The CSS Baltic was an iron and cottonclad sidewheeler ship built in 1860 in Philadelphia as a river tow boat belonging to the Southern Steamship Co. She was purchased by the State of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, converted to an armored ram, and turned over to the Confederate States Navy

Confederate States Navy

The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...

 in the middle of 1862. Her first commanding officer was Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 James D. Johnston

James D. Johnston

James D. Johnston was an officer in the United States Navy, then served as a commander in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.Johnston was born in Kentucky and was appointed from that state as a United States Navy Midshipman in 1832. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant in 1843 and had...

, CSN.

Throughout the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 the Baltic operated in the Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...

, Mobile

Mobile River

The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Its drainage basin is the...

, Alabama

Alabama River

The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery.The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it unites with the Tombigbee, forming the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, which discharge into...

 and Tombigbee

Tombigbee River

The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...

 Rivers. The Baltic was reported unfit for service in February 1863, with her deteriorating condition preventing her from joining the defense of Mobile Bay in June 1864. She was dismantled in July of 1864 and her armor transferred to CSS Nashville

CSS Nashville (1864)

CSS Nashville was a large side-wheel steam ironclad built by the Confederates at Montgomery, Alabama intended to exploit the availability of riverboat engines. Launched in mid-1863, Nashville was taken to Mobile, Alabama for completion in 1864. Part of her armor came from the...

.

The Baltic was captured at Nanna Hubba Bluff

Nanna Hubba Bluff

Nanna Hubba Bluff is a bluff above the Tombigbee River near Calvert in northeastern Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The historic site is known to have been occupied by Native Americans at least as far back as 1000 BC, but gained its name from the historic-era Nanibas tribe. The Nanibas ...

, Tombigbee River, Alabama, on May 10, 1865, and sold to the U.S. Government on December 31, 1865.