USS Cairo

USS Cairo at anchor
History
United States
NameCairo
NamesakeCity of Cairo, Illinois
Operator US Army
OrderedAugust(?) 1861
BuilderJames Eads and Company, Mound City, Illinois
Laid down1861
Launched1861
Commissioned25 January 1862
FateTransferred to the US Navy
United States
NameCairo
Commissioned1 October 1862
FateSunk by mine, 12 December 1862
StatusRaised, 1964, museum ship
General characteristics
Class and typeCity-class ironclad
Tonnage512
Length175 ft (53.3 m)
Beam51 ft 2 in (15.6 m)
Draft6 ft (1.8 m)
Installed power5 fire-tube boilers
Propulsion
Speed4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Complement251 officers and enlisted men
Armament(see section below)
Armor
  • Forward casemate: 2.5 inches (64 mm)
  • Pilot house: 2.5 inches (64 mm)
  • 60 feet (18 m) of the side covering the machinery: 2.5 inches (64 mm).
  • Forward part of casemate sides: 3.5 inches (89 mm) railroad iron
USS Cairo
USS Cairo is located in Mississippi
USS Cairo
USS Cairo is located in the United States
USS Cairo
Coordinates32°22′33″N 90°52′0″W / 32.37583°N 90.86667°W / 32.37583; -90.86667
Built1861
NRHP reference No.71000068
Added to NRHP3 September 1971

USS Cairo /ˈkr/ is the lead ship of the City-class casemate ironclads built at the beginning of the American Civil War to serve as river gunboats.

Cairo is named for Cairo, Illinois. In June 1862, she captured the Confederate garrison of Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, enabling Union forces to occupy Memphis. As part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff. Cairo was the first ship ever to be sunk by a mine remotely detonated by hand.

The remains of Cairo can be viewed at Vicksburg National Military Park with a museum of its weapons and naval stores.