How many ships did the Confedracy have in its Navy?

Answer 1

Confederate Officers in command of US Naval Vessels of every type, sailed them into Union held ports and returned them to the Federal government before heading South to take up their new posts in the Confederate States Navy (CSN). This was done to prove that they were Men of Honor and were starting the Civil War with Clean Hands. The CSN began with a qualified Naval Force of 16 Captains, 34 Commanders 76 Lieutenants and 111 Midshipmen and zero ships of the line compared to the United States Navy (USN) which had 23 Ships of the Line when the war began. One vessel, the CSN Crapo was placed into service within a few months by outfitting a Merchant Ship as a Naval Vessel. Almost anything that would float at the beginning of the war was pressed into service as a Merchant Raider. They created a miracle of modern sea power out of the ruins of the captured Norfolk Naval Shipyard although the Union had burned it all to the water-line before it abandoned it.

Answer 2

At the beginning of the US Civil War the US Navy had 90 ships. This figure, however, is misleading in that only 42 were commissioned and was ill suited for the naval strategy the Union would develop.

Answer 3

After the abandonment of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard before they burned and abandoned it, the US Navy had a total of 23 Ships of the the Line.