USS ''Cairo'' is the
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very comple ...
of the
City-class casemate ironclad
The casemate ironclad was a type of iron or iron-armored gunboat briefly used in the American Civil War by both the Confederate States Navy and the Union Navy. Unlike a monitor-type ironclad which carried its armament encased in a separate ...
s built at the beginning of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
to serve as
river gunboat
A river gunboat is a type of gunboat adapted for river operations. River gunboats required shallow draft for river navigation. They would be armed with relatively small caliber cannons, or a mix of cannons and machine guns. If they carried more ...
s.
''Cairo'' is named for
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...
. In June 1862, she captured the
Confederate
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
garrison of
Fort Pillow on the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, enabling
Union forces to occupy
Memphis. As part of the
Yazoo Pass Expedition, she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on
Haines Bluff. ''Cairo'' was the first ship ever to be sunk by a
mine remotely detonated by hand.
The remains of ''Cairo'' can be viewed at
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...
with a museum of its weapons and naval stores.
Service in the American Civil War
''Cairo'' was built by
James Eads and Co.,
Mound City, Illinois
Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588.
History
Mound C ...
, in 1861, under contract to the
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...
. She was commissioned as part of the
Union Army's
Western Gunboat Flotilla, which had
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
James M. Prichett in command.
''Cairo'' served with the Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla on the
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
Ohio River
The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
s, and their tributaries until she was transferred to the Navy on 1 October 1862, with the other river gunboats. She was commanded by
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
Andrew Hull Foote.
Active in the occupation of
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tennessee, fifth-most populo ...
, 17 February 1862, and of
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, 25 February, ''Cairo'' stood down the river on 12 April, escorting
mortar boats to begin the lengthy operations against Fort Pillow. An engagement with Confederate gunboats at
Plum Point Bend on 11 May, marked a series of blockading and bombardment activities which culminated into the abandonment of the fort by its defenders on 4 June.
On 6 June 1862, two days later, ''Cairo'' joined in the triumph of seven Union ships and a tug over eight Confederate gunboats off Memphis. Five of the opposing gunboats were sunk or run ashore during this action; two were seriously damaged, and one managed to escape. That night, Union forces occupied the city. ''Cairo'' returned to patrol on the Mississippi until 21 November, when she joined the
Yazoo Pass Expedition.
On 12 December 1862, while clearing mines from the river, preparatory to the attack on
Haines Bluff, ''Cairo'' struck a "torpedo" (or
naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...
) detonated by volunteers hidden behind the river bank and sank in 12 minutes. There were no casualties.
Armament
Like many of the Mississippi theatre ironclads, ''Cairo'' had her
armament
A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law e ...
changed over the life of the vessel. To speed up her entrance into the service, ''Cairo'' and the other City-class ships were fitted with whatever weapons were on hand, then had their weapons upgraded as new pieces were made available. Though the smoothbore
Dahlgren gun
Dahlgren guns were muzzle-loading naval guns designed by a United States Navy Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870), mostly used in the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental ...
s were fairly modern, most of the other original weapons were antiquated, such as the 32-pounders, or modified, such as the 42-pounder "rifles". These were old smoothbores that had been made into
rifle
A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
s. The 42-pounder weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled cannons. Additionally, the close confines of combat on the rivers greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounder
howitzer
The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
was equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat.
Discovery of the wreck
Over the years, the gunboat was forgotten and slowly covered by silt and sand. Impacted in mud, ''Cairo'' became a time capsule in which her unique, historical artifacts were preserved against corrosion and biological degradation. Her whereabouts became a matter of speculation, as members of the crew had died and local residents were unsure of the location.
Studying Civil War maps,
Edwin C. Bearss of
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...
set out to search for the lost ship using a simple magnetic compass. With the assistance of Don Jacks and Warren Grabau, the ship was found in 1956. In 1960, numerous artifacts were recovered from the ship, including the pilothouse and an 8-inch cannon, both preserved by the
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river primarily in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the Ame ...
mud.
With support from the State of
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
, State Senator
H.V. Cooper and local authorities, the gunboat was salvaged from the bottom of the river.
Salvage and museum
Hopes of lifting the ironclad and her cargo of artifacts intact were crushed in October 1964, when the 3-inch cables being used to lift ''Cairo'' cut deeply into its wooden hull. It then became a question of saving as much of the vessel as possible. A decision was made to cut ''Cairo'' into three sections. By the end of December, the battered remains were put on barges and towed to
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...
. In the summer of 1965, the barges carrying ''Cairo'' were towed to
Ingalls Shipyard on the Gulf Coast in
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...
. There the armor was removed, cleaned, and stored. The two engines were taken apart, cleaned and reassembled. Sections of the hull were braced internally and a sprinkler system was operated continually to keep the white oak structural timbers from
warping and
checking. On 3 September 1971, ''Cairo'' was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
In 1972, the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
enacted legislation authorizing the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
to accept the title to ''Cairo'' and restore the gunboat for display in
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...
. Delays in funding the project halted progress until June 1977, when the vessel was transported to the park and partially reconstructed on a concrete foundation near the
Vicksburg National Cemetery. A shelter to cover the vessel was completed in October 1980, with the museum opening in November. The original space-frame shelter has since been replaced by a tension-fabric system to provide better cover.
The recovery of artifacts from ''Cairo'' revealed a treasure trove of weapons, ammunition, naval stores, and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at the USS ''Cairo'' Museum. These include a sailor's rope knife in good condition.
Since salvage, ''Cairo'' has suffered degradation due to exposure to the elements, bird droppings, and vandalism.
There are only four surviving Civil War-era ironclads in existence: , , USS ''Cairo'', and
CSS ''Muscogee''.
Gallery
See also
*
Anaconda Plan
The Anaconda Plan was a strategy outlined by the Union Army for suppressing the Confederacy at the beginning of the American Civil War. Proposed by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, the plan emphasized a Union blockade of the Southern port ...
*
Mississippi Squadron
The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and ...
*
Union Navy
*
List of United States Navy ships
List of United States Navy ships is a comprehensive listing of all ships that have been in service to the United States Navy during the history of that service. The US Navy maintains its official list of ships past and present at the Naval Vessel ...
Notes
References
*
** ''This article includes information from the National Park Service and is in the public domain.''
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External links
*
USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum*
Drive On Documentary about James Eads building the City Class Ironclads*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairo
Ships of the Union Navy
Ships built in Mound City, Illinois
Steamships of the United States Navy
Gunboats of the United States Navy
American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
1861 ships
Ships sunk by mines
Shipwrecks of the Yazoo River
Shipwrecks of the American Civil War
Mississippi in the American Civil War
Museum ships in Mississippi
Museums in Warren County, Mississippi
American Civil War museums in Mississippi
Naval museums in the United States
American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places
Ships preserved in museums
Buildings and structures in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Ironclad warships of the Union Navy
Vicksburg National Military Park
Historic American Engineering Record in Mississippi
National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, Mississippi
Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi
Maritime incidents in December 1862
1956 archaeological discoveries