Yeah, that always struck me as odd. There is definitely a difference between celebration fireworks and flares. Especially in water that the California KNEW had icebergs in it.

Hmmm. I think you're right. I didnt thin about that

There were torpedoes during the Civil War. The first self-propelled torpedo was invented in New Bern, NC way back then.

It depends somewhat on the definition of a torpedo but:

In 1866, Robert Whitehead designed the first “automobile” torpedo that was self-propelled. It was designed to attack the enemy rather than wait for the enemy. His torpedo design was the point where all other concept designs would begin. The first Whitehead torpedo used a two-cylinder, compressed air engine capable of traveling up to 6.5 knots for a distance of 200 yards.

In 1869, the Navy established a torpedo station at Newport, Rhode Island, where they built and designed torpedoes based on Whitehead’s ideas, although the first torpedo never left the testing phase because the air flask and hull did not maintain watertight integrity. The engine was also flawed. Only two torpedoes were ever developed at the torpedo station before the program was terminated in 1874.