612 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



The New Ironsides. This frigate, at the time 

 of its launching the largest American iron-clad 

 vessel afloat, is built somewhat upon the plan 

 of the English Warrior. Her frame is of 

 white oak, averaging in thickness at top of the 

 sides 20 inches. Her armor is partial, extend- 

 ing from 4 feet below the water line upward 

 to the spar deck, and horizontally the length 

 of that portion of the gun deck containing her 

 armament (170 feet), besides a belt of 7 feet 

 width at her water line, and running entirely 

 around, thus leaving a part both at bow and 

 stern unprotected. The bulkheads, however, 

 at each end of the gunroom are bomb proof. 

 The armor is of single plates, 4 inches in thick- 

 ness. The ports, 8 on a side, are closed, each 

 by means of 2 wrought-iron plates which fall 

 together at the recoil of the gun. The total 

 length of hull is 232 ft. ; breadth of beam, 57 

 ft. 6 in.; depth of hold, 25 ft.; draught of 

 water at deep load line, 15 ft. ; tonnage by 

 measurement, 2,486 tons ; displacement, 4,120 

 tons ; estimated weight of armor, 750 tons. 

 The vessel is bark-rigged, with short bowsprit, 

 and no jib boom. Besides 2 200-pounder Par- 

 rott rifled guns, and 4 24-pounder boat howit- 

 zers, she carries a proper battery of 16 11-inch 

 Dahlgren guns, the united weight of which is 

 234,800 Ibs., while they throw at one broad- 

 side a weight of metal, shell, equal to 1,100 

 Ibs., or solid shot, equal to 1,600 Ibs. There 

 are 2 horizontal direct-acting engines, diameter 

 of cylinder 50 inches, stroke 30 inches, with 

 surface condensers of 3,000 sq. ft. condensing 

 surface; and, to supply these, 4 horizontal 

 tubular boilers, with a heating surface of 8,450 

 square ft. ; the estimated consumption of coal 

 in 24 hours being 48 tons 840 Ibs. The pro- 

 peller is a single composition screw, with 4 

 blades, diameter 13 ft., mean pitch 16 ft., 

 length 29 inches. With her masts (three in 

 number) and spars in place, she can also carry 

 quite a press of sail. Her bow is fitted with a 

 heavy ram, securely fastened. From a circular 

 pilothouse upon the spar deck the command- 

 ing officer communicates directly with the gun 

 deck, and with the helmsman below. A de- 

 fect of this ship is said to be in want of speed. 

 In the attack on the forts at Charleston, in 

 moving against the tide, she refused to obey 

 her rudder, becoming quite unmanageable. 

 Although she remained at about the longest 

 range named above from Fort Sumter, and did 

 not long present her side, so as to receive the 

 enemy's shot direct, it is stated that some of 

 the thick plates composing her armor were 

 cracked. 



The Galena. This, one of the earliest com- 

 pleted of American iron-clad vessels, was built 

 by Messrs. Mason and Fish, at Mystic, Conn., 

 after designs by Mr. Julius Patterson. Her 

 length is 208 ft., breadth of beam 36 ft., depth 

 12 ft. 6 in. ; she is of 1,000 tons burden, and 

 pierced for 18 guns. Her hull is of the best 

 white oak, strapped with iron ; and her sides, 

 above water, slope inward at an angle of 



about 30. Her armor is applied in the form 

 of iron bars, 24 ft. in length and 3 inches in 

 width, these successively overlapping each 

 other by 3 part of their width, and fastened to 

 the wooden frame by screw bolts: while over 

 this is an additional plating of 1-inch iron, also 

 secured with like bolts. The gun deck is 

 about 7 ft. in height, and has ports for 18 

 guns. The upper or spar deck is covered with 

 thin plate iron, but said to be gun proof. The 

 ports are closed by large pendulum shutters, 

 which part in the middle, so that only the 

 muzzles of the guns need protrude, and the 

 gunners are comparatively safe. The round 

 pilothouse has 5 inches thickness of plating. 

 The armament consists of 11-inch guns and 

 100-pdr. rifles. In the combat with Fort Dar- 

 ling, on the James river, the plating of the 

 Galena did not successfully resist a well-direct- 

 ed fire of large solid shot. 



The Roanohe. This vessel was originally a 

 double-decked war frigate, and with the Mer- 

 rimac also, one of a class of 5 steam frigates 

 built in 1855. Having proved singularly un- 

 fortunate and expensive in her original trim, 

 she was, by order of the Government, in 1862, 

 razeed or cut down flush with her gun deck, 

 preparatory to plating, the object being to 

 convert her into a powerful iron clad, expos- 

 ing but little of her hull above water to an 

 enemy's fire. This vessel was armored, and 

 received her additional engines, at the Novelty 

 Iron Works, New York; her armor, consisting, 

 like that of the Ironsides, of single or solid iron 

 plates, in this case mainly of 4^ inches thickness, 

 having been forged at the " Franklin Forge " 

 of Messrs. Tugnot, Dally & Co., of the same 

 place. The plating, backed with 30 inches of 

 oak, extends 4 ft. below the water line, and the 

 whole length of the hull. The deck is covered 

 with 5-inch plates, placed one upon the other, 

 so as to break joint where the edges meet ; the 

 joints come neatly together, but with a small 

 space left to allow of expansion and the natural 

 working of the ship. The plates are secured 

 by countersunk bolts to the deck beneath. 

 Over the hatch surrounding the smoke pipe 

 where it issues from the deck, is a heavy grat- 

 ing of wrought iron, 1 inch thick by 7 inches 

 deep, so that projectiles striking this must 

 glance off Avithout injury. The form of hull 

 is that of sea-going vessels generally, and the 

 deck will be without guards. The portion of 

 the rudder post usually exposed will be cov- 

 ered by a strong wrought-iron hood, which 

 will also protect the propeller from shot. 

 There are three revolving turrets, of the 

 new Monitor dimensions and pattern 11 

 thicknesses of 1-inch plate and each pierced 

 for two guns ; two of these being forward, and 

 one abaft the centre. The parts of the deck 

 over which the turrets are severally placed 

 are strengthened with circles of oak timber 

 beneath, nearly 12x12 inches, these, again, 

 being supported at regular intervals by stan- 

 chions of like dimensions. Each central turret 



