I started the model of the centerwheel American gunboat "USS CAIRO" some years ago, based upon a set of plans draught by Admiral Franco Gay, one of the most knowkn italian ship model's draughtsman and researcher.   For some reasons, I  stopped the building of the model, just after the realization of the false keel, the main frames and few rows of plank.

Last year, after some years of "sleeping" of the model on a shelf, i started again to think that I could have enough time, now, and ability to continue the model. I never thought to which difficulties I could meet going on the construction !

The prototype of the model was (like all the other 6 ships of thre same class) one of the most unusual and "revolutionary" kind of warship fot that era.  We can consider the "Cairo" class' gunboat as the first "ironclads" in the United States.

Coming back to the model, before to restart the building, I made an extensive research on Interne and on other plan's supplier, with the scope of collect as much documentation as possible on this ship (that now is preserverved, after her rising from the waters of Yazoo Rver, in the Vicksburg's National Cemetery, USA).

So, I think that I collected, nearly, all the pictures in Internet about this ship, plus a copy of set of plans by David Meagher and a copy of the "Historic Structure Report" of the ship, found on a site on Internet.

Unfortunately, I realized too late that there were many differencies between the plans of Admiral Franco Gay (probably draught a lot of time before the raising)) and the last plans, more close to the results of the restoring of the ship.

Anyway... I decided to complete the hull (already in advanced status of building) on the base of   Admiral Franco Gay's plans, while the brest of the ship sould be  made on the base of   other, more recent, documentation.

I decided to scratchbuild by myself as much as possible things, before to use already prepared items.   For this reason, probably, in this model, I used the largest variety of modelling techniques I ever used before on other my models.

For example, I made the decks, simulating the caulking in three different ways : using a black paint   on a side, using white paper between planks and using also a black, thick rope, also between each plank of the deck. Obviously I don't mixed difefrent techniques on the same deck... I just used each technique for a different deck.

Other techniques I used : the wooden scratchbuilding of the centerwheel, simulating by painting the iron building... the iron plates of the lateral, front, rear and pilot-house armour made all by painted plastic-paper.

All the 13 guns of the Cairo were casted by resin, on a siliconic rubber mould , after to have turned on a lathe, in hardwood, the barrels for each of four type of the guns used on the vessel. Also the vent cowls were casted by resin, on a siliconic mould by a wooden prototype.

The Ships's boats were realized completely by palsticards' strips, glued on a wooden form covered by candle wax... and so on...

The result, by opinion of some people who saw the model or pics was interesting...and now, I ask you, if you like, to give me a feedback about.

Short History

The river gunbouat USS Cairo was builded in 1861, in Mound City - Illinois, by James Eads, for the purpose of the United States Army and was launched on 25 January 1862, under the command of Leutenant James M. Pritchett of US Navy. The "Cairo" class grouped 7 similar units (with light differencies between each other) : Carondelet, Cincinnati, Cairo, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg, St. Luis (later Baron De Kalb).

From their particular appareance and from the name of their designer (Mr. Pook) they were nicknamed "Pook's Turtles".

The Cairo joined the West Gunboat Flottilla, under the command of Flag-Officer A.H. Foote, along the rivers Mississippi and Ohio until when she was transferred to the US Navy, with the other gunboats, on 1st October 1862. She tooks part in the battles for the occupation of Clarksville (17 February) and Nashville (25 February). On 12 April 1862, the Cairo escorted the mortar-barges that were used against the long military operations against Fort Pillow. 

On 11 May 1862, the Cairo fought against a group of Confederate gunboats out of Plum Point Bend and by this action she started the blocking and bombing activities until the defeated of the fort, on 4 June 1862.

Three days later, on 6 June, the USS Cairo and other 6 Union gunboats had a fighting against a flottilla of 8 Confederate gunboats near Menphis - Tennesse. At the end of the battle, 5 Confederate gunboats were sunk or destroied, 2 were heavily damaged and only 1 could escape. The same night, the Union forces captured the city of Menphis.

After the defeat  of Menphis, the Cairo return to patrolling the Mississippi and on the 21st November she joined the "Yazoo Expedition". During a searching for floating mines (torpedoes) on Yazoo river,  the USS Cairo hitted a torpedo and sunk. It was the 12 December 1862.

The Cairo was the first ship in the world to be sunked by a torpedo.

She remains in the mud's bed of Yazoo until her dicovery , in the summer of 1956 , made by the historic Edwin C. Bears and by the scientist Warren Grabau. But the activity to raise to the surface the gunboat started only on 1959.  Afer many problems and troubles fir the rising, during wich the hull broked in three great sections, only in 1964 the research team was able to raise up to the surface the ship's hull, part of the casamate, the guns , the engine, and some supplies (dishes, bottles, shells, coins and so on..) of the ship's crew.

Nowday, the USS Cairo is hosted in the Vicksburg Military Cemetery, partially restored, and she's visited by thousand and thousand tourists each year.

Ship's Data 

Commissioned : 1861
Launched :   25 January 1862
Sunk : 12 December 1862

Dimensions

Lenght : 53  mt.
Width  : 15 mt.   

Armament :
   *   2 x 8 Inch Smoothbore - 63 hudredweight
   *   4 x  Army 42 Pounder - Rifled
   *   6 x 32 Pounder Smoothbore - 42 hundredweight
   *   1 x 30 Pound Navy Parrott Rifle

Model's Data

Lenght :  53  cm
Height :  15  cm
Scale :   1:100
Building method : Plank on frames

References and sources :
* Plans scale 1/100 by Admiral Franco Gay - Italy
* Plans scale 1/100 by David Meagher
* Plans and Historic Structure Reports from Internet research
* Pics of Cairo from  Vicksburg 's National Cemetery;
° "Civil War Naval Chronology - 1861-1865"  by Naval History Division -   Navy Department - edition 1966
* "Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 1861-65" by Osprey Publications
* "Union River Ironclads 1861-65" by Osprey Publications