THE U.S.S. CAIRO
______The United States Civil War saw a great number of innovations, far more than we can list here. Suffice it to day that items like the machine gun, command and control by telegraph, mass movement by railroad, income tax, and true combat submersibles were all used or toyed with during the war.
______Two other major innovations were the ironclad and the mine. Called "torpedos" during the Civil War, mines were not terribly sophisticated, but the technology did exist to remotely detonate a mine electrically. This was proved to the crew of a Union ironclad searching the Yazoo River in Mississippi for mines. They found one, to spectacular effect.
______On December 12th, 1862, the U.S.S. Cairo was sweeping the Yazoo along with the ram U.S.S. Queen of the West and the tinclads Marmora and Signal. It was manuevering to engage a Confederate shore battery when two galvanic, or electrically detonated, mines exploded beneath her. The Confederates who completed the primitive electrical circuit had the satisfaction of watching the Cairo sink in less than twelve minutes, although the entire crew of over 180 was able to escape without a loss of life.
______The ironclad (which was only partially armored) was practically forgotten and remained in the mud of the Yazoo for almost 100 years. Recovery operations managed to recover its armament, much of the structure, and a host of small artifacts. Today, the U.S.S. Cairo is on display at the Vicksburg Military Battlefield Park.
My last visit to the Cairo.
WHOSE PERSONAL EMBLEM WAS THIS? 
