October 12, 1861. . . First Civil War Iron-Clad Gunboat, the Baron DeKalb, Launched in St. Louis

At the Mississippi river port of Carondelet, now a part of the city of St. Louis, the Baron DeKalb, first iron-clad gunboat, skidded into the river, October 12, 1861. Taking part in the ceremony was its builder, James Buchanan Eads. The DeKalb was originally christened the St. Louis, but when the river fleet was transferred from the jurisdiction of the War Department to the Navy, it was changed because another boat already bore the name St. Louis.

A few months after the outbreak of the Civil War the Federal government advertised for bids to build a fleet of gunboats capable of taking possession of the Mississippi. Eads' bid was accepted. His contract, signed August 7, 1861, in Washington, called for a fleet of 7 iron-clad, shallow-draft gunboats, to be completed within 65 days. Within 24 hours after signing the contract Eads had the construction of the ships underway. He put another firm at work on three of the boats, and his own shipyard at Carondelet undertook the other four. Two weeks later he had 4000 men working in alternate shifts, day and night for seven days a week, to finish the boats within the allotted time. Specifications for the boats called for a tonnage of 600 each, an overall length of 175 feet, a 51 foot beam, a hold with a depth of 6 feet, a maximum draught of 5 feet and a speed of 9 knots per hour. Plates of iron 2 ½ inches thick covered the outside of the vessels. Each boat had 13 pieces of artillery, some with bores from 11 to 15 inches. To finance construction, Eads had to use all his own money and then borrow from friends. The vessels even saw use in combat before he received payment from the War Department.

The iron-clads, with the Baron DeKalb as their flagship, performed well their task of gaining control of the Mississippi for Union forces. They took part in the captures of Alexandria and Island No. 10, the capture of the Confederate navy at Yazoo City, the siege of Vicksburg, and in other battles. Four of the newer boats of Eads' fleet had steam-controlled turrets, enabling their heavy guns to be loaded and fired every 45 seconds. These four participated in David Farragut's famous naval victory at Mobile Bay. The DeKalb was lost in the battle at Yazoo City, July 13, 1863, when she struck two torpedoes and sank within 15 minutes.

For more information on the DeKalb and naval operations during the Civil War see: