Henry,

I think she was a well-built vessel considering the situation, at least as well-built as other Confederate vessels of the time. The Confederate Navy Department used the Chattahoochee pattern for a whole class of ships.

The Arkansas, remember, was pretty darn effective despite her issues.

The main reason the officers of the Chattahoochee were unhappy was because they were stuck in the Apalachicola River unable to get into the bay and into action. There are some good diaries kept by them.

They became extremely frustrated and at one point Jones even threatened to ram his way through the obstructions to give his "calling card" to the blockaders.

Dale