 CSS Louisiana on the way to Fort St. Philip
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Confederate States | |
| Name | Louisiana |
| Namesake | State of Louisiana |
| Ordered | October 1861 |
| Laid down | c. 15 October 1861 |
| Launched | 6 February 1862 |
| Commissioned | 20 April 1862 |
| Fate | Set afire by her crew to avoid capture; drifted down Mississippi River, exploded near Fort St. Philip on 28 April 1862 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1,400 tons |
| Length | 264 ft (80 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 12 - 13 feet (3.66 - 3.96 m) |
| Complement | 300 crewmen |
| Armament | 2 × 7 in. (178 mm) Brooke rifles, 4 × 8 in. (203 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore guns, 3 × 9in.(228mm)guns. Seven 32-pounder guns |
CSS Louisiana was a casemate ironclad of the Confederate States Navy built to aid in defending the lower Mississippi River from invasion by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She took part in one major action of the war, the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and when that ended disastrously for the Confederacy, she was destroyed by her crew.