350-02 CSS 'VIRGINIA'

The CSS Virginia is an armored ship belonging to the Confederated States of America (CSA) during the Civil War (1861-1865). The keel for this vessel was laid in 1861, and the launch took place in March 1862. The full displacement of the ship at the time of launching was about 4,000-4,100 tons, length - 83.8 meters, and 15.6 meters wide. The maximum speed was only 5-6 knots. The on-board armament consisted of 10 cannons ranging in caliber from 160 to 229 mm. The CSS Virginia was built from the hull part of the burned USS Merrimack steam frigate. The unit had powerful, for those times, armor up to 102 mm thick. It can be described as a casemate armored-deck unit because all its armament has been consolidated into a single, large casemate. On March 8-9, 1862, CSS Virginia took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, where she faced, among others, a Union armored ship called the USS Monitor. It was the first battle of two armored ships in the history of naval wars. However, CSS Virginia did not survive the Civil War and was self-sunk by the crew in May 1862.