Editing CSS Beaufort (section)

==Construction and early history==
Originally known as ''Caledonia'', ''Beaufort'' was [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] at [[Wilmington, Delaware]], in 1854.{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=243}} Constructed by [[Pusey & Jones]],{{sfn|Wiggins|2019|p=245}} ''Caledonia'' had been built for [[James Cathcart Johnston]], who named it after his plantation, although the ship as constructed was found to draw too deep of a [[draft (nautical)|draft]] to navigate to the plantation.{{sfn|Still|Stephenson|2021|p=88}} ''Caledonia'' was originally based out of [[Edenton, North Carolina]].{{sfn|Lytle|1952|p=25}} Later used as a [[tugboat]] on the [[Dismal Swamp Canal]],{{sfn|Trotter|1989|p=20}} the vessel had a tonnage of 85 tons, a length of {{convert|85|ft|m}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|17|ft|5|in|m}}, and a [[depth of hold]] of {{convert|6|ft|11|in|m}}.<ref name="danfs">{{cite web |title=Beaufort |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/beaufort.html |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=19 August 2023 |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828232510/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/beaufort.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An iron-hulled [[screw steamer]],{{sfn|Official Records|1921|p=246}} power was provided by a single [[marine steam engine|vertical direct acting steam engine]].{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=243}}

Early in the [[American Civil War]], the coastline of [[North Carolina]] was recognized as being of strategic importance, and a state Military and Navy Board was created.{{sfn|Trotter|1989|pp=16{{endash}}19}} Part of the state's defenses was the North Carolina Navy (informally known as the [[Mosquito Fleet]]). One of the Mosquito Fleet's vessels was ''Beaufort''.{{sfn|Trotter|1989|p=19}} The ''[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]'' states that ''Beaufort'' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] for military service on July 9, 1861, by [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] R. C. Duvall, while at [[Norfolk, Virginia]], before then traveling to [[New Bern, North Carolina]].<ref name="danfs" /> The ''[[Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies]]'' reports that ''Beaufort'' was purchased at New Bern.{{sfn|Official Records|1921|p=246}} In order to allow her to mount a cannon, the vessel's structure was strengthened with wooden beams. ''Beaufort'' was armed with a 32-pounder rifled cannon, and her [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval magazine|magazine]] and boiler were located in a position where they would be endangered during naval combat. She was manned by a crew of 35.{{sfn|Trotter|1989|p=20}} The crews of the ships of the North Carolina Navy were generally inexperienced in naval matters and were barely trained for the service they performed, ammunition was often faulty, and the cannons the ships were armed with had a tendency to explode.{{sfn|Barrett|1963|p=35}}