CSS Virginia II
CSS Virginia II was a Confederate Navy steam-powered ironclad ram laid down in 1862 at the William Graves' shipyard in Richmond, Virginia. Acting Constructor William A. Graves, CSN, was the superintendent in charge of her construction. In order to conserve scarce iron plating, he ordered the ship's armored casemate shortened from the specifications given in John L. Porter's original building plans; in addition, the ship's iron-plating, while six inches thick on the casemate's forward face, was reduced to five inches on her port, starboard, and aft faces. Due to the shortening of her casemate, the number of her cannon were reduced to a single 11" smoothbore, a single 8" rifle, and two 6.4" rifles.
Harper's Weekly sketch of 11 February 1865 of CS Navy sortie 23 January 1865 on the James River; Ironclad at right is the CSS Virginia II; the wreck at the left is the CSS Navy Training Ship "Patrick Henry" | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Confederate States | |
| Name | CSS Virginia II |
| Namesake | Virginia |
| Builder | William Arthur Graves |
| Laid down | April 1862? |
| Launched | June 29, 1863 |
| Commissioned | May 18, 1864 |
| Homeport | Richmond, Virginia |
| Fate | Burned to prevent capture; remains partially raised and salvaged for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 197 ft (60 m) |
| Beam | 47 ft 6 in (14.48 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam engine |
| Complement | 150 officers and men |
| Armament | 1 × 11" Brooke smoothbore, 1 × 8" Brooke rifle, 2 6.4" Brooke rifle |
| Armor | sides 5", forward 6" |
The Virginia II was named after the more famous Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia, also called the Merrimack because of the ship's origins as a Union frigate. The original Virginia's success at the Battle of Hampton Roads caused "gunboat associations" to emerge around the South, mainly driven by women; their efforts helped with the construction of the Virginia II.