Confederate States Navy - History

History

The C. S. Navy could never achieve equality with the Union Navy, so it used technological innovation, such as ironclads, submarines, torpedo boats, and naval mines (then known as torpedoes) to gain advantage. In February 1861 the Confederate Navy had thirty ships, only fourteen of which were seaworthy, while the Union Navy had ninety vessels; the C. S. Navy eventually grew to 101 ships to meet the rise in naval conflicts and enemy threats.

On April 20, 1861 the Union was forced to quickly abandon the important Gosport Navy Yard. In doing so they failed to effectively burn the facility, its supply and arms depots, or in-port ships. As a result the Confederacy captured much needed war materials and ordnance. Of most importance the South gained the shipyard's dry docks, sorely needed to build new warships. (The Confederacy's other major navy yard was in Pensacola, Florida). Ships left at the Norfolk shipyard included a screw frigate named USS Merrimack.

It was C. S. Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory's idea to raise the partially burned Merrimack and heavily armor the ship's newly rebuilt upper works with thick oak planking and two courses of heavy iron plate, turning it into a new kind of warship: an all-steam powered "iron clad". The new ship was christened CSS Virginia and later fought the Union's new ironclad USS Monitor to a draw on the second day of the Battle of Hampton Roads. On the first day Virginia aggressively attacked and nearly broke the Union Navy's sea blockade of wooden warships, proving the effectiveness of the ironclad warship.

The final Confederate surrender took place on November 6, 1865 aboard the CSS Shenandoah in Liverpool, England; this surrender brought about the end of the Confederate Navy. The Shenandoah had circumnavigated the globe, the only CSN ship to do so.