CSS VIRGINIA model

CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship built by the Confederate States Navy during the first year of the American Civil War; she was constructed as a casemate ironclad using the razéed (cut down) original lower hull. The 275' CSS Virginia was constructed from the partly burned steam frigate Merrimack. After nine months in dry dock, she emerged as a massive ironclad that projected a powerful 1,500-pound iron ram on her bow.

On March 8th 1862, CSS Virginia left dock to attack the Federal squadron in Hampton Roads. Around 2:00 p.m., she struck the frigate USS Cumberland with her ram, smashing its wooden hull. The mortal blow entangled the attacker to the victim and the Virginia was at risk of being carried down. She managed to dislodge herself from the frigate's side, but in doing so the lethal ram broke free.

The CSS Virginia now turned her sights on the nearby USS Congress (52 guns), which, having witnessed Cumberland's fate, purposely ran aground. Virginia maneuvered to pound the frigate with deadly broadsides, forcing the enemy to strike her colors an hour later. The Southern ironclad threw shot and shell into Congress with terrific effect, while the shot from the Congress glanced from her iron-plated sloping sides without doing any apparent damage. During this time, Virginia's captain Buchanan was wounded by musket fire. With daylight waning, Virginia broke off her attack.

The next morning, CSS Virginia (commanded by Catesby Jones), prepared the ironclad for another assault, now against the 265' USS Minnesota. Virginia steamed from the area of Craney Island and appeared into view of Minnesota’s lookouts at 6:00 on 9 March 1862. As the range closed to one mile, Minnesota opened fire with her stern guns and signaled USS Monitor to attack.

As the CSS Virginia approached the Minnesota, she noticed a strange raft-like vessel defending the wooden frigate. That odd-shaped thing soon turned out to be her nastiest opponent - the USS Monitor.

USS Monitor steamed between Minnesota and Virginia and the two ironclads fired into each other. The captain of Minnesota, Van Brunt, compared the effectiveness of the two ship’s bombardment against their reinforced hulls to “so many pebblestones thrown by a child.” Minnesota’s gun deck, spar deck, and forecastle pivot guns repeatedly hit Virginia, but the Confederate ship emerged from the smoke and relentlessly attacked the Union ship. Monitor again positioned herself between Virginia and Minnesota and protected the frigate. Virginia shifted her position to continue the battle but grounded. The Confederate steam battery eased herself off the mud bank and stood down the bay. Monitor pursued, but Virginia came about and rammed Monitor and they fired a furious cannonade into each other.

After several hours of close combat, Monitor disengaged and headed for the safety of shallower waters, with her commander temporarily blinded by a shell that exploded near the viewing slit of the pilothouse. Virginia, short on ammunition and conscious of the retreating tide, retired to Norfolk. The first battle between steam-powered, ironclad warships had ended in a draw.

The USS Monitor and CSS Virginia were not the world's first ironclad ships, but their epic clash at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, marked a major turning point in naval warfare. The damage to Minnesota and the other wooden ships, and their failure to damage Virginia, underscored the vulnerability of wooden vessels against ironclads.

On May 10, 1862, advancing Union troops occupied Norfolk. Since CSS Virginia was now a heavy steam-powered, she was no longer seaworthy enough to enter the Atlantic, even if she were able to pass the Union blockade. Virginia was also unable to retreat further up the James River due to her deep 22-foot draft. In an attempt to reduce weight, supplies and coal were dumped overboard, even though this exposed the ironclad's unarmored lower hull; this was still not enough to make a difference. CSS Virginia's new captain reluctantly ordered her destruction in order to keep the ironclad from being captured. This task fell to Lieutenant Jones, the last man to leave Virginia after her cannons had been safely removed and carried to the Confederate Marine Corps base and fortifications at Drewry's Bluff. Early on the morning of May 11, 1862, off Craney Island, fire and powder trails reached the ironclad's magazine and she was destroyed by a great explosion. What remained of the ship settled to the bottom of the harbor. Only a few remnants of Virginia have been recovered for preservation in museums.

Our CSS Virginia model was built with an extensive assistance from a civil war book author. Originally commissioned by the Texas Civil War Museum, this model has no peers in the marketplace. We build the model in three sizes:

46" long  x 9" wide x  12" tall  $2,890   Shipping and insurance in the contiguous US included. Other places: $400 flat rate. This model is in stock and can be shipped within 5 business days.

We also build this model at 33" long (1/100 scale) and 23" long (1/144 scale.) 

Check out our beautiful CSS Tennessee, USS Cairo, USS Monitor, and USS Tecumseh model

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Learn more about the CSS Virginia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Virginia