530 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



no lives were lost. Those on one of the rafts 

 were rescued and landed by the British mail- 

 steamer Arabia, Captain Ballantine. Recently, 

 at a court of inquiry held to investigate the 

 disaster, Captain Collins was found guilty of 

 negligence, and degraded in rank and pay. 



The Minnesota, Commodore James Alden, 

 was put in commission and sailed from New 

 York July 24th, having on board forty-six 

 midshipmen, recent graduates of the Naval 

 Academy. The objects of the voyage are to 

 instruct these young officers in their first duties, 

 to enable them to see foreign dockyards and 

 naval establishments, and to distribute them to 

 the vessels to which they were assigned. The 

 Minnesota has visited a number of the principal 

 ports on the European coast, and passed up the 

 Mediterranean as far as Toulon. She is to re- 

 turn by way of Aspinwall, where all the mid- 

 shipmen not assigned to the European squadron 

 will be detached and join vessels on the Pacific 

 stations. 



The Michigan has been employed in her 

 usual duties on the lakes. 



The iron-clad Miantonomoh, returned to 

 Philadelphia from her European cruise July 

 22d. She passed up the Mediterranean as far 

 as Naples, visiting several intermediate ports ; 

 returning, she left Gibraltar May 15th, and 

 came home by way of the Canary, Cape de 

 Verde, and West India Islands. The voyages 

 of this vessel and of the Monodnock to San 

 Francisco around Cape Horn are the most re- 

 markable ever undertaken by turreted iron- 

 clad vessels, which were originally constructed 

 for harbor defence, and not expected to do more 

 than move from port to port on our own coast. 

 These voyages have demonstrated their ability 

 as sea-going ships, and it is believed that with 

 slight modifications above the water-line, not 

 impairing their efficiency in action, they can 

 make the longest and most difficult cruise with- 

 out convoy. 



Four new vessels have been launched during 

 the year the Mosholu, of 1,448 tons, at New 

 York, December 22d ; the Minnetonka, 2,400 

 tons, at Kittery, Me., July 3d; the Pushmataha, 

 1,448 tons, at Philadelphia, July 17th ; and the 

 Nantasket, 523 tons, at Charlestown, Mass., 

 August 15th. The construction- of these vessels 

 was well advanced before the close of the war, 

 and their completion leisurely accomplished. 

 They will be ready for service in the ensuing 

 year. The Piscataqua, a vessel similar to the 

 Minnetonka, is under orders to sail as the flag- 

 ship of the Asiatic squadron. The steam ma- 

 chinery is completed for seven more vessels of 

 this class, but it is not the intention of the Navy 

 Department to commence their construction at 

 present. Smaller vessels having been found 

 more serviceable and convenient for general 

 purposes, the building of four a little larger 

 than the Nantasket has been commenced : the 

 Algoma, at Kittery; the Alaska, at Charles- 

 town; the Kenosha, at New York; and the 

 Omaha, at Philadelphia. Their machinery is 



completed, and they will be ready during the 

 ensuing year. They are intended to replace 

 vessels of the permanent navy, lost or greatly 

 damaged during the war. 



'There are several vessels on the stocks at the 

 different yards, upon which work has been 

 wholly suspended. At the Kittery yard is the 

 Illinois, of 2,490 tons, and the iron-clad Pas- 

 saconaway, of 2,127 tons. At the Charlestown 

 yard, the Pompanoosuc, of 2,869 tons, and the 

 iron-clad Quinsigamond, of 2,127 tons ; also the 

 ship-of-the-lirie Virginia, the keel of which was 

 laid in 1820, and when launched can only be 

 used as a receiving-ship. At the New York 

 yard, the Ontario, of 2,490 tons, and the iron- 

 clad Kalamazoo, of 2,127 tons. At the Phila- 

 delphia yard, the iron-clad Shakamaxon, of 

 2,127 tons. There are also at the New York 

 yard, the Java ; at the Philadelphia yard, the 

 Antietam ; and at the Charlestown yard, the 

 Kewaydin, each of 2,490 tons, not under per- 

 manent cover, and upon which a small amount 

 of work has been done to prevent their deterio- 

 ration by the weather, as it may be many years 

 before they will be launched. The Neshaminy 

 and Ammonoosuc, of 2,019 tons, are receiving 

 their machinery at New York. "With the ex- 

 ception of the four small vessels recently com- 

 menced, the appropriation for all the others 

 was made, and their construction begun, some 

 time prior to the conclusion of the war. 



The necessity of having larger navy-yards, 

 and greater facilities for building and repairing 

 vessels and their machinery, has become ap- 

 parent by recent experience in war, and is 

 dwelt upon in the Secretary's annual report. 

 Seavey's Island is spoken of as a desirable addi- 

 tion to the Kittery yard. No improvements 

 have been made in the temporary arrangements 

 at the Norfolk and Pensacola yards, and they 

 still remain in the dilapidated condition in 

 which the war left them ; the latter is the only 

 naval station on the Gulf of Mexico. 



League Island, adjacent to Philadelphia, has 

 been selected as a site for a new navy-yard. 

 Congress approved its acceptance February 18, 

 1867, and a board of officers, selected to ex- 

 amine the location, reported favorably April 

 llth. The transfer of the property to the Gov- 

 ernment, including the neighboriug shores on 

 the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, will be 

 made by the city of Philadelphia, as soon as 

 the title, which is vested in various persons, 

 and some of them minors, can be obtained; 

 probably about the beginning of the ensuing 

 year. 



A tract of land on the east shore of the 

 Thames River, near New London, has been 

 offered by the State of Connecticut for naval 

 purposes, and by the act of March 2, 1867, the 

 Secretary of the Navy is directed to accept a 

 deed of the same. Commodore J. P. McKinstry 

 and the State commissioners surveyed and lo- 

 cated the site in the latter part of October; but 

 no transfer of the property to the Government 

 has yet been made. 



