CSS Mississippi-- Part 4: Shipping the Iron Plate and the Propellers Shafts

Shipping the plate iron needed for the Mississippi over the already overtaxes Confederate railroad system was sporadic at best.  Delays were many.  Plates awaiting shipment were often found in Atlanta, days after they were supposed to go out.  The final armor arrived in New Orleans the day the CSS Mississippi was burned.

Engines and shafts added even more problems.  There were to be three shafts and places could be found in New Orleans to handle them, but the longer, central shaft could not be manufactured anywhere in the Confederacy.  Finally, a satisfactory shaft was found in a wrecked ship in October, but only Tredegar Ironworks or the Gosport Navy Yard in Virginia could handle the needed modifications.

When they were completed,  the shaft had to be transported over the rails.  It was shipped out March 26, 1862.    Although all three shafts were put into the hull, they were not hooked up to the engines, and the two outboard screw propellers were  still on the wharf when the end came.

--Old B-Runner