Summary

Edgar Singer was an american gunsmith and inventor of the Singer Torpedo (mine) and the Singer Spar Torpedo used by the Confederacy for defensive and offensive torpedo warfare during the American Civil War.

The Singer Torpedo (mine) was a cylindrical metal canister of gunpowder with a spring-loaded detonating rod which when struck detonated two percussion caps igniting the gunpowder within the canister, whilst the Singer Spar Torpedo was a cylindrical metal canister of gunpowder attached to the end of a long pole or spar. The attacking vessel rammed its target with the spar torpedo and then detonated it using a cord operated spring-loaded trigger made from a modified rifle lock.