CSS ''Manassas''

By Crusader1307

Originally built as The Icebreaker "Enoch Train" in 1855, she was later used as a Privateer (Pirate), vessel. Docked in The Port of New Orleans at the start of The American Civil War in 1861, she was commandeered by the fledgling Confederate Navy. Rebuilt as a "Turtle Back" Class of Ironclad Ram, she was renamed The CSS "Manassas" (after The Confederacy's first land victory). The "Manassas" was a low-profile Ship, with only 6-feet of her structure visible above water. She was 387-tons displaced and 128-feet long. Steam powered by a single engine, she could make 8-knots. Her crew compliment was 36 men. The entirety of The "Manassas" was covered in 1.25-inches of iron plate. Designed to protect the Mississippi River, CSS "Manassas" was among the first Southern Warships to try and stop Union Admiral David Farragut's Fleet from securing a hold on the River. She was protecting Ft. Jackson, when he defended against 3 Union Warships. Minimum damage was experienced by both sides. "Manassas" met her end when she engaged The USS "Mississippi". Relentlessly bombarded, she could not get close enough to initiate a ram. Her boiler and coal supplies exploded, sinking her in 1862.