This Date, 150 Years Ago, The CSS Albemarle Takes On the USS Miami and Southfield

From Wikipedia.

The much anticipated and feared Confederate ironclad ram CSS Albemarle made its appearance off Plymouth, North Carolina, on this date. And, it definitely was rushed into action, having been launched and commissioned just two days earlier on the 17th.

As a matter of fact, work was still ongoing on the ship as it steamed downriver to engage Union vessels. It was part of a joint Confederate Army-Navy attack on Union-held Plymouth.

The Albemarle was 158 feet long, had a 35.4 foot beam and drew nine feet of water, manned by a crew of 150 and mounted two 6.4 Brooke double-banded rifles for armament. Under the command of Captain James W. Cooke, it sailed down the Roanoke River, anchoring 3 miles above Plymouth and sending pilot John Lock and two seamen in a small boat to take soundings.

They found that the river was running high and there was ten feet of water over obstructions the Union forces had sunk at Thoroughfare Gap in preparation for the Albemarle's arrival. The ship crossed the obstructions with a foot to spare and then its armor fended off cannonballs from Federal forts at Warren's Neck and Boyle's Mill.

The Albemarle then engaged two Union ships, the USS Miami and USS Southfield. It sank the Southfield by ramming it and the Miami was able to escape. Union forces surrendered the town and the Confederates had an increasingly rare victory.

Yeah! Albemarle. --Old B-Runner