MOUND CITY USS
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 7:13 pm
MOUND CITY: General characteristics: Displacement: 512 long tons (520 t), Length: 175 ft (53,34 m), Beam: 51 ft (15,54 m), Draft: 6 ft (1.83 m), Propulsion: Steam-driven sternwheel, Speed: 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph), Complement: 251, Armament: Like many of the Mississippi theater ironclads, the MOUND CITY had her armament changed multiple times. To expedite the entrance of MOUND CITY into service, she and the other City-class ships were fitted with whatever weapons were available, then had their weapons upgraded as new pieces became available. Though the 8-inch (200 mm) smoothbore guns were fairly modern, most of the other original armaments were antiquated, such as the 32-pounders, or modified, such as the 42-pounder "rifles" that were in fact old smoothbores that had been gouged out to give them rifling. These modified weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled guns. Additionally, the close confines of riverine combat greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounder howitzer was equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat. ,Armor: Casemate:2.5 in (64 mm), Pilothouse: 1.25 in (32 mm) crew of 175 officers and sailors.
USS MOUND CITY was a City class ironclad gunboat built for service on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the American Civil War. Originally commissioned as part of the Union Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla, she remained in that service until October 1862. Then the flotilla was transferred to the Navy and she became part of the Mississippi River Squadron, where she remained until the end of the war. While with the Western Gunboat Flotilla, MOUND CITY took part in combat at Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, and in an expedition on the White River in Arkansas. At Fort Pillow, she was rammed by Confederate vessels of the River Defense Fleet and averted sinking only by retreating into shoals. On the White River during the Battle of Saint Charles, a chance Confederate shot penetrated the steam drum of her engines, resulting in the scalding of most of her crew, although the ship suffered only minor damage. After being transferred to the Navy's Mississippi River Squadron, she served in the Vicksburg campaign. Among her activities there were participation in the Steele's Bayou Expedition and the later bombardment of the batteries at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. Following the capture of Vicksburg and consequent opening of the Mississippi, she took part in the ill-fated Red River Expedition, from which she and the other ships were rescued only with difficulty. With the end of hostilities, she was decommissioned and sold to private parties.
MOUND CITY was one of seven gunboats built under contract for the Union Army by industrialist and inventor James B. Eads. The boats were collectively known by various names: Eads gunboats, City class ironclads, or Cairo class (after the lead vessel) gunboats. Unofficially and more commonly, they were referred to as "Pook turtles," in reference to both their peculiar shape and the man who was most responsible for their design. The initial specifications were drawn up by Eads, Commander John Rodgers of the US Navy, and the US Army's Quartermaster-General Montgomery C. Meigs. Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair John Lenthall provided some initial plans, but the pressure of other duties soon forced him to turn the task over to Samuel Moore Pook. Most of the final design was created by Pook, with some modifications by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote. The engines were designed by A. Thomas Merritt. Pook's design was constrained by the requirement that the vessel be armored. It would also have to operate on the shallow waters of the interior. Together, these meant that the hull had to be made quite broad, in order to support the weight of the armor. Faced with the limitations of the technology of the day, Pook decided that the hull should be built with three keels, the outboard pair somewhat longer than the one on the centerline. Propulsion would be provided by a single paddlewheel, immediately aft of the center keel; perhaps unintentionally, this meant that it would be somewhat protected from enemy projectiles by the armor carried along the sides. The contract for constructing the seven gunboats was awarded to Eads and was signed on 7 August 1861. It called for the boats to be completed by 10 October, with penalties for failure to meet schedule. The cost was projected to be $89,600 per boat. Four of the seven were built in shipyards near St. Louis, while the remaining three, including MOUND CITY, were built by Hambleton, Collier and Company at Mound City, Illinois, a short distance above Cairo on the Ohio river. Because of design changes during construction, the boats were not completed until nearly the end of the year, and the cost per vessel, $191,408, was more than double the contracted amount. MOUND CITY had two engines, one driving each side of the paddlewheel, mounted 90 degrees apart. Each engine had a single cylinder of bore 22 inches (0.56 m) and stroke 6 feet (1.83 m). These were able to drive her at a maximum speed of 8 knots (15 km/h). The engines for the class were built by Hartupee and Company of Pittsburgh, Eagle Foundry of St. Louis, or Fulton Foundry, also of St. Louis. The steam drums were at first mounted so low that the engines worked with water rather than steam, so the drums had to be moved to the top of the boilers. In their new position, they were not protected by the extra armor that was given to the engines.
History: Launched: October 1861, Commissioned: 16 January 1862, Decommissioned: sold 9 November 1865, Fate: Scrapped.
Erhard Jung.
USA Forever stamp 2013 sg?, scott? (She is the fifth vessel in the squadron)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mound_City_%281861%29
USS MOUND CITY was a City class ironclad gunboat built for service on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the American Civil War. Originally commissioned as part of the Union Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla, she remained in that service until October 1862. Then the flotilla was transferred to the Navy and she became part of the Mississippi River Squadron, where she remained until the end of the war. While with the Western Gunboat Flotilla, MOUND CITY took part in combat at Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, and in an expedition on the White River in Arkansas. At Fort Pillow, she was rammed by Confederate vessels of the River Defense Fleet and averted sinking only by retreating into shoals. On the White River during the Battle of Saint Charles, a chance Confederate shot penetrated the steam drum of her engines, resulting in the scalding of most of her crew, although the ship suffered only minor damage. After being transferred to the Navy's Mississippi River Squadron, she served in the Vicksburg campaign. Among her activities there were participation in the Steele's Bayou Expedition and the later bombardment of the batteries at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. Following the capture of Vicksburg and consequent opening of the Mississippi, she took part in the ill-fated Red River Expedition, from which she and the other ships were rescued only with difficulty. With the end of hostilities, she was decommissioned and sold to private parties.
MOUND CITY was one of seven gunboats built under contract for the Union Army by industrialist and inventor James B. Eads. The boats were collectively known by various names: Eads gunboats, City class ironclads, or Cairo class (after the lead vessel) gunboats. Unofficially and more commonly, they were referred to as "Pook turtles," in reference to both their peculiar shape and the man who was most responsible for their design. The initial specifications were drawn up by Eads, Commander John Rodgers of the US Navy, and the US Army's Quartermaster-General Montgomery C. Meigs. Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair John Lenthall provided some initial plans, but the pressure of other duties soon forced him to turn the task over to Samuel Moore Pook. Most of the final design was created by Pook, with some modifications by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote. The engines were designed by A. Thomas Merritt. Pook's design was constrained by the requirement that the vessel be armored. It would also have to operate on the shallow waters of the interior. Together, these meant that the hull had to be made quite broad, in order to support the weight of the armor. Faced with the limitations of the technology of the day, Pook decided that the hull should be built with three keels, the outboard pair somewhat longer than the one on the centerline. Propulsion would be provided by a single paddlewheel, immediately aft of the center keel; perhaps unintentionally, this meant that it would be somewhat protected from enemy projectiles by the armor carried along the sides. The contract for constructing the seven gunboats was awarded to Eads and was signed on 7 August 1861. It called for the boats to be completed by 10 October, with penalties for failure to meet schedule. The cost was projected to be $89,600 per boat. Four of the seven were built in shipyards near St. Louis, while the remaining three, including MOUND CITY, were built by Hambleton, Collier and Company at Mound City, Illinois, a short distance above Cairo on the Ohio river. Because of design changes during construction, the boats were not completed until nearly the end of the year, and the cost per vessel, $191,408, was more than double the contracted amount. MOUND CITY had two engines, one driving each side of the paddlewheel, mounted 90 degrees apart. Each engine had a single cylinder of bore 22 inches (0.56 m) and stroke 6 feet (1.83 m). These were able to drive her at a maximum speed of 8 knots (15 km/h). The engines for the class were built by Hartupee and Company of Pittsburgh, Eagle Foundry of St. Louis, or Fulton Foundry, also of St. Louis. The steam drums were at first mounted so low that the engines worked with water rather than steam, so the drums had to be moved to the top of the boilers. In their new position, they were not protected by the extra armor that was given to the engines.
History: Launched: October 1861, Commissioned: 16 January 1862, Decommissioned: sold 9 November 1865, Fate: Scrapped.
Erhard Jung.
USA Forever stamp 2013 sg?, scott? (She is the fifth vessel in the squadron)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mound_City_%281861%29