Confederate ironclad vessel built at White Hall.

CT Ertz

Private
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Location
Quinton, Virginia
Yet another page from the forthcoming book by John Wallis. This vessel was built on the Neuse River at White Hall, this vessel was report as being 271 feet in length and 63 feet wide, and was propelled by twin screws. It is technically a "Nashville Ironclad" class, that is a large ironclad using machinery from a side-wheeler. This one uses the side-wheel machinery but dropped the side wheels, and used gearing and shafts to convert it to a twin screw vessel. Because it was described as having four guns but a rather large casemate I assume that the converted machinery took up some room amid ship in the casemate. The desihners were John L. Porter and James Warner, the later is who designed the conversion machinery for the twin screws. Most other details are unknown, such as armor type and thickness, or even if this vessel was launched. The final fate is unknown, it just disappeared into history!
 

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Side wheel ironclad with casemate protection and guns. Interesting.
 
The White Hall vessel was screw driven, but ships like the CSS Nashville, Baltic, and Phoenix were sidewheelers with armor and armaments. There was also a huge vessel being built on the Yazoo river that would have carried 14 guns that was to be armored, and side wheel driven. Also, an ironclad sidewheeler originally named Macon was started, but abandoned when the gearing and engines could not be made. At on point the paddle boxes and housings along with the engines were to be taken from the Water Witch, but this idea too was dropped. A couple vessels were started at Little Rock and a couple built in Louisiana.

remember, the North "Converted" a lot of sidewheelers into simi-armored ships as well.
CT
 
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