.
The first contest between a monitor and fifteen-inch guns, and an
ironclad with stationary casemate or turret and rifled guns, was now
to take place.
The Atlanta was commanded by an officer of energy and ability,
named Webb, formerly a Lieutenant in the United States Navy.
The Confederate authorities were certain that this latest production
of their naval architects was to overcome the redoubtable monitors,
and they fully believed that, while the Atlanta’s armor would resist
their heavy round shot, her heavy rifled guns, at close quarters,
would tear the monitor turret to pieces, while the ram and torpedo
would finish the work begun by the guns.
The vessel, being ready, came down from Savannah, passed
through the Wilmington, a mouth of the Savannah River, and so
passed down into Wassaw Sound, improperly named, in many books
and maps, Warsaw.
Admiral Du Pont had taken measures to keep himself informed as
regarded this vessel’s state of preparation, and the monitors
Weehawken and Nahant had been sent to meet her and some other
armored vessels preparing at Savannah.
Both the Nahant and Weehawken were at anchor when the
strange vessel was seen. It was at daylight, and she was then about
three miles from the Nahant, and coming down very rapidly. The
Weehawken was commanded by that capable and sterling officer,
John Rogers, and he at once slipped his cable, and made rapidly off,
seaward, as if in headlong flight, but, in the meantime, making
preparations for action.
At about half-past four, on this bright summer morning, the
Weehawken rounded to, and breasted the tide, approaching her
enemy.
The Nahant had no pilot, and could only follow in the
Weehawken’s wake, through the channels of the Sound.
 The Atlanta fired the first shot, at about a quarter to five, being
then distant about a mile and a half. This passed across the stern of
the Weehawken, and struck the water near the Nahant. The Atlanta
seemed to be lying across the channel, awaiting attack, and keeping
up her fire.
The Weehawken steadily came up the channel, and at a little after
5 a. m., having approached within about three hundred yards,
opened her fire. She fired five shots, which took her fifteen minutes,
and at the end of that time the Atlanta hauled down the Confederate
colors, and hoisted a white flag. Such a rapid threshing is seldom
recorded in naval history, and is the more remarkable when we
remember that the commander of the Atlanta was a cool and
experienced officer, trained in the United States Navy, and an
excellent seaman.
Two passenger steamers, loaded down with ladies and non-
combatants, had followed the Atlanta down from Savannah, to
witness the capture of the Yankee monitors. These now made the
best of their way back to that city.
The Atlanta had a crew of twenty-one officers and one hundred
and twenty-four men. Landsmen often wonder why ships have so
many officers in proportion to men, but it is necessary.
The officers of the Confederate vessel stated her speed to be ten
knots, and they confidently expected to capture both the monitors,
after which, as it appeared from the instruments captured on board
of her, she expected to proceed to sea, and try conclusions with the
Charleston fleet. Her engines were first-rate, and her hull of a good
model, and there is no reason why she should not have gone up to
Charleston and broken the blockade there, except the one fact that
she turned out not to be equal to the monitors.
The action was so brief that the Nahant did not share in it, and of
the five shots fired by the Weehawken, four struck the Atlanta, and
caused her surrender. The first was a fifteen-inch shot, which,
though it struck the casemate of the Atlanta at a very acute angle,
smashed through both the iron armor and the wooden backing,
strewed the deck with splinters, prostrated some forty officers and
men by the concussion, and wounded several by the splinters and
fragments of armor driven in. We can imagine the consternation of a
crew which had come down confident of an easy victory. In fact, this
one shot virtually settled the battle. The Weehawken fired an eleven-
inch shot next, but this did little damage. The third shot was from the
fifteen-inch gun, and knocked off the top of the pilot-house, which
projected slightly above the casemate, wounded the pilots, and
stunned the men at the wheel. The fourth shot carried away one of
the port-stoppers. Sixteen of her crew were wounded.
The Atlanta was valued by the appraisers, for prize-money, at
three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, a sum, as Boynton
remarks, easily won in fifteen minutes, with only five shots, and
without a loss of a single man on the other side. More than this, it
settled the value of that class of vessels, as compared with monitors.
“As the fight of the Merrimac with the Cumberland, Congress and
Minnesota virtually set aside as worthless for war purposes the vast
wooden navies of Europe,” so it showed that great changes and
improvements were necessary in the broadside ironclads, if they
were to be opposed to monitors armed with guns of great power. The
result was a great increase in the thickness of armor, which went on,
as the power of the guns increased, until now it is a question
whether armor may not be abandoned, except for certain purposes.
 KEARSARGE AND ALABAMA. JUNE 19th, 1864.

uring the summer of 1864, while Grant and his army

were fighting the terrible battles which opened his
way to the James, through Virginia; and the whole
country was upon the very tenter-hooks of anxiety,
a piece of news came across the water which gave
more satisfaction to the country at large than many
a hard-won battle has given, where a thousand
times the numbers were engaged. It was the
intelligence that the Alabama was at the bottom of
the sea.
We may borrow the words of Boynton, in his
“History of the Navy during the Rebellion,” to put
the reader in possession of a part of the career of
the notorious Alabama, previous to her meeting with the Kearsarge.
No event of the great civil war excited such deep indignation, such
bitter resentment, as the career of the Alabama. It was not alone
because she committed such havoc with our commerce—burning
our merchantmen in great numbers; nor was it because she had
sunk the Hatteras—a merchant steamer converted into a gun-boat;
but it was because England had sent out a British ship, with British
guns, and seamen trained in her own practice-ship, a vessel English
in every essential but her flag, to lay waste the commerce of a
country with which she professed to be at peace. To add to the
provocation, this vessel was originally called the “290,” to show, by
the large number who had contributed to fit her out, how widespread
was English sympathy for the cause she was to support. The
Alabama was not regarded as a Confederate vessel of war, but as
an English man-of-war, sent forth under the thin veil of another flag,
to sink and destroy our merchantmen. The short-lived triumph in
which England indulged turned out to be about as costly a pleasure
as she could well have taken; and deeply mortified as we were that
the successful rover should escape our watchful cruisers, and so