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CSS MANASSAS
CSS Manassas
was
the first Confederate Ironclad. Converted from the
icebreaker Enoch Train, her above-water
hull was reshaped to a "turtle-back" form and covered
with
1.5" iron plating,
along with an iron ram beneath the waterline. She became
a 387-ton ironclad ram
that had a 64lb. gun
behind a single gun port
with an armored shutter.
At its lowest when fully
loaded, the hull projected only 6+1⁄2 feet above
the waterline, not counting her smokestacks. The convex
shape of her iron-plated topside was intended to
cause cannon shot to glance off harmlessly. She was 128
feet in length overall, and had a 26-foot hull beam and
11-foot draught. Her low profile made her a difficult
target, while her curved armor iron plate protected her
against all but the most well-directed Union cannon
fire. Lying low in the water, she looked like a floating
cigar or submerged egg shell and was described
by Union intelligence as a "hellish machine."
Initially, Manassas was meant to be a
privateer but was commandeered by the CSN as a naval
vessel. She first attacked the USS Richmond on Oct. 12,
1861 by ramming. the Union vessel was
seriously
damaged, Manassas was
also damaged, mainly by the force of her own ramming
effort, but successfully withdrew and was repaired.
Her next foray would be the Battle of the
Passes in April, 1862 where she basically battled the
entire Union Fleet, when US Navy Flag
Officer David Glasgow Farragut boldly took his squadron
up the river past Confederate Forts Jackson and Saint
Philip to capture New Orleans. In
the action Manassas attempted to ram USS Pensacola,
which turned in time to avoid the heavy blow and
delivered a full broadside at close range. Manassas then
ran into more murderous fire from the whole line of the
Union fleet. She then charged USS Mississippi and
delivered a long glancing blow to her hull, also firing
her single cannon as she rammed. Next she
rammed USS Brooklyn, again firing her cannon, injuring
Brooklyn deeply, but not fatally.
After this
action Manassas followed the Union fleet quietly for a
while, but as she drew closer Mississippi furiously
turned on her and made an attempt to ram the
ironclad. Manassas managed to dodge the blow but ran
aground in the process. USS Mississippi disabled her
with withering cannon fire. Her crew managed to escape
as Mississippi poured heavy broadsides into the stranded
Confederate ram. Now on fire, Manassas slipped off the
bank and drifted down the river past the Union mortar
flotilla. Commander David Dixon Porter, USN, in command
of the mortar boats, tried to save her as an engineering
curiosity, but CSS Manassas exploded and immediately
plunged under water, a total loss.
We
build this primarily wood CSS Manassas model in two sizes:
18" long (1/100
scale)
$2,190 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous US included. Other
places: $200
flat rate.
34" long
(1/48 scale) $2,850
Shipping and insurance
in the contiguous US included. Other places: $300
flat rate.
Models are made to
order only.
We require only a small deposit to start the
process $900
 The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed, in less than 6 months. World's most
accurate and premium model or 100% your money back.
Learn more about the
Manassas ironclad here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Manassas
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