CSS Texas
Encyclopedia
The CSS Texas (Confederate States Ship Texas), was a twin propeller casement ironclad ram
of the Confederate Navy, named for the state of Texas
. She was sister ship to CSS Columbia
. Since the ship was built so late in the American Civil War
, it saw no action before being captured by Union forces.
. She was launched
in January 1865. At the time of Robert E. Lee
's evacuation of Richmond on 3 April 1865, she was left unfinished but intact in an outfitting berth at the Richmond Navy Yard, one of only two vessels which escaped destruction by the departing Confederate forces. Captured when the city fell the following day, the ironclad was taken into the United States Navy
, but saw no service. Texas was laid up at Norfolk
until 15 October 1867 when she was sold to J.N. Leonard & Co. of New Haven, Connecticut
.
and CSS Columbia
) which embodied the latest developments in Confederate shipbuilding technology. Her casemate
was diamond-shaped rather than being a sloped box as on earlier ships and fitted snugly around the front, aft and side cannon placement. Instead of bolted on, the pilot house almost formed a seamless natural extension of the side armor. Details of her armament are sketchy, but her sister ship, the CSS Tennessee II carried four 6.4 in. Brooke rifle
s, two 7 in. Brooke rifles and a bolted-on spar torpedo
. Also for the Tennessee II, armor was given as 3 layers of 2 in., top speed as 5 knots and crew as 133 men. It is unclear however in how far the CSS Texas resembled the Tennessee II as other sources give her a (projected) speed of no less than 10 knots and note that both the Tennessee II and the Texas differed from the original design due to availability of key materials (in particular guns and engines) and due to improvements made during construction from lessons learned in combat.
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
of the Confederate Navy, named for the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She was sister ship to CSS Columbia
CSS Columbia
CSS Columbia was an ironclad ram in the Confederate States Navy and later in the United States Navy.-As CSS Columbia:Columbia was constructed under contract at Charleston, South Carolina in 1864, of yellow pine and white oak with iron fastenings and 6 inch iron plating. Hull work was done by F. M....
. Since the ship was built so late in 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...
, it saw no action before being captured by Union forces.
History
The keel for the CSS Texas was laid down at Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
in January 1865. At the time of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's evacuation of Richmond on 3 April 1865, she was left unfinished but intact in an outfitting berth at the Richmond Navy Yard, one of only two vessels which escaped destruction by the departing Confederate forces. Captured when the city fell the following day, the ironclad was taken into the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, but saw no service. Texas was laid up at Norfolk
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
until 15 October 1867 when she was sold to J.N. Leonard & Co. of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.
Design
From a technological view, the CSS Texas was one of a series of three 'Tennessee class' ironclads (the other two being the CSS Tennessee IICSS Tennessee (1863)
CSS Tennessee, an ironclad ram, was built at Selma, Alabama, where she was commissioned on February 16, 1864, Lieutenant James D. Johnston, CSN, in command. towed her to Mobile where she was fitted out for action....
and CSS Columbia
CSS Columbia
CSS Columbia was an ironclad ram in the Confederate States Navy and later in the United States Navy.-As CSS Columbia:Columbia was constructed under contract at Charleston, South Carolina in 1864, of yellow pine and white oak with iron fastenings and 6 inch iron plating. Hull work was done by F. M....
) which embodied the latest developments in Confederate shipbuilding technology. Her casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
was diamond-shaped rather than being a sloped box as on earlier ships and fitted snugly around the front, aft and side cannon placement. Instead of bolted on, the pilot house almost formed a seamless natural extension of the side armor. Details of her armament are sketchy, but her sister ship, the CSS Tennessee II carried four 6.4 in. Brooke rifle
Brooke rifle
The Brooke rifle was a type of rifled, muzzle-loading naval and coast defense gun designed by John Mercer Brooke, an officer in the Confederate States Navy. They were produced by plants in Richmond, Virginia and Selma, Alabama between 1861 and 1865 during the American Civil War...
s, two 7 in. Brooke rifles and a bolted-on spar torpedo
Spar torpedo
A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at the end, so it would stick to wooden hulls...
. Also for the Tennessee II, armor was given as 3 layers of 2 in., top speed as 5 knots and crew as 133 men. It is unclear however in how far the CSS Texas resembled the Tennessee II as other sources give her a (projected) speed of no less than 10 knots and note that both the Tennessee II and the Texas differed from the original design due to availability of key materials (in particular guns and engines) and due to improvements made during construction from lessons learned in combat.
CSS Texas in fiction
- In the 1992 novel Sahara by adventure writer Clive CusslerClive CusslerClive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
, President Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
is kidnapped by a group that impersonated a Union cavalry detachment and overpowered his military escort in early April 1865 as the Civil War was drawing to a close. Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, took the lead in arranging a cover-up supposedly employing John Wilkes BoothJohn Wilkes BoothJohn Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
as a patriot who quickly brought the situation to an abrupt conclusion - supported by Stanton then destroying documentation and concealing the accused conspirators under heavy hoods so no one really knew who they were, but of importance here is that the real Lincoln was supposedly spirited out of the country on the CSS Texas. Casting off at night after loading Confederate goldConfederate goldConfederate gold refers to the hidden caches of gold lost after the American Civil War. Millions of dollars worth of gold was lost or unaccounted for after the civil war and has been the speculation of many historians and treasure hunters...
and government files, they initially ran dark down the river but eventually got caught in a running gun battle, suffering some damage but avoiding a pounding and probably sinking by Union batteries at the mouth of the river when the captain of the boat raised a white flag and exposed Lincoln on top of the pilot house as they escaped into a fog bank. The story resumes in modern times with the ship discovered in the sand of the SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
having gotten grounded up a branch of the Niger RiverNiger RiverThe Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
. Evidence includes the dead bodies of fifty men plus the captain and Lincoln, who are preserved in the dry heat. After running aground the ship, the crew had to trade gold with natives for food. Then more natives realized there was gold on board and they essentially blockaded the boat, starving all but one of the crew to death. The single surviving man of initially four in his group escaped in a small boat and was saved by English traders. - In the 2005 film SaharaSahara (2005 film)Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler...
based on Cussler's novel, the fictional CSS Texas more actively figures in the action sequences of the movie as opposed to the book.
External links
- Ships of the Confederate States: CSS Texas (1865) Webpage from the Naval Historical CenterNaval Historical CenterThe Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...