USS Cairo Ironclad Model Ship - 10-Inch Civil War Replica - Union Navy Warship - Historical Naval Decor, Military History Gift & Collectible Nautical Display

The Story of the USS Cairo In the struggle to split the Confederacy in two, the Union unleashed the USS Cairo—one of the seven "City-class" ironclads built to reclaim the Mississippi River. Named after Cairo, Illinois, she was a true workhorse of the inland waters, bristling with heavy cannon and clad in thick charcoal-iron plating. Her career was a whirlwind of riverine combat, from the Battle of Plum Point Bend to the siege of Fort Pillow. However, her most famous moment came in December 1862 on the Yazoo River. While clearing the way for the assault on Vicksburg, the Cairo struck a "torpedo"—a primitive naval mine—and sank in just twelve minutes. Miraculously, not a single soul was lost. After resting in the river mud for over a century, she was raised in 1964, her remarkably preserved hull now serving as a haunting time capsule of the war on the water. This model honors the legacy of the pioneer that changed naval warfare forever.