CSS Raleigh ( 1864 ) CSS Raleigh was a steam - powered casemate ironclad fitted with a spar torpedo instead of an iron ram ; she was built by the Confederate States Navy at Wilmington , North Carolina in 1863 - 64 , with Lieutenant John Wilkinson ( 1821 - 1891 ) , CSN , commanding . She was then put into commission on April 30 , 1864 under the command of Lieutenant J . Pembroke Jones , CSN . Built to chief CSN constructor John L . Porter ' s similar plans for those of the ironclad CSS " North Carolina " , she had been laid down and launched at the foot of Church Street ; her fitting out was completed by the shipyard J . L . Cassidey & Sons . CSS " Raleigh " was one of two Richmond - class ironclads built for the Confederate Navy at Wilmington during the Civil War . A total of six Richmond - class ironclads were laid down at Richmond , Wilmington , Charleston , and Savannah in the spring of 1862 . Chief naval constructor John L . Porter had designed these armored steam ships for harbor defense , adapting plans he had originally conceived prior to the war , in 1846 . On April 20 , 1864 the newly completed " Raleigh " steamed down the Cape Fear River and joined her sister ironclad CSS " North Carolina " , which was already in CSN service at Smithville . " Raleigh " drew 13 - feet of water , 6 - inches less than the by then leaking and waterlogged " North Carolina " ( " North Carolina " ' s green hull timbers had become infested with sea worm s , a condition that eventually caused her to founder ) . Flag Officer William F . Lynch quickly decided to take his new ironclad over the bar at New Inlet , NC and attack the Union blockading squadron at sea . On May 6 " Raleigh " emerged from the Cape Fear River and stood out to the Atlantic , accompanied by CSS " Yadkin " and CSS " Equator " , where she engaged six Federal blockaders , including the USS " Britannia " and the USS " Nansemond " , off New Inlet . The plan was ill - conceived , as the Richmond - class ironclads , being designed for harbor defense and calm water , were not seaworthy . Nonetheless , the officers and men of " Raleigh " prepared their ship for battle . The engagement that followed was shrouded in darkness and marked by confusion . " Raleigh " , because of her slow speed on open sea , was unable to close with the Federals . Flares and cannon fire alerted the rest of the blockading squadron , but most commanders , unaware of the ironclad ' s presence , assumed a blockade runner had been cornered . For the rest of the night , " Raleigh " steamed blindly through the blockading squadron , unnoticed . At daybreak , the ironclad returned to New Inlet and crossed the bar at 7 : 15 a . m . The " battle , " as such , was over , neither side sustaining serious damage or gaining advantage . After entering Cape Fear , " Raleigh " turned south but soon ran hard aground on a bar known as " the Rip . " As the tide went out , the now unsupported weight of the ironclad ' s armored casemate , cannon , and machinery bore down heavily on the aft section of her keel . Unable to sustain the added weight pressure , " Raleigh " " broke her back , " resulting in a total loss of the new ironclad after serving just one week in the Confederate Navy . Salvage crews reclaimed her iron plating , both her Brooke rifle s , both smoothbore cannon , and shipped her boilers to CSS " Chattahoochee " , then being repaired at Columbus , GA . In 1994 the wreck was investigated by the North Carolina State Underwater Archaeology Unit with help from students of East Carolina University .