CSS Richmond
Ironclad · Confederate States · Lost 1865 · Chesapeake Bay
The cornerstone ironclad of the James River Squadron was burned by her own crew at Chaffin's Bluff as Richmond fell in April 1865, her silt-buried hull still on station.
The Vessel and Her Loss
CSS Richmond was completed in 1862 as the prototype of the Confederacy's James River ironclads and served as the cornerstone of the squadron's defenses. She fought at Trent's Reach but spent most of the war as a floating battery below the capital. As Richmond fell in early April 1865, the squadron's vessels were set on fire by their own crews. Richmond burned at Chaffin's Bluff on April 3, 1865, and her buried hull sections were confirmed by survey in the 1980s.
Vessel
- 1862
- Gosport Navy Yard / Rockett's Shipyard
- Richmond, Virginia
- Wood with iron armor
- 174 ft
- 43 ft
- Not established
- Steam engine
- Confederate States Navy, James River Squadron
Loss
- April 3, 1865
- Intentional sinking
- Chaffin's Bluff, James River
- James River
- Not established
- Munitions
- 150
- 0
- R. B. Pegram
The Wreck Today
- About 15 to 25 feet
- Broken and silt-covered; hull sections confirmed by sub-bottom profiling.
- Not established
- 1980s
- Protected as a military grave and historical resource
Position
- 37.40° N 77.38° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- Richmond, Virginia
Reported position at Chaffin's Bluff; remains lie buried under river sediment.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
The wreck site lies buried under river sediment and its exact position is approximate.
Encyclopedia Virginia, James River Squadron
Service and destruction details.
NUMA James River search reports
Survey confirmation of hull sections.
