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Scuttling and Explosion
- When
- 1862-05-11
- Where
- Craney Island
CSS Virginia was destroyed by an explosion in her magazine on May 11, 1862, off Craney Island in the James River.
Following the occupation of Norfolk, the ironclad was scuttled. Fire reached the magazine, causing a massive explosion that obliterated the ship. This event marked the end of the vessel's service, which had begun with its construction from the hull of USS Merrimack.
Sources
- CSS Virginia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.