The U.S.S. Cairo, a Union ironclad gunboat commanded by Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr., was commissioned on January 16, 1862. On December 12, 1862, in the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg, Cairo struck two underwater torpedoes and sank in under 12 minutes, with no loss of life. Preserved by mud and silt, the Cairo was underwater for 102 years. It was raised in 1964, and later restored. More...