Jump to content

USSCairo

Coordinates:32°22′33″N90°52′0″W/ 32.37583°N 90.86667°W/32.37583; -90.86667
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USSCairoat anchor
History
United States
NameCairo
NamesakeCity of Cairo, Illinois
OperatorUS Army
OrderedAugust(?) 1861
BuilderJames Eadsand Company,Mound City, Illinois
Laid down1861
Launched1861
Commissioned25 January 1862
FateTransferred to theUS Navy
United States
NameCairo
Commissioned1 October 1862
FateSunk by mine, 12 December 1862
StatusRaised, 1964,museum ship
General characteristics
Class and typeCity-classironclad
Tonnage512
Length175 ft (53.3 m)
Beam51 ft 2 in (15.6 m)
Draft6 ft (1.8 m)
Installed power5fire-tube boilers
Propulsion
Speed4knots(7.4km/h;4.6mph)
Complement251 officers andenlisted men
Armament(seesection below)
Armor
  • Forwardcasemate:2.5 inches (64 mm)
  • Pilot house:2.5 inches (64 mm)
  • 60 feet (18 m) of the side covering the machinery: 2.5 inches (64 mm).
  • Forward part of casemate sides: 3.5 inches (89 mm) railroad iron
USSCairo
USS Cairo is located in Mississippi
USS Cairo
USS Cairo is located in the United States
USS Cairo
Coordinates32°22′33″N90°52′0″W/ 32.37583°N 90.86667°W/32.37583; -90.86667
Built1861
NRHP referenceNo.71000068
Added to NRHP3 September 1971

USSCairo/ˈkeɪroʊ/is thelead shipof theCity-classcasemate ironcladsbuilt at the beginning of theAmerican Civil Warto serve asriver gunboats.

Cairois named forCairo, Illinois.In June 1862, she captured theConfederategarrison ofFort Pillowon theMississippi River,enablingUnionforces to occupyMemphis.As part of theYazoo Pass Expedition,she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack onHaines Bluff.Cairowas the first ship ever to be sunk by amineremotely detonated by hand.

The remains ofCairocan be viewed atVicksburg National Military Parkwith a museum of its weapons and naval stores.

Service in the American Civil War[edit]

Cairowas built byJames Eadsand Co.,Mound City, Illinois,in 1861, under contract to theUnited States Department of War.She was commissioned as part of theUnion Army'sWestern Gunboat Flotilla,[1]which hadUS NavyLieutenantJames M. Prichettin command.[2]

Cairoserved with the Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla on theMississippiandOhio Rivers,and their tributaries until she was transferred to the Navy on 1 October 1862, with the other river gunboats. She was commanded byFlag OfficerAndrew Hull Foote.[2]

Active in the occupation ofClarksville, Tennessee,17 February 1862, and ofNashville, Tennessee,25 February,Cairostood down the river on 12 April, escortingmortar boatsto begin the lengthy operations against Fort Pillow. An engagement with Confederate gunboats atPlum Point Bendon 11 May, marked a series of blockading and bombardment activities which culminated into the abandonment of the fort by its defenders on 4 June.[2]

On 6 June 1862, two days later,Cairojoined in the triumph of seven Union ships and a tug over eight Confederate gunboats off Memphis. Five of the opposing gunboats were sunk or run ashore during this action; two were seriously damaged, and one managed to escape. That night, Union forces occupied the city.Cairoreturned to patrol on the Mississippi until 21 November, when she joined theYazoo Pass Expedition.[2]

On 12 December 1862, while clearing mines from the river, preparatory to the attack onHaines Bluff,Cairostruck a "torpedo"[2](ornaval mine) detonated by volunteers hidden behind the river bank and sank in 12 minutes. There were no casualties.[3]

Armament[edit]

Like many of the Mississippi theatre ironclads,Cairohad herarmamentchanged over the life of the vessel. To speed up her entrance into the service,Cairoand the other City-class ships were fitted with whatever weapons were on hand, then had their weapons upgraded as new pieces were made available. Though the 8 in (203 mm) smoothboreDahlgren gunswere fairly modern, most of the other original weapons were antiquated, such as the 32-pounders, or modified, such as the 42-pounder "rifles". These were old smoothbores that had been made intorifles.The 42-pounder weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled cannons. Additionally, the close confines of combat on the rivers greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounderhowitzerwas equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat.[4][5]

Ordnance characteristics
January 1862 November 1862
• 3 × 8-inch smoothbores
• 6 × 42-pounder rifle
• 6 × 32-pounder rifles
• 1 × 12-pounder rifle
 • 3 × 8-inch smoothbores
• 3 × 42-pounder rifles
• 6 × 32-pounder rifle
• 1 × 30-pounder rifle
• 1 × 12-pounder rifle

Discovery of the wreck[edit]

Over the years, the gunboat was forgotten and slowly covered by silt and sand. Impacted in mud,Cairobecame a time capsule in which her unique, historical artifacts were preserved against corrosion and biological degradation. Her whereabouts became a matter of speculation, as members of the crew had died and local residents were unsure of the location.

Studying Civil War maps,Edwin C. BearssofVicksburg National Military Parkset out to search for the lost ship using a simple magnetic compass. With the assistance of Don Jacks and Warren Grabau, the ship was found in 1956. In 1960, numerous artifacts were recovered from the ship, including the pilothouse and an 8-inch cannon, both preserved by theYazoo Rivermud.

With support from the State ofMississippi,State SenatorH.V. Cooperand local authorities, the gunboat was salvaged from the bottom of the river.[6][7]

Salvage and museum[edit]

Hopes of lifting the ironclad and her cargo of artifacts intact were crushed in October 1964, when the 3-inch cables being used to liftCairocut deeply into its wooden hull. It then became a question of saving as much of the vessel as possible. A decision was made to cutCairointo three sections. By the end of December, the battered remains were put on barges and towed toVicksburg, Mississippi.In the summer of 1965, the barges carryingCairowere towed toIngalls Shipyardon the Gulf Coast inPascagoula, Mississippi.There the armor was removed, cleaned, and stored. The two engines were taken apart, cleaned and reassembled. Sections of the hull were braced internally and a sprinkler system was operated continually to keep the white oak structural timbers fromwarpingandchecking.On 3 September 1971,Cairowas listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.

In 1972, theU.S. Congressenacted legislation authorizing theNational Park Serviceto accept the title toCairoand restore the gunboat for display inVicksburg National Military Park.Delays in funding the project halted progress until June 1977, when the vessel was transported to the park and partially reconstructed on a concrete foundation near theVicksburg National Cemetery.A shelter to cover the vessel was completed in October 1980, with the museum opening in November. The original space-frame shelter has since been replaced by a tension-fabric system to provide better cover.

The recovery of artifacts fromCairorevealed a treasure trove of weapons, ammunition, naval stores, and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at theUSSCairoMuseum.These include a sailor's rope knife in good condition.[8]

Since salvage,Cairohas suffered degradation due to exposure to the elements, bird droppings, and vandalism.[9]There are only four surviving Civil War-era ironclads in existence:USSMonitor,CSSNeuse,USSCairo,andCSSMuscogee.

Gallery[edit]

Images of USS Cairo
  • SUSS Cairo in her final resting place at Vicksburg
    USSCairoin her final resting place at Vicksburg National Military Park. A wooden framework has been built to support what remains of the ship.
  • the cannons on the side of the Cairo.
    One of the cannons on the side of theCairo.The framework for the paddlewheels is in the background.
  • Capstan of the Cairo
    Capstan of the Cairo, used to lift the anchor, and to pull hawsers taut.
  • George Yost Cabin Boy
    George R. Yost, aged 14, served as 1st Class Boy aboard theCairo.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^The Western Gunboat Flotilla was a unique "joint service" organization. The gunboats were built using funds from theWar Department,were manned by Navy personnel, and were under the ultimate command of the US Army theater commander.
  2. ^abcdeDANFS.
  3. ^Gunboats on the Mississippi
  4. ^Calibres of 32 pdr gun and 12 pdr howitzer taken from: Tucker, Spencer,Arming the Fleet, US Naval Ordnance in the Muzzle-Loading Era,pub US Naval Institute, 1989,ISBN0-87021-007-6
    Calibres of rifled guns taken fromGREAT GUNS! The Armament of the U.S.S. CAIRO
    Calibres quoted are for the bore, not the shot, and are quoted to the nearest millimetre.
  5. ^Angus Konstam (2002),Union River Ironclad 1861–65,Osprey Publishing, New Vanguard 56,ISBN978-1-84176-444-3
  6. ^"USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum".National Park Service.Retrieved28 May2013.
  7. ^Chambers, Elsie May. "A Slow Job: Cairo Will Surfacing Soon". Clarion-Ledger, Jackson MS. September 28, 1964
  8. ^Knives and their values, 4th editionby Bernard Levine.
  9. ^Ballam, Ed."Man Indicted For Damaging The U.S.S. 'Cairo'".Civil War News. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

References[edit]

External links[edit]

External videos
video iconHAER Fly-through of Historic U.S.S. Cairo.Vicksburg National Military Park,Vicksburg, MS
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Cairo&oldid=1220121651"