The significance of the former USS Merrimack was that it became a powerful Confederate ironclad that effected the Peninsula campaign in 1862. The "new" CSS Virginia caused problems for US troops scheduled to land on the east coast of Virginia. The CSS Virginia destroyed several Union warships. Then, the USS Monitor entered Hampton Roads and caused the world's first battle between ironclads to be fought.
The Css Virgina
The Union Ironclad Ship that was built to compete with the Confederate Ironclad was called the U.S.S. Monitor and the Confederate Ironclad was called the Merrimack (more accurately, the CSS Virginia).
Confederate Commander Brooke is given credit for the design of the a new ironclad called the CSS Virginia from the wrecked USS Merrimack. He prepared sketches from an earlier designed ship by US Colonel John Stevens and made modifications he believed were necessary.
The Union ship called the USS Merrimack was captured by the South. The ship had been burned by the Union forces, but the Confederate forces took it and rebuilt it into an ironclad ship. It was renamed as the CSS Virginia.
wheight of css merrimack
CSS refers to Confederate States Ship as in the name CSS Shenadoah.CSS refers to Confederate States Ship as in the name CSS Shenadoah. In computer terms CSS is a Cascading Style Sheet.
The first ironclad for the Confederacy was the CSS Virginia. It had been the USS Merrimack and previously been left for "dead" when Confederate troops assaulted the Union base at Norfolk, Virginia. The Union burned it lest it fall into Confederate hands. Southern engineers salvaged the hull of the Merrimack and rebuilt it with thick iron sides, and added her with canons on each side.
Confederate States Ship
At the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, the USS Monitor fought the former Union ship, the Merrimack. The Confederates had raised the hull of the Merrimack at Norfolk and rebuilt it as an ironclad they named the CSS Virginia. The battle was a draw, however, the Monitor saved Union ships from more destruction as the Virginia was damaged and sailed back to Norfolk.
The USS Monitor and it's Confederate counterpart the CSS Merrimack are classified as "ironclads", basically gunships built with traditional hulls, but topped with an impenetrable iron deck.
Confederate States Ship Alabama .
Well, I found my own answer. USS stands for United States Ship and CSS stands for Confederate States Ship.