CSS Tuscaloosa (ironclad)

Sketch of sister ship CSS Huntsville, Mobile, Alabama, 1864[1]
History
Confederate States
Name	Tuscaloosa
Builder	Henry D. Bassett
Laid down	1862
Launched	February 7, 1863
Out of service	April 12, 1865
Fate	Scuttled to prevent capture
General characteristics
Tonnage	500
Length	152 ft (46.3 m) overall
Beam	34 ft (10.4 m) or 43.5 feet (13.3 m)
Draught	7 to 9 ft (2.1 to 2.7 m)
Installed power	2x marine steam engines
Propulsion	Steam
Speed	2.5 knots (4.6 km/h; 2.9 mph)
Complement	40 or 120
Armament	1× 6.4-inch (163 mm) Brooke rifle 3× 32-pounder guns
Armour	4 inches (10 cm) iron plate

CSS Tuscaloosa was an ironclad warship that served in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. Construction began in May 1862, under a contract with Henry D. Bassett. Her engines were taken from the steamboat Chewala, and she was armored with 4 inches (10 cm) of iron and armed with four cannons. In January 1863, she was launched, and traveled down to Mobile, Alabama for service on Mobile Bay. Both Tuscaloosa and her sister ship CSS Huntsville were found to be too slow for practical use, and were relegated to service as floating batteries. Union forces captured Mobile in April 1865, and Tuscaloosa was scuttled on April 12, as she was unable to escape due to an inability to steam against the current on the Spanish River. Her wreck was discovered in the 1980s.