CSS Louisiana CSS Louisiana was a casemate ironclad of the Confederate States Navy built to aid in defending the lower Mississippi River from invasion by the Union Navy during the American Civil War . She took part in one major action of the war , the Battle of Forts Jackson and St . Philip , and when that ended disastrously for the Confederacy , she was destroyed by her crew . Construction . " Louisiana " was laid down in mid - October 1861 by E . C . Murray in a new shipyard just north of New Orleans . The ship had two paddlewheels and two screws , each driven by its own engine . The paddlewheels were mounted one abaft the other in a center well . The screws were not intended for propulsion , but were to aid the two rudders in steering in the confined waters and unpredictable currents of the Mississippi . The engines were taken from steamer " Ingomar " , but two months were needed for their transfer . The casemate extended her full length , less 25 feet at each end . It was covered by T - rail iron in two courses , while its top was encompassed by sheet iron bulwarks nearly four feet high . Construction was delayed by several circumstances . First was the lack of materials , particularly iron . Always in short supply in the Confederacy , its procurement was made even more difficult by the blockade and by Army demands on the overstrained railroads of the South . The blockade also negated efforts to bring in needed light oak from Florida , forcing the builders to find alternative sources . Labor troubles led to a strike that lost about a week . Even more time was lost to demands of the local militia , which called out the workers for drills , including parades . Competition for skilled workmen with the builders of CSS " Mississippi " , an ironclad being built in an adjacent shipyard by Nelson and Asa Tift , also slowed down construction , until Murray and the Tifts agreed to let " Louisiana " have first call on the labor force ; " Mississippi " would go forward only when work on " Louisiana " was halted for some other reason . She was not ready to launch until 6 February 1862 , nearly four months after the keel was laid . In battle . Shortly after " Louisiana " was launched , the Federal West Gulf Blockading Squadron , under Flag Officer ( later Admiral ) David G . Farragut had moved into the lower Mississippi River , threatening the Confederate - held Forts Jackson and St . Philip , about 120 kilometers or 75 miles below New Orleans . A portion of the squadron , a division of mortar boats led by Commander ( later Admiral ) David Dixon Porter , had on 16 April 1862 taken position downstream , and on 18 April they began their bombardment . Brigadier General Johnson K . Duncan , commanding the forts , and his immediate superior officer , Major General Mansfield Lovell , importuned Commander William C . Whittle , in charge of Confederate naval forces in the vicinity , to bring the ship down to the forts , even though she was not yet complete , and for that reason was still in the hands of her builders . Whittle yielded to their pleas , and on 20 April commissioned the vessel in the CS Navy , with Commander Charles F . McIntosh commanding . At this time , the main engines of " Louisiana " had been installed , but those for the screws , needed for steering , had not . Furthermore , the main engines were found to be inadequate ; even at dangerously high boiler pressure , she could barely make headway against the river current . Unable to move on her own , she had to be towed down to the forts , with workmen still aboard . There she was tied to the left bank ( here , the north side of the river ) a short distance above Fort St . Philip . This did not completely mollify General Duncan , who wanted the ship to be positioned below the forts , but Commander Whittle would not risk his vessel , with unarmored deck , against the plunging fire of the Union mortars . She remained at this position throughout the ensuing battle . In assessing the battle - readiness of the ship , the engines are not alone in deserving attention . Many of her gun carriages were found to be either too high or too low , and had to be modified . Because the workmen and their tools occupied much of the gun deck , the gun crews were unable to practice . In addition , the crew was incomplete , as a result of the hasty commissioning ; to handle the guns , soldiers had to be transferred from the forts . After nearly a week of bombardment , Farragut concluded that it was ineffective , so he moved his fleet past the forts on the night of 24 April . Because of her position on the river bank , " Louisiana " could use neither her stern guns nor those on her port side . The magnitude of her contribution to the ensuing firefight between the forts and the Federal fleet is not known ; General Duncan stated that she may have fired as few as twelve shots . On the other hand , testimony from her enemies indicates that she exchanged shots with at least one attacking ship , USS " Brooklyn " ( misidentified as " Hartford " in the Confederate reports ) . Three shots from " Louisiana " went all the way through the Federal vessel , while the return broadside bounced harmlessly off the Rebel ' s armor . Indeed , the armor was effective ; only three men were killed on " Louisiana , " all of them in exposed positions . One of them was her captain , Commander McIntosh . Destruction . Once the Federal fleet had passed out of range , " Louisiana " had no further part in the action . Her fate was henceforth tied to that of the forts , which prepared for an expected attack by the Union army accompanying the fleet , led by Major General Benjamin Butler . However , on the night of 28 April , the enlisted men in Fort Jackson mutinied and forced the surrender of both forts to Commander Porter . The naval officers on " Louisiana " were not consulted at any time during the negotiations between Porter and General Duncan , so they considered themselves not bound to respect the truce declared by the two sides . While discussions of terms were going on , they decided not to let their ship fall into enemy hands . " Louisiana " was set afire , and her crew went ashore . The flames soon parted the lines that held her to the bank , and she drifted down the river . When she was nearly abreast of Fort St . Philip , the fire reached her magazine , and she blew up with a blast that killed a soldier there . Assessment . Perhaps to counter charges that the Confederate Navy was responsible , by its inaction , for the failure of the forts to turn back Farragut ' s fleet , Commander John K . Mitchell , second in command under Commodore Whittle , pointed out several shortcomings of " Louisiana , " any one of which would have seriously compromised her fighting ability . Today . The wreckage of the " Louisiana " lay at the bottom of the Mississippi River until November 1981 , when it was magnetically located by NUMA . The official website of the search is here . Notes . Abbreviations used in these notes :