USS Cairo placed its central paddle wheel inside the hull and behind armor rather than leaving the machinery exposed at the sides. The surviving ship at Vicksburg allows viewers to see how plating enclosed the propulsion arrangement. Her recorded battery changed during 1862 and combined smoothbores with several sizes of rifles. That mixed and shifting armament reflects the crews' pragmatic willingness to install whatever useful weapons were available on City-class river ironclads.
Chapter · 22:30-24:46
USS Cairo protected its paddle wheel and adapted its battery
Cairo's armored internal wheel and frequently altered mixture of guns show how river ironclads combined protected propulsion with pragmatic armament.