The CSS Virginia was one of the earliest ironclad fighting ships. Its easy destruction of several wooden ships on March 8, 1862, signaled the end of the era of wooden naval vessels.
When the Union decided to blockade the South, the Confederacy knew it needed to strengthen its navy. A number of designs for ironclad ships had been proposed and some ironclads had been
The USS Merrimack, commissioned in 1856, was burned to the waterline when the Union forces abandoned the Norfolk Naval Yards in April 1861. The Confederacy raised the ship a few weeks later and rebuilt her with iron plate armor based upon a design by Lt. J. M. Brooke, CSN. The ship was commissioned as the CSS Virginia in February 1862. Limited supplies and the new design delayed her sailing until March 8, 1862.
The Virginia was 275 feet long with a 38.5 foot beam and a draft of 22 feet. Between the sluggish engine and the deep draft, the Virginia was difficult to maneuver. There are different reports as to her ordnance. Lt. Wood reports that there were two 7-inch Brooke rifles, two similar 6-inch Brooke rifles, and six 9-inch Dahlgren smooth-bore broadside. (The Dictionary of American Ships adds two 12-pound howitzers.) The original specifications for the Virginia called for eight 9-inch rifled Dahlgren shell guns, two 7-inch Dahlgren pivot guns. (See the picture of a Dahlgren gun and more about the Heavy Artillery of the Civil War.)
After the battle with the Monitor, the Virginia was repaired in Portsmouth at the Gosport Naval Yard, and patrolled Hampton Roads. The Monitor was under orders not to engage the Virginia and so stayed under the protective guns of Fortress Monroe.
When Norfolk was being evacuated by the Confederates, the Virginia was lightened in an attempt to sail up the James River. However, her deep draft was still too much. With the wooden hull exposed, the ship was not battle-worthy. On the night of May 11, 1862, Flag Officer Tattnall ordered her grounded off Craney Island and set fire.
According to Civil War Naval Ordnance:
Type Bore diameter Material Weight of tube, lbs Length of boar,
inches Max. diameter,
inches Type of projectile Weight of projectile,
pounds Weight of charge,
pounds Range, yards at 5รป
elevation Time of flight,
seconds Height above plane,
feet 9" Dahlgren 9 Iron 9,000 107.3 27.2 Shell 72.5 10 1,710 5.96 10.75 6.4" Brooke 6.4 Double banded Iron 10,675 117 29.3 Shot 95 8-10 2,2001 -- -- 7" Brooke 7 Double banded Iron 15,300 121 32.2 Shot 110 10-13 2,2001 -- -- 11" Dahlgren 11 Iron 15,700 131.2 32 Shell 136 15 20 1,712 1,975 5.81 -- 10 10
1 Estimated from other rifle ranges.
According to testimony by the Naval Constructor, John L. Porter, during the court-martial of Josiah Tattnall, the draft of the Virginia, after conversion and adding armor, the draft was 17' forward, 18' aft. With supplies and armament added (for her initial sailing on March 8), she was 20' 10" forward, 21' 6" aft. (Porter doesn't mention adding ballast to correct a miscalculation on the buoyancy, but that must have been between these two measurements.) After further armor was added after the battle with the Monitor, he estimates the draft to be 22' forward, 23' aft.
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