C.S.S. / U.S.S. Tennessee:

 

290 Foundation

VERBATIM

The CSS Tennessee was designed and built to be an ironclad ram for the Confederate Navy. Designed mainly by J.L. Porter she was basically a modified version of 'Columbia' class ironclad. Tennessee was ordered in September 1862 and her hull was constructed by Henry Bassett & Sons on the Alabama River, a short distance from the city of Selma. Most of the timber used in the initial phase of construction was sourced locally but some of the heavy beams for her deck supports were transported from woodlands almost fifty miles distant. Tennessee was finally launched in the evening of 16 February 1863 and Lieutenant James D. Johnston C.S.N. was placed in command to oversee the vessel’s final construction. During the latter half of 1863 and during 1864, no less than five warships were under construction at the Naval Ordnance Works with three additional ironclads planned as soon as resources could be met.

Tennessee’s upper casemate for the protection of her battery was only a few inches short of seventy nine feet and rose eight feet above the deck. For the most part this upper structure was built of yellow pine and white oak some twenty three inches thick with each facing side angling thirty three degrees from the horizontal (Deck). On completion, the Tennessee’s massive wooden hull was towed by two steamers to Mobile to have her engine guns and final fittings put in place. As it turned out, these engines were considerably underpowered for the ship’s weight and their complicated gearing presented still further problems. These two geared non-condensing engines with twenty four inch cylinders and a seven foot stroke, were driven by four boilers. Some components were originally sourced from the steamer 'Alonzo Child' but never fitted as new items became available. Nonetheless the vessel's engines would prove to be detrimental to the Tennessee's prowess later. The Selma works nearby, were only able to cast one gun per week, so additional armament was obtained from Atlanta. The Tennessee had one unique feature however. Hot water pipes were attached to her boilers and when opened, these threw jets of boiling water from each end of the casemate to deter any opportune borders.

The required armour plate was supplied by the rolling-mills of Atlanta and for once, arrived on schedule. Exceedingly tough yet malleable iron, these were seven inches wide, two inches thick and twenty two feet long. Three layers were bolted on the forward end of the shield as far as the after end of the pilothouse, and from that point to the termination of the shield two plates of two inch and one of one inch thick were used. Heavy wood and iron shutters were fixed over each gun-port and were designed to close automatically when a gun was run back in for reloading. Like most other Confederate vessels built in the south, a chronic shortage of material and manpower plagued the Tennessee’s construction. Admiral Franklin Buchanan was forced to conscript civilians from Mobile in order to complete her fitting out. As it was, only in the later stages was a serious design fault found that left the rudder chains exposed. Even covered with boiler iron they remained vulnerable.

On 2nd April 1864 however, the vessel was declared ready to receive her crew, although she had no living accommodations. Lt Johnston remained in command and immediately promoted to Commander in recognition of his achievements.
Completed, the CSS Tennessee displaced nearly thirteen hundred tons with a length of two hundred and nine feet, a beam of forty eight feet and a draft of fourteen feet. With two 7 inch Brooke rifles on pivots and four 6.4” inch rifles, the Tennessee still required a crew of 133 persons with no living conditions on board.

The CSS Tennessee was one of the best armed and protected ironclads that the Confederacy was able to build and Buchanan intended to put her to good use by running through the blockade and capture Fort Pickens at the entrance of Pensacola Bay. By the time of their arrival it was approaching mid­night. Unfortunately the tide had fallen further than usual and the ship ran aground. Stuck, her presence was revealed by daylight and as the tide rose sufficiently to float his vessel, Johnston abandoned the attack moved to an anchorage near Fort Morgan. The CSS Tennessee remained here for nearly three months, training the crew to work effectively with their guns.

With the fall of New Orleans Rear Admiral Buchanan assumed command of the naval defenses and began strengthening his defenses with pilings and mines planted in the deeper water, leaving a navigable channel five hundred yards wide to enable blockade runners to slip in safely. On the evening of the 4 August 1864 however, it became obvious the blockading fleet was making preparations to force a passage into the bay. Finally, at 0530 on the 5 August 1864, Flag Officer David G. Farrugut attacked with four Monitor type ironclads and fourteen other warships.
 

CSS Tennessee and three wooden gunboats, CSS Gaines, Morgan, and Selma were stationed at the approaches to Mobile Bay, about ninety miles south of the port. Federal vessels were already taking fire from the guns of Fort Morgan but as the USS Tecumseh reached the centre of the channel between the forts, the Tennessee made directly for her. Two sloops managed to get between them so the Tennessee now aimed for the leading ship, the USS Hartford, intending to ram her but the Union ship escaped due to her superior speed. But they proceeded to follow it. Abandoning her pursuit of the Hartford, the CSS Tennessee turned to aid the gunboats but by then it was too late and she was forced to retire under the protection of the fort’s guns.

By morning, the Federal fleet were four miles into Mobile bay and at anchor. At 0850 Buchanan ordered the Tennessee to attack the enemy fleet which now consisted of ten wooden vessels and the three monitors. The CSS Tennessee was within range at 0920 and the one sided battle commenced. Despite her best efforts, the CSS Tennessee was rammed first by the USS Monongahela, Lackawanna (twice), and Hartford. Her smoke stack was blown away and several gun-port shutters had jammed shut. Eventually, the vulnerable rudder chains were shot away, as well as the relieving tackles. With his flagship unable to move, steer or fire her guns, and with the collapse of the casemate seemingly imminent, Buchanan decided to surrender. Before this could be done, the CSS Tennessee was further attacked and badly damaged at close range by the 15" guns of the monitor Manhattan and 11" guns of Chickasaw a white flag showed the confederate vessel had finally surrendered.

 The former Confederate ironclad was immediately taken into the Federal Navy as the USS Tennessee. Once her combat damage was quickly repaired, costing around $7,258, she was commissioned into the U.S. Navy on 19 Aug 1864, and immediately employed on operations to capture Fort Morgan between 19-22 August. In the autumn of 1864 she was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana, for further repairs. Then, transferred to the US Navy's Mississippi Squadron until after the end of the Civil War, she was decommissioned on 19 August 1865. The Tennessee was then sold by public auction on 27 November 1867, and scrapped.