Saturday, July 27, 2013

CSS Baltic

From Wikipedia.

Back on June 14th and 15th, I wrote about two Confederate naval officers, Peter Murphey and Andrew Bierne being paroled at Alabama's Nanna Hubba Bluff, near Mobile on May 10, 1865.  In addition, the CSS Baltic was captured there as well and on the same day.  Sure was a lot going on there that day.

I had never heard of the CSS Baltic so had to find out about it.

The CSS Baltic was an iron and cotton-clad sidewheel steamer built in Philadelphia in 1860 as a river tow boat belonging to the Southern Steamship Company.

The state of Alabama converted it into an armored ram and turned it over to the Confederate Navy.  The Baltic was 624 tons, 186 feet long, 38 foot beam, crew of 86 and mounted two Dahlgrens, two 32-pounders and two smaller guns.

It operated in Mobile Bay, Mobile and the Tombigbee River.  By February 1863, it was classified as unfit for service in sinking condition.  It was dismantled in July 1864 and its armor transferred to the CSS Nashville.  It was captured at Nanna Hubba Bluff May 10, 1865 and sold to the U.S. government Dec. 31, 1865 to be broken up.

The Story of a Ship.  --Old B-Runner



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