USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum |
39183 Vicksburg, MS, United States of America (USA) (Mississippi) |
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| Address |
Given Hill Rd.
in National Military Park |
| Floor area | unfortunately not known yet |
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Opening times
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Daily: 8:30am - 5:00pm (closed: Christmas, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day) | ||||||||
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Status from 11/2017
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We don't know the fees. | ||||||||
| Contact |
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| Homepage | www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm | ||||||||
| Location / Directions |
PlaneClosest commercial airport: Jackson, MS, 50 miles to the east.CarDirections to Vicksburg: From the east: Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg, MS. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 0.25 miles to park entrance.From the north: Take Interstate 55 south to Jackson, MS. To save time, use Interstate 220 bypass on west side of Jackson. Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg approximately 40 miles. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 0.25 miles to park entrance. Vicksburg National Military Parkpreserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Delta, Louisiana (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign which led up to the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. |
| Description | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: USS Cairo was one of the first American ironclad warships built at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. Cairo was built by James Eads and Co., Mound City, Illinois, in 1861. The remains of Cairo can be viewed at Vicksburg National Military Park with a museum of its weapons and naval stores. Salvage and museum Hopes of lifting the ironclad and her cargo of artifacts intact were crushed in October 1964, when the 3 inch cables being used to lift Cairo cut deeply into its wooden hull. It then became a question of saving as much of the vessel as possible. A decision was made to cut Cairo into three sections. By the end of December, the battered remains were put on barges and towed to Vicksburg, Mississippi. In the summer of 1965, the barges carrying Cairo were towed to Ingalls Shipyard on the Gulf Coast in Pascagoula, Mississippi. There the armor was removed, cleaned, and stored. The two engines were taken apart, cleaned and reassembled. Sections of the hull were braced internally and a sprinkler system was operated continually to keep the white oak structural timbers from warping and checking. On 3 September 1971, Cairo was listed on the National Register of Historic Place. In 1972, the United States Congress enacted legislation authorizing the National Park Service to accept the title to Cairo and restore the gunboat for display in Vicksburg National Military Park. Delays in funding the project halted progress until June 1977, when the vessel was transported to the park and partially reconstructed on a concrete foundation near the Vicksburg National Cemetery. A shelter to cover the vessel was completed in October 1980, with the museum opening in November. The original space-frame shelter has since been replaced by a tension-fabric system to provide better cover. The recovery of artifacts from Cairo revealed a treasure trove of weapons, ammunition, naval stores, and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at the USS Cairo Museum. These include a sailor's rope knife in good condition. |
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