USS Pittsburgh (1861)
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History | |
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Namesake | The City of Pittsburgh |
Launched | October 1861 |
Commissioned | 25 January 1862 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 29 November 1865 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 512 tons |
Length | 175 ft (53 m) |
Beam | 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m) |
Draft | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
Propulsion | Stern wheeler |
Complement | 251 |
Armament | (see section below) |
Armor |
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USS Pittsburgh (often Pittsburg) was a
Operational history
Joining Flag Officer
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Carondelet_and_Pittsburgh_below_New_Madrid.jpg/220px-Carondelet_and_Pittsburgh_below_New_Madrid.jpg)
Repaired, she attacked Island No. 10 on April 3, then ran its batteries by dark April 7, being lashed by a heavy thunderstorm as well as the island's 73 guns. This daring feat made it possible for her and Carondelet to demolish batteries below New Madrid, Missouri that same day, clearing the way for the Army to cross the Mississippi River.
Pittsburgh gave continued service in the lengthy series of operations which wrested control of the lower Mississippi from the Confederacy. Her flotilla, previously under Army control, came under naval command October 1, 1862.
Patrol and bombardment missions on the Mississippi were interrupted the following year when Pittsburgh joined in the
Armament
Like many of the Mississippi theater ironclads, Pittsburgh had its armament changed multiple times over life of the vessel. To expedite the entrance of Pittsburgh into service, she and the other City-class ships were fitted with whatever weapons were available; then had their weapons upgraded as new pieces became available. Though the 8 in (200 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore cannons were fairly modern most of the other original armaments were antiquated; such as the 32-pounders, or modified; such as the 42-pounder "rifles" which were in fact, old smoothbores that had been gouged out to give them rifling. These 42-pounder weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled cannons. Additionally, the close confines of riverine combat greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounder howitzer was equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat.[2]
Ordnance characteristics | |||
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January 1862 | May 1863 | December 1863 | September 1864 |
• 3 × 8-inch smoothbores • 2 × 42-pounder rifles • 6 × 32-pounder rifles • 2 × 30-pounder rifles • 1 × 12-pounder smoothbore |
• 2 × 9-inch smoothbores • 3 × 8-inch smoothbores • 2 × 42-pounder rifles • 4 × 32-pounder rifles • 2 × 30-pounder rifles • 1 × 12-pounder smoothbore |
• 2 × 9-inch smoothbores • 2 × 9-inch rifles • 2 × 8-inch smoothbores • 1 × 100-pounder rifle • 4 × 32-pounder rifles • 2 × 30-pounder rifles • 1 × 12-pounder smoothbore |
• 2 × 9-inch smoothbores • 2 × 9-inch rifles • 2 × 8-inch smoothbores • 1 × 100-pounder rifle • 2 × 32-pounder rifles • 2 × 30-pounder rifles • 1 × 12-pounder smoothbore |
See also
Notes
- ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients - Civil War (M–Z)". Medal of Honor Citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 26, 2011. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-84176-444-3
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.