Editing CSS Tennessee (1863) (section)

==Design, description and construction==

''Tennessee'' was built at [[Selma, Alabama|Selma]], [[Alabama]], where she was commissioned on February 16, 1864. {{ship|CSS|Baltic}} towed her to [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], where she was [[Fitting-out|fitted out]].

''Tennessee'' was laid down in October 1862, hull and other woodwork turned out by Henry D. Bassett, who launched her the following February, ready for towing to Mobile to be engined and armed. Her steam plant came from the steamer {{USS|Alonzo Child}}. Her casemate design differed materially from {{ship|CSS|Columbia}} and {{ship|CSS|Texas}}, but the iron plate was the same 2&nbsp;by&nbsp;10 in (50 by 250&nbsp;mm) as used on {{ship|CSS|Huntsville}} and {{ship|CSS|Tuscaloosa|ironclad|6}} but triple thickness instead of double; her iron plate was made by the [[Shelby Iron Company]] in [[Shelby, Alabama]]. A fearsome detail of her defensive armament was a "hot water attachment to her boilers for repelling boarders, throwing one water stream from forward of the casemate and one aft."

The vicissitudes implicit in creating such an ironclad are graphically conveyed by Admiral Franklin Buchanan, writing September 20, 1863 to Confederate Navy Secretary [[Stephen Mallory]]:

<blockquote>The work on the ''Tennessee'' has progressed for some weeks past, under Mr. Pierce, as fast as the means in his power would permit. There is much delay for want of plate and bolt iron. It was impossible to iron both sponsons at the same time, as the vessel had to be careened several feet to enable them to put the iron on. Even then several of the workmen were waist deep in the water to accomplish it — to careen her, large beams 12 feet (3.7 m) square had to be run out of her posts and secured, on which several tons of iron had to be placed, and during the progress of putting on the sponson iron the shield iron could not be put on. The work has been carried on night and day when it could be done advantageously. I visited the ''Nashville'' and ''Tennessee'' frequently and, to secure and control the services of the mechanics, I have had them all conscripted and detailed to work under my orders. Previously, they were very independent and stopped working when they pleased.</blockquote>

(Joseph Pierce, referred to above, was Acting Naval Constructor in the Mobile area.)
[[File:JamesDJohnstonCSN.jpg|left|thumb|[[Lieutenant]] (later [[Commander]]) [[James D. Johnston]], [[Confederate States Navy|CSN]], commander of CSS ''Tennessee'']]

''Tennessee'' became flagship of Admiral Buchanan, and served in action in the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]] on August 5, 1864. On that morning ''Tennessee'' and wooden gunboats {{ship|CSS|Gaines}}, {{ship|CSS|Morgan}}, and {{ship|CSS|Selma}}, steamed into combat against Admiral [[David Farragut|David G. Farragut]]'s powerful fleet<ref name=hmdb>{{cite web|title=The Battle of Mobile Bay: "A Deadly Rain of Shot and Shell"|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=68815|website=Historical Marker Database|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> of four ironclad [[Monitor warship type|monitors]] and 14 wooden steamers. Unable to ram the [[United States|Union]] ships because of their superior speed, ''Tennessee'' delivered a vigorous fire on the Federals at close range. The [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] gunboats were sunk or dispersed. Farragut's fleet steamed up into the bay and anchored. Buchanan might have held ''Tennessee'' under the fort's protection but steamed after the Federal fleet and engaged despite overwhelming odds. The ram became the target for the entire Union fleet. ''Tennessee'' was rammed by several ships, and her vulnerable steering chains (which, oddly, lay in exposed trenches on the after deck) were carried away by the heavy gunfire. Unable to maneuver, ''Tennessee'' was battered repeatedly by heavy solid shot from her adversaries. With two of her men killed, Admiral Buchanan and eight others wounded, and increasingly severe damage being inflicted on her, ''Tennessee'' was forced to surrender.{{clear}}