American cruiser CSS Chickamauga 1865-1865

Acquired at Wilmington, North Carolina as the blockade runner Edith by the Confederate States Navy in September 1864. Originally intended to be used as a troop annex supply transport departed she on 28 October to sea and were successful in taking prises with a total value of 500.000 US dollars returning on the 19th a month later. When Northern forces bombarded Fort Fisher on 24 and 25 December manned a number of her sailors guns on the fort. Further more she was used as an ammunition transport and supporting again the fort when it was bombarded on 15 January a year later. When Wilmington was evacuated by the Southern steamed she the Cape Fear River where she was burned by her own crew on 25 February to prevent capture by the Northern. She had a displacement of 585 tons. Her crew numbered 120 men and she was armed with 3 rifled guns.(1)

Note
1. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, vol. 6, London, 1865, p. 213 supplies some details when she was still the blockade runner Edith. “of 531 tons and 200-horsepower. On her trial trip she went 13.4 knots, with a indicated horsepower=894 (attained by two pairs of 34-inch cylinders, by -21inch stroke; steam 21 lbs; vacuum 26½ inches; revolutions 108. The immersed midship section was then 180 square feet, the displacement 510 tons, and the coal consumption 24 cwt. Per hour. In manoeuvring the ship by her crews we found
1. Bothe engines going ahead, helm hard over, the full circle was made in 4 minutes 3 seconds.
2. Screws going opposite ways, the circle was done in 3 minutes 29 seconds. The circle being completed, the engines were suddenly reversed to opposite direction, and their action on the was vessel was instantaneous, the revolving motion of the ship being checked and reversed with the greatest ease. This experiment was repeated several times, and proved that such a twin-screw vessel might in itself become the carriage for very heavy ordnance, too heavy to be trained in the ordinary way.
3. With one engine, the other stopped, helm hard over, the full circle was made in 4 minutes 31 seconds.” Her dimensions were 175’0”x 25’0”x 15’0”.  Draught during the trial was 7’9” with a displacement of 510 tons.