The Secretary of the CS Navy,
Stephen Mallory, was very aggressive on a limited budget in a land-focused war, and developed a two-pronged warship strategy of building ironclad warships for coastal and national defense, and commerce raiding cruisers, supplemented with exploratory use of special weapons such as torpedo boats and torpedoes.
Batteries
Based upon the successful employment of ironclad warships, particularly batteries, at the
Battle of Kinburn, Britain and France decided to focus on armor plated warships, starting with coastal
battery designs. Initial ocean going ironclad cruisers, such as the French
Gloire and the British
HMS Warrior were only just emerging in 1859 and 1860, and were beyond the budget and timeline necessary for rapid force deployment that the CS Navy needed for immediate coastal defenses in 1861.
Therefore, the Confederate Congress voted $2 million in May 1861 to buy
ironclads from overseas, and in July and August started work on construction and converting wooden ships locally. On 12 October 1861, the
Manassas became the first ironclad to enter battle when she fought Union warships on the Mississippi. In February 1862, the even larger
Virginia joined the Confederate Navy, having been built at Norfolk. The Confederacy built a number of ships designed as versions of the Virginia, of which several saw action. In the failed attack on
Charleston on April 7, 1863, two small ironclads,
Palmetto State and
Chicora participated in the successful defense of the harbor. For the later attack at
Mobile Bay, the Union faced the
Tennessee.
Ironclad steam powered batteries
The CS Navy ironclad steamer batteries were all designed for national coastal defense.
CSS Albemarle, twin-screw steamer, ironclad ram, sunk: October 28, 1864[1]
CSS Arkansas, twin-screw steamer, ironclad ram, destroyed: August 5, 1862[2]
CSS Atlanta, triple-screw steamer, ironclad ram, captured: June 17, 1863[3]
CSS Baltic, side-wheel steamer, cotton-clad and ironclad ram, surrendered: May 10, 1865[4]
CSS Charleston, ironclad steam sloop, destroyed: February 18, 1865[5]
CSS Chicora, steamer, ironclad ram, destroyed: February 18, 1865[6]
CSS Columbia, single screw steamer, ironclad ram, captured: April 26, 1865[7]
CS Navy cruisers were ocean-going ships designed primarily for the Confederate Navy's strategy of
guerre de course. Confederate States Navy cruisers were typically lightly armed, with a couple of large guns or a pivot gun, and often very fast. The Navy planned to add ironclad cruisers to their fleet, successfully procuring one, but too late to be of benefit for the war.
Wooden cruisers
CSS Alabama, screw steamer, sloop-of-war, built in Birkenhead, England by John Laird Sons and Company, sunk: June 19, 1864
CSS Alexandra, screw steamer, bark-rigged, built in Liverpool, England, seized before delivery: April 5, 1863
But the CS Navy attempts to procure ironclad cruisers from overseas were frustrated as European nations confiscated ships being built for the Confederacy. Only the Stonewall was completed and successfully delivered, and she arrived in American waters just in time for the end of the war.
CSS North Carolina I, seized October 1863 and commissioned as
HMS Scorpion
CSS Mississippi II, seized October 1863 and commissioned as
HMS Wivern
CSS Stonewall, twin-screw steamer, brig rigged, ironclad, surrendered in Cuba at end of war, returned to US, sold to Japan and renamed
Kōtetsu
CSS Cheops, sister to Stonewall, built in France and sold to Prussia, October 29, 1865, and named
SMS Prinz Adalbert
CSS Georgia screw corvette 2017 tons [1,150 tons BOM].[37] Sold to Peru after the French government stopped its sale to the Confederacy. Taken into service as
BAP Unión 1864. Scuttled January 1881 to avoid capture.[38][39]
CSS Texas, screw corvette and sister ship of BAP Union. Sold to Peru after the French government stopped its sale to the Confederacy. Taken into service as
BAP America. Lost during the
Arica tsunami on 13 August 1868.
Ironclad Frigate No. 61, arranged by Captain James H. North, CSN, sold to Denmark, commissioned as
Danmark
CSS Germantown sloop-of-war, sunk as blockship May 10, 1862
CSS Governor Moore, side-wheel steamer, schooner rigged, destroyed: April 23, 1862. Also listed as a Cotton Clad ram (see below) since she had cotton as part of her armor.
CSS J. A. Cotton, a side-wheel river steamer, burned: January 14, 1863 (See
Bayou Teche and
USS Kinsman). Sometimes called an
ironclad since she had a small amount of railroad iron tacked onto her side.
CSS Rappahannock, formerly St. Nicholas until seized and purchased in 1861, side-wheel steamer, burned: April, 1862 (Not to be confused with the
steam sloop of war of the same name.)
Dixie, privateer schooner, captured on April 15, 1862, but had itself captured the USA Schooner Mary Alice on July 25, 1861, the USA Barque Glenn on July 31 of 1861.
J. C. Calhoun, privateer side-wheel steamer, which captured the Barque Ocean Eagle on May 16, 1861, the ship Milan in May, 1861, the Schooner Etta in May, 1861, the Brigandine Panama on May 29, 1861, the Schooner Mermaid on May 24, 1861, and the Schooner John Adams on May 24, 1861, all within its first month of operation in 1861, and which was burned: 1862
J. M. Chapman, privateer schooner, captured: March 15, 1863
York, privateer pilot boat, schooner rigged, which was burned on August 9, 1861, after capturing the US brigandine B.T. Martin about July 28, 1861 and the schooner George G. Baker on August 9, 1861, on the day of its demise, whereafter the Union quickly recaptured the George G. Baker.
Privateer submersible torpedo boats
H. L. Hunley, hand-cranked, sunk: February 17, 1864. Named in honor of its designer, Confederate marine engineer
Horace Lawson Hunley.
White Cloud, steamer, carried provisions on the
Mississippi. She was captured on 13 February 1863 near Island No. 10 by
USS New Era and was sent as a
prize ship to
Cairo, Ill.. Acquired by the
Union Navy, she continued as a goods transport until the end of the war.[53]
Used for river defense, CS Army
cottonclads were typically more lightly armored and reinforced than a regular ironclad, such as the General Sterling Price, which was converted by placing a 4-inch oak sheath with a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. Many of the cottonclads were outfitted with
rams.
^
abcdefghijklmnopqAnderson, George W. (1969). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vol. II. Washington DC: United States Government Printing Office. pp. 584&585.
^"White Cloud". Confederate Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command, US Navy. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
Bibliography
Coski, John M. Capital Navy: The Men, Ships and Operations of the James River Squadron, Campbell, CA: Savas Woodbury Publishers, 1996,
ISBN1-882810-03-1
de Saint Hubert, Christian (1988). "Re: Phantom Fleets: The Confederacy's Unbuilt Warships". Warship International. XXV (3): 225–226.
ISSN0043-0374.
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of the Confederate States Navy: From its Organization to the Surrender of its Last Vessel. New York: Rogers and Sherwood, 1887; repr. The Fairfax Press, 1977.
Sullivan, D. M.; Wright, C. C. (1988). "Re: Phantom Fleets: The Confederacy's Unbuilt Warships". Warship International. XXV (3): 226.
ISSN0043-0374.
The Secretary of the CS Navy,
Stephen Mallory, was very aggressive on a limited budget in a land-focused war, and developed a two-pronged warship strategy of building ironclad warships for coastal and national defense, and commerce raiding cruisers, supplemented with exploratory use of special weapons such as torpedo boats and torpedoes.
Batteries
Based upon the successful employment of ironclad warships, particularly batteries, at the
Battle of Kinburn, Britain and France decided to focus on armor plated warships, starting with coastal
battery designs. Initial ocean going ironclad cruisers, such as the French
Gloire and the British
HMS Warrior were only just emerging in 1859 and 1860, and were beyond the budget and timeline necessary for rapid force deployment that the CS Navy needed for immediate coastal defenses in 1861.
Therefore, the Confederate Congress voted $2 million in May 1861 to buy
ironclads from overseas, and in July and August started work on construction and converting wooden ships locally. On 12 October 1861, the
Manassas became the first ironclad to enter battle when she fought Union warships on the Mississippi. In February 1862, the even larger
Virginia joined the Confederate Navy, having been built at Norfolk. The Confederacy built a number of ships designed as versions of the Virginia, of which several saw action. In the failed attack on
Charleston on April 7, 1863, two small ironclads,
Palmetto State and
Chicora participated in the successful defense of the harbor. For the later attack at
Mobile Bay, the Union faced the
Tennessee.
Ironclad steam powered batteries
The CS Navy ironclad steamer batteries were all designed for national coastal defense.
CSS Albemarle, twin-screw steamer, ironclad ram, sunk: October 28, 1864[1]
CSS Arkansas, twin-screw steamer, ironclad ram, destroyed: August 5, 1862[2]
CSS Atlanta, triple-screw steamer, ironclad ram, captured: June 17, 1863[3]
CSS Baltic, side-wheel steamer, cotton-clad and ironclad ram, surrendered: May 10, 1865[4]
CSS Charleston, ironclad steam sloop, destroyed: February 18, 1865[5]
CSS Chicora, steamer, ironclad ram, destroyed: February 18, 1865[6]
CSS Columbia, single screw steamer, ironclad ram, captured: April 26, 1865[7]
CS Navy cruisers were ocean-going ships designed primarily for the Confederate Navy's strategy of
guerre de course. Confederate States Navy cruisers were typically lightly armed, with a couple of large guns or a pivot gun, and often very fast. The Navy planned to add ironclad cruisers to their fleet, successfully procuring one, but too late to be of benefit for the war.
Wooden cruisers
CSS Alabama, screw steamer, sloop-of-war, built in Birkenhead, England by John Laird Sons and Company, sunk: June 19, 1864
CSS Alexandra, screw steamer, bark-rigged, built in Liverpool, England, seized before delivery: April 5, 1863
But the CS Navy attempts to procure ironclad cruisers from overseas were frustrated as European nations confiscated ships being built for the Confederacy. Only the Stonewall was completed and successfully delivered, and she arrived in American waters just in time for the end of the war.
CSS North Carolina I, seized October 1863 and commissioned as
HMS Scorpion
CSS Mississippi II, seized October 1863 and commissioned as
HMS Wivern
CSS Stonewall, twin-screw steamer, brig rigged, ironclad, surrendered in Cuba at end of war, returned to US, sold to Japan and renamed
Kōtetsu
CSS Cheops, sister to Stonewall, built in France and sold to Prussia, October 29, 1865, and named
SMS Prinz Adalbert
CSS Georgia screw corvette 2017 tons [1,150 tons BOM].[37] Sold to Peru after the French government stopped its sale to the Confederacy. Taken into service as
BAP Unión 1864. Scuttled January 1881 to avoid capture.[38][39]
CSS Texas, screw corvette and sister ship of BAP Union. Sold to Peru after the French government stopped its sale to the Confederacy. Taken into service as
BAP America. Lost during the
Arica tsunami on 13 August 1868.
Ironclad Frigate No. 61, arranged by Captain James H. North, CSN, sold to Denmark, commissioned as
Danmark
CSS Germantown sloop-of-war, sunk as blockship May 10, 1862
CSS Governor Moore, side-wheel steamer, schooner rigged, destroyed: April 23, 1862. Also listed as a Cotton Clad ram (see below) since she had cotton as part of her armor.
CSS J. A. Cotton, a side-wheel river steamer, burned: January 14, 1863 (See
Bayou Teche and
USS Kinsman). Sometimes called an
ironclad since she had a small amount of railroad iron tacked onto her side.
CSS Rappahannock, formerly St. Nicholas until seized and purchased in 1861, side-wheel steamer, burned: April, 1862 (Not to be confused with the
steam sloop of war of the same name.)
Dixie, privateer schooner, captured on April 15, 1862, but had itself captured the USA Schooner Mary Alice on July 25, 1861, the USA Barque Glenn on July 31 of 1861.
J. C. Calhoun, privateer side-wheel steamer, which captured the Barque Ocean Eagle on May 16, 1861, the ship Milan in May, 1861, the Schooner Etta in May, 1861, the Brigandine Panama on May 29, 1861, the Schooner Mermaid on May 24, 1861, and the Schooner John Adams on May 24, 1861, all within its first month of operation in 1861, and which was burned: 1862
J. M. Chapman, privateer schooner, captured: March 15, 1863
York, privateer pilot boat, schooner rigged, which was burned on August 9, 1861, after capturing the US brigandine B.T. Martin about July 28, 1861 and the schooner George G. Baker on August 9, 1861, on the day of its demise, whereafter the Union quickly recaptured the George G. Baker.
Privateer submersible torpedo boats
H. L. Hunley, hand-cranked, sunk: February 17, 1864. Named in honor of its designer, Confederate marine engineer
Horace Lawson Hunley.
White Cloud, steamer, carried provisions on the
Mississippi. She was captured on 13 February 1863 near Island No. 10 by
USS New Era and was sent as a
prize ship to
Cairo, Ill.. Acquired by the
Union Navy, she continued as a goods transport until the end of the war.[53]
Used for river defense, CS Army
cottonclads were typically more lightly armored and reinforced than a regular ironclad, such as the General Sterling Price, which was converted by placing a 4-inch oak sheath with a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. Many of the cottonclads were outfitted with
rams.
^
abcdefghijklmnopqAnderson, George W. (1969). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vol. II. Washington DC: United States Government Printing Office. pp. 584&585.
^"White Cloud". Confederate Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command, US Navy. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
Bibliography
Coski, John M. Capital Navy: The Men, Ships and Operations of the James River Squadron, Campbell, CA: Savas Woodbury Publishers, 1996,
ISBN1-882810-03-1
de Saint Hubert, Christian (1988). "Re: Phantom Fleets: The Confederacy's Unbuilt Warships". Warship International. XXV (3): 225–226.
ISSN0043-0374.
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of the Confederate States Navy: From its Organization to the Surrender of its Last Vessel. New York: Rogers and Sherwood, 1887; repr. The Fairfax Press, 1977.
Sullivan, D. M.; Wright, C. C. (1988). "Re: Phantom Fleets: The Confederacy's Unbuilt Warships". Warship International. XXV (3): 226.
ISSN0043-0374.