CSS Baltic was an ironclad warship constructed in 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally serving as a towboat and cotton lighter before her conversion into a Confederate ironclad. Her physical dimensions after conversion included a length of approximately 186 feet, a beam of 38 feet, and a tonnage of around 624 tons. Her propulsion system consisted of two single-cylinder steam engines with a bore of 22 inches and a stroke of 7 feet, powered by four horizontal return-flue boilers. She was equipped with two paddle wheels, each 29 feet in diameter, and could burn both wood and coal, with a fuel capacity of up to 75 long tons. Due to the modifications, her speed was notably slow—around 5 knots—and her steering was problematic, with her design now considered obsolescent. Her armament comprised six guns, including two Dahlgren cannons, likely 9-inch pieces, along with two 32-pounder guns and other smaller weapons. The ship's armor consisted of 7-inch thick iron plates bolted onto her wooden superstructure, though the aft section was only protected by bales of cotton. The vessel's layout and full structural details remain largely undocumented, with naval historians describing her as "a nondescript vessel in many ways." Baltic's service began after her transfer to the Confederate Navy in May 1862, under Lieutenant James D. Johnston. She operated primarily around Mobile Bay and the Tombigbee River. By early 1863, her deteriorating condition limited her to minelaying duties. Her hull and machinery suffered from extensive rot, and by 1864, her armor was removed to reinforce CSS Nashville. Her boilers were deemed unsafe, and by the time of the Union capture of Mobile Bay in May 1865, she was decommissioned and taken by Union forces. Post-capture inspections found her hull and deck rotted, with her engines still in good condition but her boilers unsafe. She was sold in December 1865, and likely dismantled in 1866, marking the end of her brief but notable service as one of the Confederate Navy's obscure ironclads during the Civil War.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.