CSS Patrick Henry
CSS Patrick Henry was a ship built in New York City in 1859 by the renowned William H. Webb for the Old Dominion Steam Ship Line as the civilian steamer Yorktown, a brigantine-rigged side-wheel steamer. She carried passengers and freight between Richmond, Virginia and New York City. Yorktown was anchored in the James River when Virginia seceded from the Union on 17 April 1861 and was seized by the Virginia Navy and later turned over to the Confederate Navy on 8 June 1861.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Confederate States | |
| Name | Patrick Henry |
| Namesake | Patrick Henry |
| Launched | 1859 |
| Christened | (as Yorktown) |
| Commissioned | 17 April 1861 |
| Fate | Burned to prevent capture 3 April 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1300 tons |
| Length | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion | steam |
| Complement | 150 officers and men |
| Armament | 1 × 10-inch (254 mm) smooth-bore, 1 × 64 pounder (29 kg), 6 × 8-inch (203 mm) guns, 2 × 32 pounder (15 kg) rifles |
Commander John Randolph Tucker, who commanded the ship, directed that Yorktown be converted into a gunboat and renamed Patrick Henry in honor of Patrick Henry, the revolutionary patriot and Founding Father. She also served as the first flagship of the James River Squadron.
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