Career
Ordered:	16 September 1861
Laid down:	1861
Launched:	10 May 1862
Commissioned:	21 August 1862
Decommissioned:	7 April 1865
Fate:	destroyed by fire
General Characteristics
Displacement:	3486 tons
Length:	230 ft (70 m)
Beam:	57 ft 6 in (17.5 m)
Draft:	15 ft 8 in (4.8 m)
Depth of hold:	23 ft (7.0 m)
Speed:	8 knots (15 km/h)
Complement:	449 officers and men
Armament:	2 x 150-pounder Parrott rifles, 2 x 50-pounders and 14 x 11" Dahlgren smoothbore cannons

USS New Ironsides was a broadside ironclad United States Civil War ship, named in honor of USS Constitution, who earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" during her engagement with HMS Guerrière in the War of 1812. It was built in 1861 by Merrick & Sons at the C.H. and W.H. Cramp shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the last and largest of an initial group of three ocean-going ironclads ordered to meet the needs of the Civil War. Launched on May 10, 1862, it was commissioned in August that year. Following a lengthy fitting-out period, New Ironsides joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on January 1863. New Ironsides operated in support of the blockade of Charleston, South Carolina for the rest of the year, and took part in several attacks on the Confederate fortifications protecting the city. New Ironsides's heavy broadside battery of eight heavy guns on each side, in addition to her armor protection, made her uniquely valuable for bombardment actions. the United States naval jack File links The following pages link to this file: USS Indianapolis (CA-35) USS Monitor USS Peleliu (LHA-5) USS Oregon (BB-3) USS Akron (ZRS-4) USS Housatonic (1861) USS Holland (SS-1) USS S-1 (SS-105) USS R-14 (SS-91) USS... Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... The USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides is a wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy. ... The War of 1812 was a conflict fought in North America between the United States and Great Britain. ... This article refers to the largest city of Pennsylvania. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... The South Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a squadron of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... For more related articles, see alternate spelling Charlestown Charleston is the name of a dance and of several villages, towns and cities in New Zealand, the United States and Scotland. ... State nickname: Palmetto State Other U.S. States Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Governor Mark Sanford Official languages English Area 82,965 km² (40th)  - Land 78,051 km²  - Water 4,915 km² (6%) Population (2000)  - Population 4,012,012 (26th)  - Density 51. ...

The first bombardment operation took place on April 7, 1863, when nine Union ironclads entered Charleston harbor and conducted a prolonged, but inclusive, bombardment of Fort Sumter. New Ironsides was repeatedly hit by enemy cannon fire, but suffered no serious damaged, unlike several accompanying vessels. During the summer of 1863, New Ironsides battered Confederate positions in the successful campaign to take Fort Wagner on Morris Island; in the process the ship was the target of a spar torpedo boat attack on August 21. Another such attack by CSS David on the night of October 5, 1863 damaged the ironclad. The damage was insignificant, and she remained on station until May 1864 when she returned to Philadelphia for repairs and a general overhaul. Before the attack Map detailing the location of Fort Sumter Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina harbor, was named after General Thomas Sumter. ... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina that covered the south approach to Charleston harbor. ... Morris Island in South Carolina, USA, is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor, accessible only by boat. ... Photograph of a captured David-class torpedo boat (possibly CSS David herself), taken after the fall of Charleston in 1865 CSS David was built as a private venture by T. Stoney at Charleston, South Carolina in 1863, and put under the control of the Confederate States Navy. ...

With the completion of this work in late August 1864, New Ironsides was recommissioned and joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in October. She participated in a major assault in December on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in an effort to stop blockade running into the port of Wilmington. Though this attack was called off on Christmas Day after an extensive bombardment, the Union fleet returned to resume the operation on January 13, 1865. New Ironsides was one of several warships that heavily shelled Fort Fisher, preparing the way for a ground assault that captured the position on January 15. Afterwards New Ironsides supported Union activities in the Hampton Roads area for the next few months. She was decommissioned on April 7, 1865 and was laid up at at League Island, Philadelphia, where on December 16, 1866, USS New Ironsides was accidently destroyed by fire due to an unattended stove. The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a squadron of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... Fort Fisher was a Confederate stronghold near Wilmington, North Carolina during the American Civil War. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... Wilmington is the name of several places in the United States of America and in England: Wilmington, California Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington Manor, Delaware Wilmington Island, Georgia Wilmington, Greene County, Illinois South Wilmington, Illinois Wilmington, Massachusetts Wilmington Township, Minnesota Wilmington, New York Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington Township, Lawrence County... Hampton Roads, Virginia 1858 Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the United States. ...

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...