| Css Louisiana |
Article Index for Css |
Website Links For Css |
Information AboutCss Louisiana |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CSS LOUISIANA | |
| naval ships of the confederate states of america | |
| louisiana | |
| shipwrecks of the mississippi | |
| louisiana in the american civil war | |
The CSS '''''Louisiana''''' was an Ironclad ship of the Confederate States Navy built to aid in defense of the lower Mississippi from invasion of the Union Navy during the American Civil War . Construction of the ''Louisiana'' began in mid-October, 1861 by E.C. Murray in New Orleans . The ship was designed for four engines, two paddle-wheels in a center well, and two propellors with twin rudders. The Casemate extended her full length, minus 25 feet at each end. It was covered by "T" railroad iron in two courses, while its top was encompassed by sheet iron bulwarks nearly four feet high. The construction of the ''Louisiana'' was delayed due to a lack of sufficient materials. The desperation to find supplies and tools led to the use of green wood, wood freshly cut and not entirely suitable for construction purposes, to be used in the assembly of the ship. The quality of both the structure of the ship and materials used in building the ''Louisiana'' were so poor that the ship leaked to the extent that water was knee deep on the gun deck during action. Laid down on February 2 , 1862 , the ''Louisiana'' was incomplete even to April 20 , at which time it was towed down the Mississippi River to Fort St. Philip . Union mortar boats, led by Commander David Dixon Porter had for four days been Attacking Fort St. Philip and the nearby Fort Jackson . The ''Louisiana'' was brought to the location in hopes of aiding the resistance to Porter's attacks. The ''Louisiana'', under Commander C.F. McIntosh, along with other ships of the Confederate Navy and the forts themselves sought to defend the passage to New Orleans. The intention of the North was to take New Orleans in order to have a greater advantage in fulfilling the Anaconda Plan . The Anaconda Plan was a Yankee strategy to envelop the Confederacy by way of control of the Mississippi River and the oceans surrounding the Confederacy. The unfinished construction of the ''Louisiana'' did not allow for any maneuvering during any naval action. Instead, Captain John K. Mitchell , commander of Confederate naval forces in the lower Mississippi, commissioned the ''Louisiana'' as a floating Battery . The ship was tied on the eastern bank of the river, a half mile up from Fort St. Philip, where she would be safe from Union mortar boat attacks, while mechanics worked diligently to prepare the ship and the ship's guns for action. David Farragut , commander of the United States navy at the time, who was appointed to Rear Admiral in July of the same year, moved his fleet past both forts on April 24 , 1862. The full potential of the ''Louisiana'' was not realized due to the ship's incomplete assembly, which not only disrupted maneuverability, but also affected range of fire. The Union navy had destroyed most all of the Confederate ships that fought in resistance to the invasion, but, in spite of her weaknesses, the ''Louisiana'' proved strong and dangerous. At one point during the Union fleet's movement upriver, the USS Iroquois , a perfectly operational warship, delivered a broadside attack on the ''Louisiana'' from just a few feet away. Although the ''Louisiana'' was not ready for combat, especially at such close range, she suffered minimal damage, while the ''Iroquois'' was quite shaken by the ''Louisiana''. Commander Porter, with his Union mortar boats, stayed in the lower Mississippi while Farragut's fleet moved upriver on April 24. More attempts were made to bring the ''Louisiana'' up to full power in hopes that she would be able to sail and maneuver against the remaining Union forces, rather than remain a stationary battery. On April 28 , 1862, as final maintenance work on the ''Louisiana'' was being completed, the Confederate naval forces in the area were forced to surrender to Commander Porter. In a last stand against surrender to and capture by the Yankees, Captain Mitchell set fire to the ''Louisiana'' and escaped to the opposite bank of the Mississippi, where he was later captured. In the afternoon of the same day, the ''Louisiana'' came untied and floated downriver. In the middle of peace and surrender negotiations between Union Commander Porter and the Confederate forts St. Philip and Jackson, gunfire was heard as the blazes on the ''Louisiana'' ignited the charges of the guns on the ship. The fire aboard the ship grew so large, that she finally exploded right outside of Fort St. Philip. The explosion of the CSS ''Louisiana'' was seen and heard from miles away. The wreckage of the ''Louisiana'' lay at the bottom of the Mississippi River until November, 1981 , when it was magnetically located by NUMA . The official website of the search is here . REFERENCE ''This article includes content from USS KIDD DD-661 '' ''Ship technical characteristics are taken from CSS Louisiana information and The U.S. Naval Historical Center ''. EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|