CSS Missouri
Encyclopedia
CSS Missouri was a Confederate States Navy
casemate ironclad
paddle steamer
deployed on the Red River during the American Civil War
. For most of the war she was trapped in the Shreveport, Louisiana
area by low water on the Red River. The ship was surrendered in June 1865 to the United States Navy
and sold in November.
of 53 in 8 in (16.36 m) and a draft of 8 in 6 in (2.59 m). Her casemate
extended for most of the length of the ship and was 130 in 6 in (39.78 m) long. It partially enclosed her 22 in 6 in (6.86 m) diameter center paddle wheel
in a recess at the aft end of the casemate; the upper 8 in 4 in (2.54 m) of the paddle wheel protruded above the casemate and was totally unprotected. The stern wheel was powered by two steam engines
taken from the steamboat Grand Era; four boiler
s provided steam to the engines and were connected to a single funnel
. The ship had a maximum speed of 6 miles per hour (4.9 kn).
Missouris armor consisted of railroad "T-rails", laid alternately with the crowns up and down. They were spiked to the backing of 23 inches (58.4 cm) of yellow pine
, but not closely together enough to give them a solid surface. On the sides of the ship, they were laid diagonally, but were vertical on the bow and stern faces of the casemate. The armor extended approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) below the waterline
. The casemate was sloped at an angle of 30°. The deck
fore and aft of the casemate was also protected by "T-rails". At the forward end of the casemate was a pilothouse
that was raised 19 inches (48.3 cm) above the deck. She was built of green timber, caulked
with cotton
and leaked like a sieve. Despite her three rudder
s, her stern wheel made her difficult to steer.
The casemate had eight gun ports, two in the bow face and three on each side, although only three guns were mounted in the ship. A smoothbore
11 inches (279 mm) Dahlgren
pivot gun
was mounted in the starboard forward position. It could fire out of the starboard bow port or the forward starboard broadside
port. It weighed approximately 16000 pounds (7,257.5 kg) and could fire a 136 pounds (61.7 kg) shell up to a range of 3650 yards (3,337.6 m) at an elevation of 15°. An old 32-pounder (14.5 kg) siege gun was in the equivalent position on the port side of the ship. The characteristics of this gun cannot be reliably determined because the United States produced a multitude of 32-pounder guns before the Civil War, but none of them were designated as siege guns. The third gun was a smoothbore 9 inches (229 mm) Dahlgren pivot gun that could fire out of either of the two aft broadside gun ports. It weighed approximately 9200 pounds (4,173 kg) and could fire a 72.5 pounds (32.9 kg) shell up to a range of 3357 yards (3,069.6 m) at an elevation of 15°.
authorized the construction of one or more ironclad warship
s at Shreveport on 3 October 1862 and Lieutenant Jonathan H. Carter signed a contract for two ships on 1 November. The keel
of the first ship was laid the following month and she was launched on 14 April 1863. The ship was commissioned on 12 September 1863 with the name of Missouri, after the high water season on the Red River had ended. Lieutenant Commander Charles Fauntleroy was appointed as her captain, although he told Lieutenant Carter that "he hoped the damned boat would sink" and that he "never intended to serve on her if he could help it". The low water prevented Missouri from playing any part in the Red River Campaign
of early 1864. In September, Lieutenant Carter commanded an unsuccessful attempt to seize the gunboat using men from the crews of Missouri and CSS Webb
.
In March 1865, the river began to rise and Missouri was able to leave the Shreveport area for the first time. She reached Alexandria, Louisiana
on 8 April and anchored where she could defend the town. Lieutenant Carter surrendered the ship to Union forces on 3 June, the last Confederate ironclad to surrender. After her armor was removed, Missouri was sold at public auction on 29 November.
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
casemate ironclad
Casemate ironclad
The casemate ironclad is a type of iron or iron-armored gunboat briefly used in the American Civil War. Compared to the traditional ironclad warship, the casemate ironclad does not have its cannons in an armored gun deck, but instead has a casemate structure on the main deck housing the guns...
paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
deployed on the Red River during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. For most of the war she was trapped in the Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
area by low water on the Red River. The ship was surrendered in June 1865 to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and sold in November.
Description
Missouri was 183 feet (55.8 m) long overall, had a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 53 in 8 in (16.36 m) and a draft of 8 in 6 in (2.59 m). Her casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
extended for most of the length of the ship and was 130 in 6 in (39.78 m) long. It partially enclosed her 22 in 6 in (6.86 m) diameter center paddle wheel
Paddle wheel
A paddle wheel is a waterwheel in which a number of scoops are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several usages.* Very low lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source....
in a recess at the aft end of the casemate; the upper 8 in 4 in (2.54 m) of the paddle wheel protruded above the casemate and was totally unprotected. The stern wheel was powered by two steam engines
Marine steam engine
A marine steam engine is a reciprocating steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. Steam turbines and diesel engines largely replaced reciprocating steam engines in marine applications during the 20th century, so this article describes the more common types of marine steam engine in use...
taken from the steamboat Grand Era; four boiler
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
s provided steam to the engines and were connected to a single funnel
Funnel (ship)
A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They can also be known in as stacks.-Purpose:...
. The ship had a maximum speed of 6 miles per hour (4.9 kn).
Missouris armor consisted of railroad "T-rails", laid alternately with the crowns up and down. They were spiked to the backing of 23 inches (58.4 cm) of yellow pine
Southern Yellow Pine
Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...
, but not closely together enough to give them a solid surface. On the sides of the ship, they were laid diagonally, but were vertical on the bow and stern faces of the casemate. The armor extended approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) below the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
. The casemate was sloped at an angle of 30°. The deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
fore and aft of the casemate was also protected by "T-rails". At the forward end of the casemate was a pilothouse
Pilothouse
A pilothouse or pilot-house is a glass-enclosed room from which a ship is controlled by the ship's pilot. The pilothouse also is known as the wheelhouse....
that was raised 19 inches (48.3 cm) above the deck. She was built of green timber, caulked
Caulking
Caulking is one of several different processes to seal joints or seams in various structures and certain types of piping. The oldest form of caulking is used to make the seams in wooden boats or ships watertight, by driving fibrous materials into the wedge-shaped seams between planks...
with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and leaked like a sieve. Despite her three rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
s, her stern wheel made her difficult to steer.
The casemate had eight gun ports, two in the bow face and three on each side, although only three guns were mounted in the ship. A smoothbore
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
11 inches (279 mm) Dahlgren
Dahlgren gun
Dahlgren guns were muzzle loading naval artillery designed by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren USN, mostly used in the period of the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental explosion in 1849 of a 32-pounder being tested for accuracy, killing a gunner...
pivot gun
Pivot gun
A pivot gun was a type of cannon mounted on a fixed central emplacement which permitted it to be moved through a wide horizontal arc. They were a common weapon aboard ships and in land fortifications for several centuries but became obsolete after the invention of gun turrets...
was mounted in the starboard forward position. It could fire out of the starboard bow port or the forward starboard broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
port. It weighed approximately 16000 pounds (7,257.5 kg) and could fire a 136 pounds (61.7 kg) shell up to a range of 3650 yards (3,337.6 m) at an elevation of 15°. An old 32-pounder (14.5 kg) siege gun was in the equivalent position on the port side of the ship. The characteristics of this gun cannot be reliably determined because the United States produced a multitude of 32-pounder guns before the Civil War, but none of them were designated as siege guns. The third gun was a smoothbore 9 inches (229 mm) Dahlgren pivot gun that could fire out of either of the two aft broadside gun ports. It weighed approximately 9200 pounds (4,173 kg) and could fire a 72.5 pounds (32.9 kg) shell up to a range of 3357 yards (3,069.6 m) at an elevation of 15°.
Construction and service
The Confederate Navy DepartmentConfederate States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy was the Confederate Civil Service department responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Confederate Navy and Confederate Marine Corps...
authorized the construction of one or more ironclad warship
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
s at Shreveport on 3 October 1862 and Lieutenant Jonathan H. Carter signed a contract for two ships on 1 November. The keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
of the first ship was laid the following month and she was launched on 14 April 1863. The ship was commissioned on 12 September 1863 with the name of Missouri, after the high water season on the Red River had ended. Lieutenant Commander Charles Fauntleroy was appointed as her captain, although he told Lieutenant Carter that "he hoped the damned boat would sink" and that he "never intended to serve on her if he could help it". The low water prevented Missouri from playing any part in the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
of early 1864. In September, Lieutenant Carter commanded an unsuccessful attempt to seize the gunboat using men from the crews of Missouri and CSS Webb
CSS Webb
CSS Webb, a 655-ton side-wheel steam ram, was originally built in New York City in 1856 as the civilian steamship William H. Webb. She received a Confederate privateer's commission at New Orleans in May 1861, but was instead employed as a transport until January 1862...
.
In March 1865, the river began to rise and Missouri was able to leave the Shreveport area for the first time. She reached Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
on 8 April and anchored where she could defend the town. Lieutenant Carter surrendered the ship to Union forces on 3 June, the last Confederate ironclad to surrender. After her armor was removed, Missouri was sold at public auction on 29 November.