CSS Tuscaloosa (ironclad) facts for kids
Sketch of sister ship CSS Huntsville, Mobile, Alabama, 1864
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Confederate States |
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| Name | Tuscaloosa |
| Namesake | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Builder | Confederate Naval Works at Selma |
| Laid down | 1862 |
| Launched | February 7, 1863 |
| Out of service | April 12, 1865 |
| Fate | Scuttled in Spanish River to prevent capture |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 152 ft (46.3 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft (10.4 m) |
| Draught | 7 to 8 ft (2.1 to 2.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam |
| Speed | 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) |
| Complement | 40 |
| Armament |
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CSS Tuscaloosa was a screw ironclad steamer ram in the Confederate States Navy that was laid down by the Confederate Naval Works at Selma in 1862.
History
Tuscaloosa was launched at Selma, Alabama on February 7, 1863, prior to being ready for duty. Tuscaloosa proceeded downriver under her own power to Mobile for completion. She had 4 in (10.2 cm) armor plate that was delivered by the Shelby Iron Company of Shelby, Alabama and the Atlanta Rolling Mill.
Under the command of Charles H. McBlair, Tuscaloosa served in the waters around Mobile. She escaped up the Tensaw River following the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. The city of Mobile held out another eight months, with the upper portion of Mobile Bay remaining in Confederate hands. She, along with the CSS Huntsville, was scuttled in the Spanish River below where it splits off from the Mobile River on the north side of Blakeley Island, just north of Mobile, on April 12, 1865 to prevent her capture following the surrender of the city. Her crew and material were put aboard CSS Nashville. The wreck was located in the river in 1985.
