weight. Her casemate armor was thick, backed by of wood, while of iron armor was used everywhere else. Construction and career Named for the nickname of South Carolina, Palmetto State was laid down in January 1862 by Cameron & Company at their shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina. Before dawn on 31 January 1863 Palmetto State and her sister ship crept through thick haze to surprise the Union blockading force off Charleston. Taking full advantage of her low silhouette in the darkness, the ironclad steamed in under the guns of the Union gunboat , ramming as well as firing heavy shot point-blank into her hull. Completely disabled, with cannons that could not be depressed low enough to fire at Palmetto State, the Union ship was forced to surrender. The ram then turned her attention to , firing several shells into the blockader. Her steam chests punctured, Keystone State lost all power and had to be towed to safety. A long-range cannon duel between the Confederate rams and other Union blockaders then took place, but little damage was inflicted by either side before Palmetto State and Chicora withdrew to safety within Charleston Harbor. The attack by the Confederate rams caused the temporary withdrawal of the blockaders from their inshore positions and led to the claim by the Confederate government, unsuccessfully advanced, that the blockade of Charleston had been broken. Palmetto State also joined in the defense of Charleston during Admiral Samuel Francis du Pont's unsuccessful 1–7 April 1863 attack on the harbor forts. Her officers and men were cited for rendering valuable services on the night of 6–7 September 1863 during the removal troops from Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg. Palmetto State was later set afire by the Confederates to avoid capture upon the evacuation of Charleston on 18 February 1865. Notes Citations References Ironclad warships of the Confederate States Navy Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina 1862 ships Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Ship fires Maritime incidents in February 1865