U.S.S. Cairo Ironclad, Vicksburg, Warren County, MS
Summary
STORED OFF SITE AND ON SITE. mchr
Significance: Built by James B. Eads for use on western rivers, Cairo was commissioned in January 1862 and was one of seven City Class ironclad gunboats, all of a uniform design, employed the U.S. Navy. Propelled by a recessed paddle wheel, USS Cairo was designed with a shallow draft that enabled it to maneuver effectively in the changing conditions of the Mississippi River system. After participating in attacks on Fort Pillow and aiding in the defeat of Confederate gunboats off Memphis, Cairo took part in the Yazoo River Expedition. On December 12, 1862, the ironclad struck an underwater mine near Blake's Levee and sank in twelve minutes. Cairo's remains were raised and salvaged in 1964, repaired and preserved by the National Park Service in 1970s, and are currently on display at Vicksburg National Military Park.
Survey number: HAER MS-7
Building/structure dates: 1862 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1862 Demolished
Building/structure dates: 1964 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: after. 1970- before. 1979 Subsequent Work
After first battles involving of American ironclads (both with wooden ships and with one another) in 1862 during the American Civil War, it became clear that the ironclad had championed the unarmored ship as the most powerful warship. This type of ship would come to be very successful in the American Civil War. This change was pushed forward by the development of heavier naval guns (the ironclads of the 1880s carried some of the heaviest guns ever mounted at sea at the time), more sophisticated steam engines, and advances in metallurgy which made steel shipbuilding possible. An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates used in the early part of the second half of the 19th century. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, Gloire, was launched by the French Navy in November 1859. In early 1859 the Royal Navy started building two iron-hulled armored frigates, and by 1861 had made the decision to move to an all-armored battle fleet. The rapid development of warship design in the late 19th century transformed the ironclad from a wooden-hulled vessel that carried sails to supplement its steam engines into the steel-built, turreted battleships and cruisers of the 20th century.
Tags
Date
Contributors
Location
Source
Copyright info