USS Cairo Gunboat - August 4th, 2018
Visit the 1862 ironclad USS Cairo within the Vicksburg Battleground, the only surviving example of the seven City Class gunboats built by the Union
Despite an 880 ton displacement, the ships drafted a mere six feet of water
With 3 heavy cannon in the front, 4 on both sides and 2 in the back
James Eads built 7 city class gunboats in 100 days or faced a $200/day fine
The 7 gunboats were named for towns along the Ohio & Mississippi rivers
The Cairo was clearing mines but struck one and sank in 12 minutes
Cairo sank in 36 ft of water with no lives lost on December 12, 1862
The "torpedo" was detonated by volunteers hidden behind the river bank
French, Danish, Russian, German & many English accents were heard onboard
A powerful winch, called the Capstan, help haul heavy items around the ship
Heavy lines, guns and the anchor were pulled with steam from the boilers
32 pound smoothbore cannons on the starboard side
Five fire-tube boilers heated with coal that fed the steam engine
Oscillating arm turned the internally housed paddle wheel
The Cairo's are the oldest & best surviving examples of steam propulsion
It took a crew of six men to fire each of Cairo's 13 heavy cannon
Hog chains kept the bow & stern from sagging from uneven weight
8 inch navy smoothbore cannon and 42 pounder army rifle starboard side
32 pounder Navy smoothbore cannon on the starboard stern
Stern of the USS Cairo suffered the most decay 100 years underwater
30 pounder Parrott rifle on the port stern of the ship
The sheltered paddlewheel had a 22 ft diameter and 15 ft width
The only known example of the "Western Rivers" steamboat engine
Officers quarters escaped the heat of the fireroom & boilers
Wheelhouses enclosed the paddlewheel but were vulnerable to cannon fire
City Class gunboats were identified by painted chimney bands
A sister ship knocked down Cairo's stacks to hide it's sunken location
Ironic that the early loss of the ship enabled its restoration & display
Nearby museum with artifacts on display and video of the 1964 recovery
Model of the USS Cairo ironclad river gunboat in full operational mode with cutaway sides and grey chimney bands identifying it
The Union fleet continued on after the Cairo's sinking toward the Yazoo River
USS Marmora survived the war, Vicksburg monuments & City Class Ironclads
Union Brown water Ironclads (river gunboat) individual details
Parking lot view of the sun shaded USS Cairo
The best-preserved of 3 surviving Civil War ironclads (CSS Neuse & Jackson) should be enclosed to end degradation due from exposure to the elements