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The
Confederacy Takes Control
of the Gosport Navy Yard
As the Southern states seceded from
the Union, they took control of United States military bases
within their states. 
The guns, uniforms, and other supplies and equipment that the
South gained by controlling these bases were then used to arm
the Southern armies. After the battle of Fort Sumter, Virginia
seceded from the United States and joined the Confederacy. Near
the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, was the Gosport Navy Yard.
The Gosport Yard was the largest navy base in the United States.
Located in Gosport were hundreds of cannon and tons of ammunition
as well as other supplies for the United States Navy. Even more
importantly, several ships of the navy were based at Gosport.
Among the ships tied up at Gosport was
the USS Merrimack. The Merrimack had first been
built in 1856. At that time, she was the most powerful ship
in the United States Navy. The Merrimack measured over
270 feet long and carried forty cannon. Although the Merrimack
had a steam engine that powered
an enormous propeller, she also had three masts that would allow
her to sail with the wind. After four years of service, the
Merrimack had been sent to the Gosport Navy Yard for
repairs.
At the time Virginia seceded and joined
the Confederacy, the state began preparations to take over the
Gosport Navy Yard. The United States Navy quickly made an attempt
to remove all ships and supplies from Gosport. But because the
Merrimack was undergoing repairs, she could not be sailed
or steamed out of the navy yard. Deciding that it was better
to destroy the ship than allow her to be used by the Confederacy,
the navy ordered that the Merrimack be burned. The ship
was set afire and sunk. The fire destroyed the Merrimack
down to the waterline. The lower
part of the ship protected by the water remained intact.
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