USS Cairo facts for kids
USS Cairo
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | Cairo |
| Namesake | City of Cairo, Illinois |
| Operator |  US Army |
| Ordered | August(?) 1861 |
| Builder | James Eads and Company, Mound City, Illinois |
| Laid down | 1861 |
| Launched | 1861 |
| Commissioned | 25 January 1862 |
| Decommissioned | 1 October 1862 |
| Status | transferred to the US Navy |
| United States |
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| Name | Cairo |
| Commissioned | 1 October 1862 |
| Fate | Sunk by mine, 12 December 1862 |
| Status | Raised, 1964, museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 512 |
| Length | 175 ft (53 m) |
| Beam | 51 ft 2 in (15.60 m) |
| Draught | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 4 knots (7.4 km/h) |
| Complement | 251 officers and men |
| Armament | (see section below) |
| Armour |
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USS Cairo
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 Location in Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Built | 1861 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000068 |
| Added to NRHP | 3 September 1971 |
The USS Cairo was one of the very first ironclad warships built in America. It was made at the start of the U.S. Civil War. Ironclads were special ships covered in thick metal armor.
The Cairo was the first ship of its kind, called the City-class gunboats. It was named after Cairo, Illinois. In June 1862, the Cairo helped capture a fort held by the Confederate army, called Fort Pillow. This allowed the Union forces to take over Memphis.
Later, during the Yazoo Pass Expedition, the Cairo was sunk on December 12, 1862. It hit a "mine" (a type of underwater bomb) that was set off by people hiding on the riverbank. This made the Cairo the first ship ever sunk by a mine that was set off by hand. Today, you can see the remains of the Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park. There's also a museum with its weapons and other items.
Contents
Cairo's Role in the Civil War
The Cairo was built in 1861 by James Eads and Co. in Mound City, Illinois. It was part of the Union Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla. This group of ships patrolled the rivers. US Navy Lieutenant James M. Prichett was in charge of the Cairo.
The Cairo served on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. It also patrolled their smaller rivers. On October 1, 1862, the Cairo and other river gunboats officially joined the US Navy. Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote then commanded the ship.
In February 1862, the Cairo helped take over Clarksville, Tennessee, and Nashville, Tennessee. On April 12, it went down the river to help attack Fort Pillow. On May 11, the Cairo fought Confederate gunboats at Plum Point Bend. After many attacks, the Confederate soldiers left Fort Pillow on June 4.
Two days later, on June 6, 1862, the Cairo joined seven other Union ships. They fought eight Confederate gunboats near Memphis. Five of the enemy ships were sunk or ran aground. Two were badly damaged, and only one got away. That night, Union forces took control of Memphis. The Cairo then patrolled the Mississippi River until November 21. It then joined the Yazoo Pass Expedition.
On December 12, 1862, the Cairo was clearing mines from the river. This was to prepare for an attack on Haines Bluff. The ship hit a "torpedo" (an old word for a naval mine). The mine was set off by volunteers hiding on the riverbank. The Cairo sank in just 12 minutes. Luckily, no one on board was hurt.
Weapons of the Cairo
The Cairo and other ironclads on the Mississippi River often changed their weapons. To get the ship ready quickly, the Cairo first used whatever weapons were available. Then, its weapons were updated as newer ones were made.
Some of the original weapons were old, like the 32-pounder guns. Others, like the 42-pounder "rifles," were old smoothbore cannons that had been changed to have a spiraled barrel. These "rifles" were a worry because they were weaker and could explode more easily than cannons built as rifles from the start.
Also, fighting on rivers often meant ships got very close. This increased the risk of enemy soldiers trying to board the ship. A 12-pounder howitzer was kept on board to help defend against this. It was not used in regular battles.
| January 1862 | November 1862 |
* 3 × 8-inch smoothbore guns
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* 3 × 8-inch smoothbore guns
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Finding the Sunken Ship
Over many years, the Cairo was forgotten. It slowly became covered by mud and sand. Because it was buried in mud, the Cairo became like a time capsule. Its unique historical items were kept safe from rust and decay. People weren't sure where the ship was, as the crew members had passed away.
Edwin C. Bearss from Vicksburg National Military Park studied Civil War maps. He decided to look for the lost ship using a simple magnetic compass. With help from Don Jacks and Warren Grabau, the ship was found in 1956. In 1960, many items were pulled from the ship. These included the pilothouse (where the ship was steered) and an 8-inch cannon. The mud of the Yazoo River had kept them safe.
With support from the State of Mississippi, State Senator H.V. Cooper, and local groups, the gunboat was brought up from the river bottom.
Saving and Displaying the Cairo
People hoped to lift the ironclad and all its items in one piece. But in October 1964, the cables used to lift the Cairo cut deep into its wooden hull. So, the goal changed to saving as much of the ship as possible. They decided to cut the Cairo into three parts. By the end of December, the damaged parts were put on barges. They were then pulled to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
In the summer of 1965, the barges with the Cairo were towed to Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. There, the armor was taken off, cleaned, and stored. The two engines were taken apart, cleaned, and put back together. Parts of the hull were supported from the inside. A sprinkler system ran all the time to keep the white oak wood from bending or cracking. On September 3, 1971, the Cairo was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites.
In 1972, the U.S. Congress passed a law. It allowed the National Park Service to take ownership of the Cairo. They would then restore it for display at Vicksburg National Military Park. Money problems delayed the project until June 1977. Then, the ship was moved to the park. It was partly put back together on a concrete base near the Vicksburg National Cemetery. A cover for the ship was finished in October 1980. The museum opened in November. The first cover has since been replaced with a new one to protect the ship better.
Finding the items from the Cairo was like finding a treasure chest. It included weapons, ammunition, ship supplies, and personal items of the sailors. You can now see the gunboat and its items at the USS Cairo Museum. These include a sailor's rope knife that is still in good condition.
Since it was saved, the Cairo has faced damage from weather, bird droppings, and people messing with it. There are only four Civil War-era ironclads left today: USS Monitor, CSS Neuse, USS Cairo, and CSS Jackson.
Images for kids
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The USS Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park. A wooden frame supports what is left of the ship.
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One of the cannons on the side of the Cairo. You can see the framework for the paddlewheels behind it.
