View source for CSS Baltic

{{Short description|Ironclad of the Confederate States Navy}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = CSSBaltic.jpg
| Ship caption = Contemporary engraving of the vessel.  The accuracy of the image is not known.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = [[Confederate States of America|Confederate States]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Confederate States of America|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Baltic''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 1860
| Ship sponsor = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = May 1862
| Ship decommissioned = July 1864
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship captured = May 10, 1865
| Ship fate = Sold, December 31, 1865
| Ship notes = 
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}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = (post-conversion)
| Ship class = 
| Ship type = [[Casemate ironclad]]
| Ship tonnage = 624
| Ship length = {{convert|186|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} ([[o/a]])
| Ship beam = {{convert|38|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship draft = {{cvt|6|to|7|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship power = 4 × horizontal [[return-flue boiler]]s
| Ship propulsion = 2 × [[Marine steam engine|steam engines]]
| Ship speed = {{convert|5|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 86 officers and men
| Ship crew = 
| Ship armament = 2 × [[Dahlgren gun]]s, 2 × [[32-pounder gun|32-pounders]], 2 × smaller pieces
| Ship armor = {{cvt|2.5|in}}
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''CSS{{efn|"Confederate States Ship"{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=xiii}}}} ''Baltic''''' was an [[ironclad warship]] that served in the [[Confederate States Navy]] during the [[American Civil War]]. A [[towboat]] before the war, she was purchased by the state of [[Alabama]] in December 1861 for conversion into an ironclad.  After being transferred to the Confederate Navy in May 1862 as an ironclad, she served on [[Mobile Bay]] off the [[Gulf of Mexico]].  ''Baltic''{{'}}s condition in Confederate service was such that naval historian [[William N. Still Jr.]] has described her as "a nondescript vessel in many ways".{{sfn|Still|1985|p=80}}  Over the next two years, parts of the ship's wooden structure were affected by wood rot. Her armor was removed to be put onto the ironclad [[CSS Nashville (1864)|CSS ''Nashville'']] in 1864.  By that August, ''Baltic'' had been [[ship commissioning|decommissioned]]. Near the end of the war, she was taken up the [[Tombigbee River]], where she was captured by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] forces on May 10, 1865.  An inspection of ''Baltic'' the next month found that her upper [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] and deck were rotten and that her boilers were unsafe.  She was sold on December 31, and was likely [[ship breaking|broken up]] in 1866.

==Background and description==
During the early 19th century, a large cultural divide had developed between the northern and southern regions of the United States primarily over [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]], which was mainly a southern institution.  Northerner [[Abraham Lincoln]] won the [[1860 United States presidential election|1860 presidential election]],{{sfn|Holmes|2001|p=35}} and due to his anti-slavery position a number of southern states [[secession in the United States|seceded]] in late 1860 and early 1861, forming the [[Confederate States of America]];{{sfn|Bearss|2007|pp=22{{endash}}23}} by April 1861, the [[American Civil War]] had commenced.{{sfn|Calore|2002|pp=29{{Endash}}30}} 

From the beginning of the conflict, the Confederates were at a distinct disadvantage compared to the [[Union Navy]] due a lack of available ships, infrastructure, and manufacturing capabilities.{{sfn|Smith|2003|pp=30{{en dash}}31}} Control of the Confederate coastline was important because the Union's [[Anaconda Plan]] intended to [[Union blockade|blockade]] the Confederacy to cut off trade, including imported armaments.{{sfn|Calore|2002|p=63}}  After Union victories at the [[Battle of Forts Hatteras and Clark]] and the [[Battle of Port Royal]] in late 1861, both the Confederate government and the individual Confederate states became more concerned with coastal defense.{{sfn|Still|1985|pp=79{{en dash}}80}}

''Baltic'' was built in 1860 at [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="DANFS">{{cite web |title=Baltic |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/baltic.html |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=6 February 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}}{{sfn|Joiner|2011|p=48}}{{efn|According to naval historian Saxon Bisbee, ''Baltic'' was built in 1856 at [[New Albany, Indiana]], for ship captain William Bragdon.  Bisbee writes that the [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] was constructed by William Jones, and that the machinery was built by the firm of Lent, South, and Shipman.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=55}}}}  Little is known about her, and naval historian Saxon Bisbee describes her as "one of the most obscure Confederate [[ironclad]]s" and states that "Confederate documents relating to the vessel are almost nonexistent".{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=55}}  According to Bisbee, the vessel was taken to [[Mobile, Alabama]], after her construction by Bragdon,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} but the ''[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]'' (DANFS) says that she was built for the Southern Steamship Company.<ref name="DANFS" />  She was used as a [[towboat]]{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}}{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}} and as a cotton [[lighter (barge)#Lighter tug|lighter]] in [[Mobile Bay]] off the [[Gulf of Mexico]].{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}}{{sfn|Still|1985|p=80}}

On November 8, 1861, the [[Alabama General Assembly]] passed legislation appropriating $150,000 for an ironclad that could serve as both a [[gunboat]] and as a [[naval ram|ram]].{{sfn|Still|1985|pp=79{{en dash}}80}}  The state government formed a commission to select a vessel for conversion,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} and the [[sidewheel steamer]] ''Baltic''{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}} was bought on December 13 at a cost of $40,000.  The process of converting her into a [[casemate ironclad]] began on December 22{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} and enlarged the ship's dimensions, increasing the length to {{convert|186|ft|m|1}}, the beam to {{convert|38|ft|m|1|abbr=on}},{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} and her [[tonnage]] to 624 tons.{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}}{{efn|No surviving document specifies ''Baltic''{{'}}s exact type of tonnage.{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|pages=xi–xii}}}} To allow her hull to carry the extra weight of the armor and guns, the ship was fitted with [[hog chains]].{{sfn|Canney|2015|p=31}}  Bisbee states that the converted ship's [[draft (nautical)|draft]] was {{convert|7|ft|m|1|abbr=on}},{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} the DANFS and naval historian Paul Silverstone state {{convert|6|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}},<ref name="DANFS" />{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}} and naval historian [[William N. Still Jr.]] provides a figure of about {{convert|6|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Still|1985|p=80}}

The ship's propulsion machinery consisted of two single-cylinder [[Marine steam engine|steam engine]]s with a [[bore (engine)|bore]] of {{convert|22|in|cm}} and a {{cvt|7|ft|m|adj=on|1}} [[stroke (engine)|stroke]].  These were fed by four horizontal [[return-flue boiler]]s; the boilers were either {{convert|24|or|28|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} long and had a diameter of either {{convert|36|or|40|in|m|abbr=on}}.  The two [[paddle wheel]]s were {{cvt|29|ft|m|1}} in diameter and {{convert|8|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} wide.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|pp=187{{en dash}}188}}  As was normal for steamboats of the time, the vessel could be powered by burning either wood or coal.  ''Baltic'' had a fuel capacity of up to {{cvt|75|LT|t}}.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=58}}  The changes needed to convert her into an ironclad made her very slow; Silverstone and the DANFS list her speed as {{convert|5|kn|lk=in}}, and Bisbee describes it as "not [...] more than a man's walking pace".{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=55}}  Most Confederate ironclads were [[screw steamer]]s instead of [[paddle steamer]]s; ''Baltic'' was one of the few paddle steamer ironclads actually completed or converted within the Confederacy,{{sfn|Still|1985|pp=101{{en dash}}102}} and naval historian Raimondo Luraghi described her propulsion as obsolescent.  She also had difficulty steering.{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=280}}  She had a crew of 86,{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}} whose quarters Luraghi describes as "very poor".{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=280}}  Confederate ironclads frequently had issues with excessive heat below deck, the emission of noxious fumes from the machinery, and poor ventilation; ''Baltic{{'}}''s crew frequently slept on dry land or in the open air.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|pp=28{{endash}}29, 200 fn. 72}}

Her [[bow (ship)|bow]] was strengthened so that it could serve as a ram,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} and she was armed with six cannons: two [[Dahlgren guns]], two [[32-pounder gun]]s, and two other pieces that Luraghi refers to as "minor"{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=280}} and the DANFS as "smaller".<ref name="DANFS" />  Historian Gary D. Joiner notes that the Dahlgrens were likely {{convert|9|in|cm|adj=on|0}} pieces.{{sfn|Joiner|2011|p=49}} Naval historian Donald Canney says that her armament consisted of two Dahlgrens and three 32-pounders or possibly a pair of Dahlgrens plus one 42-pounder and two 32-pounders.{{sfn|Canney|2015|p=31}}  ''Baltic'' was armored with iron plates {{convert|7|in|0}} wide and {{convert|2.5|in}} thick that were bolted to her new wooden [[superstructure]],{{sfn|Canney|2015|p=30}} although the [[aft]] portion was only protected by bales of [[cotton]]. The layout of the vessel is largely unknown.  Few descriptions of ''Baltic'' post-conversion exist,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=56}} and Still describes the completed product as "a nondescript vessel in many ways".{{sfn|Still|1985|p=80}}

==Service history==
[[File:Frank Leslie's scenes and portraits of the Civil War (1894) (14760685724).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Floating barrels with cylinders under them|A period depiction of one type of Confederate naval mines.  ''Baltic'' laid mines in Mobile Bay.]]
On May 12, 1862, ''Baltic'' was transferred by the State of Alabama to the [[Confederate States Navy]].  The Confederates placed her under the command of [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[James D. Johnston]].{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=280}}  The vessel was formally [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] that month.{{sfn|Joiner|2011|p=48}}  She served on Mobile Bay, the area around Mobile, Alabama, and on the [[Tombigbee River]].<ref name="DANFS" />  By February 1863, the ship was too dilapidated for active service,<ref name="DANFS" /> and she was relegated to placing [[naval mines]] to protect Mobile Bay.{{sfn|Joiner|2011|p=49}}  Prior to [[CSS Tennessee (1863)|CSS ''Tennessee'']]{{'}}s completion in February 1864, ''Baltic'' was the only Confederate ironclad on Mobile Bay.  Once ''Tennessee'' was completed, Johnston was transferred to command her,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=123}} and Lieutenant [[Charles Carroll Simms]] was appointed to command ''Baltic''.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|pp=56{{en dash}}57}} Through late 1863 and early 1864, ''Baltic{{'}}''s condition worsened.  By March 20, 1864, naval constructor [[John L. Porter]] had surveyed the ship's condition, judging it to be in such poor condition that he recommended that the iron be removed from her.  On May 20, Simms wrote that ''Baltic'' was very rotten and was "about as fit to go into action as a [[wikt:mud scow|mud scow]]".{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=57}}

In July, the vessel was partially dismantled,{{sfn|Joiner|2011|p=49}} and some of her armor was removed and placed onto the ironclad [[CSS Nashville (1864)|CSS ''Nashville'']].{{sfn|Still|1985|p=204}}  After her armor was removed, Confederate naval officer [[John Randolph Tucker (naval officer)|John Randolph Tucker]] noted that engineers had declared her boilers to be unsafe and that they were having to be patched.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=57}}  On July 21, Simms was appointed to command ''Nashville'', and the rest of ''Baltic{{'}}''s armor was removed to be put on ''Nashville''.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=139}} By the time of the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]] in early August, ''Baltic'' had been [[ship commissioning|decommissioned]].{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=125}} With the end of the war approaching, ''Baltic'', ''Nashville'', and other vessels were sent up the Tombigbee River.  They were captured by Union forces on May 10, 1865, at [[Nanna Hubba Bluff]].  The next month, Union authorities surveyed ''Baltic'' and noted that below the [[Load line (watercraft)|load line]] she was in good condition, but that the portion of her hull above the load line and the deck were both rotten.  Although the engines were in good condition at that time, the boilers were unsafe to use.  The surveyors suggested that with repairs, ''Baltic'' could return to use as a towboat, but this never happened,{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|pp=57{{en dash}}58}} and she was sold on December 31.{{sfn|Silverstone|1989|p=235}}  Bisbee believes that ''Baltic'' was probably [[ship breaking|broken up]] at some point in 1866 and suggests that the ship's known poor condition and the lack of further records relating to her indicate that she was likely not used for any other purposes.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=208 fn. 109}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Bearss |first=Edwin C. |title=Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War |publisher=National Geographic |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2007 |edition=1st paperback |orig-year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4262-0093-9 |author-link=Ed Bearss}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bisbee |first1=Saxon T. |title=[[Engines of Rebellion|Engines of Rebellion: Confederate Ironclads and Steam Engineering in the American Civil War]] |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama |isbn=978-0-8173-1986-1|date=2018}}
* {{cite book |last=Calore |first=Paul |title=Naval Campaigns of the Civil War |publisher=McFarland & Company |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |date=2002 |isbn=978-0-7864-1217-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Canney |first1=Donald L. |title=The Confederate Steam Navy 1861–1865 |date=2015 |publisher=Schiffer Publishing|location=Atglen, Pennsylvania |isbn=978-0-7643-4824-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Holmes |first=Richard |title=The Oxford Companion to Military History |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-866209-2 |author-link=Richard Holmes (military historian)}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Joiner |author-first=Gary D. |chapter=CSS ''Baltic'' |pages=48{{en dash}}49 |editor-last=Tucker |editor-first=Spencer C. |editor-link=Spencer C. Tucker |title=The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia |date=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-59884-338-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Luraghi |first=Raimondo |title=A History of the Confederate Navy |publisher=Naval Institute Press |date=1996 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-527-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Silverstone |first=Paul H. |title=Warships of the Civil War Navies |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |date=1989 |isbn=0-87021-783-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Steven D. |chapter=The Submarine H. L. Hunley: Confederate Innovation and Southern Icon |title=Archaeological Perspectives on the American Civil War |editor-last1=Geier |editor-first1=Clarence R. |editor-last2=Potter |editor-first2=Stephen R. |publisher=University Press of Florida |date=2003 |orig-year=2000 |isbn=0-8130-2651-2 |location=Gainesville, Florida}}
* {{cite book |last=Still |first=William N. Jr. |author-link=William N. Still Jr. |year=1985 |title=Iron Afloat: The Story of the Confederate Armorclads |orig-year=1971 |location=Columbia, South Carolina |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=0-87249-454-3}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Olmstead|first1=Edwin|last2=Stark|first2=Wayne E.|last3=Tucker|first3=Spencer C.|date=1997|title=The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast, and Naval Cannon|publisher=Museum Restoration Service|location=Alexandria Bay, New York|isbn=0-88855-012-X |ref=no}}

{{CSN ironclads}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltic}}
[[Category:Ironclad warships of the Confederate States Navy]]
[[Category:Alabama in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Ships built in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:1860 ships]]