from the Richmond Courier, October 1, 1906:
"In the spirit of the gallant men who sailed the first ironclad into battle, the Confederacy announces the construction of a ship bearing the name of said ironclad, which will be the scourge of our enemies and queen of the seas - the
CSS Virginia!" So began the ceremony at the Washington Naval Yard over the shell of what will be, in approximately one year, the most advanced warship ever built.
Admiral William H. Jackson, the CSA's highest-ranking naval officer spoke the words and looked with pride on the behemoth-in-the-making. She'll be his flagship and he undoubtedly looks forward to prowling the sea lanes, hunting for enemies of the Confederacy.
Skeptics in the crowd would point out that the British have their own supership, just recently launched (that would the
HMS Dreadnought) and both Germany and the U.S.A. are also constructing these large "battleships" - not to mention that the Japanese and Russians may be doing so as well. It's becoming a game of naval oneupsmanship and no one knows where it will lead.
CSS Virginia - the Confederacy's first Dreadnought.