CSS Gaines

CSS Gaines was a wooden side wheel gunboat, weighing 863 tons,[1] constructed by the Confederates at Mobile, Alabama during 1861–62. The ship was hastily built with unseasoned wood, which was partially covered with 2-inch iron plating. Gaines resembled CSS Morgan except that she had high pressure boilers. Operating in the waters of Mobile Bay, under the command of Lieutenant John W. Bennett, CSN, she was heavily damaged during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. She was sinking as she left the battle and became grounded while still in 24 feet (7 m) of water, within 500 yards (457 m) of Fort Morgan. Two crewman died in the engagement, 3-4 were wounded, and 129 escaped to Mobile. Her hull may have been located in Mobile Bay in 1989, but the find has not been confirmed.[2]

History
Confederate States
Name: Gaines
Laid down: 1861
Launched: 1862
Commissioned: 1862
Fate: Grounded and abandoned 5 August 1864
General characteristics
Displacement: 863 tons
Length: 202 ft (62 m)
Beam: 38 ft (12 m)
Draft: 6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion: Steam engine
Speed: 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 130 officers and men
Armament: 1 8" rifled cannon, 5 32-pounder cannons

References
  1. "CSS Gaines (1862-1864)".
  2. Gaines, W. Craig (2008). Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. LSU Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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