ABSTRACT
Name Builder Laid down Launched Comm.
Mississippi Birkenhead, England (Laird)
Apr 1862 29 Aug 1863 ----
North Carolina Birkenhead, England (Laird)
Apr 1862 4 Jul 1863 ----
Tonnage 2,750 tons D.
Dimensions 224ʹ6ʺ (bp) × 42ʹ6ʺ × 17 Machinery 1 screw, horizontal direct-acting engines (56ʺ × 2ʹ9ʺ), 4
boilers, IHP 1,450, 10 knots. (Bldr)
Complement 153
Armament 4-9ʺ MLR (Royal Navy) Armor 5ʺ turrets with 10ʺ faces, 3ʺ to 4.5ʺ sides
Notes: First seagoing turret warships superior to any federal warship. Threemast bark rig, hinged bulwarks, telescopic funnels. Contracted by Cdr. James D. Bulloch. The famous “Laird Rams” embargoed by the British government and taken over for the Royal Navy. Built under code names El Monassir and El Tousson supposedly for the Egyptian government. Seized by the British government Oct 1863 while anchored under guard in the Mersey River and purchased Feb 1864 for the Royal Navy.
