Name Fredericksburg Commissioned March 1864 Construction started 1862 Length 57 m | Laid down 1862 Tons burthen 2,500 Launched 1863 Part of James River Squadron | |
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Operator Confederate States Navy Fate Destroyed to prevent capture, 4 April 1865 | ||
CSS Fredericksburg was an ironclad of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War, built at Richmond, Virginia in 1862-1863. Fredericksburg was the second ironclad to be completed in Richmond. On November 30, 1863 she was reported completed and awaiting armament. She was taken down to Drewry's Bluff in March 1864 for fitting out and was placed under the command of Commander Thomas R. Rootes, CSN.
Fredericksburg, one of the ships of the James River Squadron commanded by Commodore John K. Mitchell, CSN, was actively engaged in the James River from mid-1864 until the end of the war. Accompanied by CSS Virginia II and nine other ships, Fredericksburg participated in an engagement at Trent's Reach with the Union's double-turreted monitor USS Onondaga on June 21, 1864; little damage was inflicted on either side due to the distance between the vessels. Similar inconclusive encounters took place in August, October, December, and the following January. With the evacuation of Richmond on April 3, 1865, the Confederates blew up Fredericksburg and other warships in the vicinity the following day; the lost Confederate Fleet's remains were found in the James River. Fredericksburg's sunken hulk lies about 50 yards up river from the remains of her sister ironclad Virginia II; both lie parallel with the river under the heavy river silt and mud, somewhere between six to 15 feet deep.
Commanders
The commanders of the CSS Fredericksburg were: