CSS Virginia
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| Career |
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| Ordered: | 1861
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| Laid down: | 1862
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| Fate: | scuttled by crew
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| General Characteristics
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| Displacement: | approx. 3200 tons (the data differ, 800 tons is unlikely)
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| Length: | 275 ft (84 m)
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| Beam: | 38.6 ft (11.8 m)
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| Draft: | 22 ft (6.7 m)
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| Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h)
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| Complement: | 320 officers and men
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| Armament: | two 7 in (178 mm) rifles
two 6 in (152 mm) rifles
six 9 in (229 mm) Dahlgren smoothbores
two 12-pounder (5 kg) howitzers
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| Armor: | Iron
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CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
When the Commonwealth of Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, one of the important federal military bases threatened was Norfolk Naval Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. Accordingly, the order was sent to destroy the base rather than allow it to fall into Confederate hands. Unfortunately for the Union, these orders were bungled. The steam frigate USS Merrimack sank before she completely burned. When the Confederates entered the yard, they raised the Merrimack and decided to use her engines and hull to build an ironclad ram.
This new ship was named the CSS Virginia. She had an iron deck and casement, four inches (102 mm) thick. She mounted ten cannons, one in front and rear and four on each side. Further, the designers of the Virginia had heard of plans by the North to build an ironclad. Figuring that cannon would be unable to harm such a ship, and to conserve gunpowder, they equipped the Virginia with a ram -- the first ship so equipped in over a thousand years. The Merrimack's engines, now part of the Virginia, had not been in good working order, and had not been improved by being submerged in the James River. The addition of a number of tons of iron did not improve the situation.
On 8 March 1862, the Virginia set out for Hampton Roads. Despite an all-out effort to complete her, the ship still had workmen on board when it sailed. Supported by the CSS Raleigh and Beaufort, and accompanied by the Patrick Henry, Jamestown, and Teaser, the CSS Virginia took on the blockading fleet. The first ship engaged, the USS Cumberland, was sunk after being rammed. However, in sinking, the Cumberland broke off the Virginia's ram. Seeing what happened to the Cumberland, the captain of the USS Congress ordered the ship grounded in shallow water. The Congress and Virginia traded fire for an hour, after which the badly-damaged Congress surrendered. While the surviving crewmen of the Congress were being ferried off the ship, a Union battery on the north shore opened fire on the Virginia. In retaliation, the captain of the Virginia ordered the Congress fired upon with red-hot shot, to set her ablaze. It being late in the day, the Virginia left with the expectation of returning the next day and completing the destruction of the Union fleet.
The Virginia did not emerge from the battle unscathed. Shot from the Cumberland, Congress, and Union troops had riddled her smokestack, reducing her already low speed. Two of her guns were out of order, and a number of armor plates had been loosened. Even so, her captain attacked the USS Minnesota, which had run aground on a sandbank trying to escape the Virginia. However, because of the deep draft of the ship, the Virginia was unable to do significant damage. It being late in the day, the Virginia left with the expectation of returning the next day and completing the destruction of the Union fleet.
Later that night, the USS Monitor arrived. This Union ironclad had been rushed to Hampton Roads in hopes of protecting the Union fleet and preventing the Virginia from threatening Union cities.
The next day, 9 March 1862, the world's first battle between ironclad warships took place. The smaller and nimbler Monitor was able to outmaneuver the Virginia, but neither ship proved able to do significant damage to the other. Finally, the Virginia retreated up the James River, leaving the Monitor and the rest of the Union fleet in possession of the "battlefield."
During the next two months, the Virginia made several sorties to Hampton Roads hoping to draw the Monitor into battle. The Monitor, however, was under orders not to engage the Virginia and refused to fight.
Finally on 10 May 1862, advancing Union troops threatened to capture Norfolk. The Virginia was unable to retreat further up the James River due to her deep draft. So she was ordered burnt to keep her from being captured. Early on the morning of 11 May 1862, the flames reached her magazine and the ship was destroyed by a great explosion.
