NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



505 



weight added to the vessel by the armor, which 

 involved greater power to propel her, and at 

 the same time largely increased the cost of con- 

 struction. To meet the immediate demand for 

 vessels as far as practicable invulnerable to 

 shot, and adapted by their light draught of 

 water to penetrate our shoal harbors, rivers, 

 and bayous, the board recommended " that 

 contracts be made with responsible parties for 

 the construction of one or more iron-clad ves- 

 sels or batteries, of as light a draught of water 

 as practicable consistent with their weight of 

 armor." They also advised the construction, 

 in our own dock-yards, of one or more of these 

 vessels upon a large and more perfect scale 

 when Congress shall see fit to authorize it. 

 The report concludes with a synopsis of the 

 propositions and specifications submitted, 

 amounting to 17 in number, the terms of con- 

 struction for the different vessels ranging from 

 $32,000 to $1,500,000. Three only of these 

 were selected as worthy of recommendation, 

 the others being put aside, either owing to too 

 great cost or for other reasons. The three 

 proposals recommended were those of J. Erics- 

 son, New York ; Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia ; 

 and 0. S. Bushnell & Co., New Haven, Conn. 

 Of these the remarks of the board are as fol- 

 lows : 



" J. Ericsson, New York. This plan of a float- 

 ing battery is novel, but seems to be based 

 upon a plan which will render the battery shot 

 and shell-proof. It is to be apprehended that 

 her properties for sea are not such as a sea- 

 going vessel should possess. But she may be 

 moved from one place to another on the coast 

 in smooth water. We recommend that an ex- 

 periment be made with one battery of this de- 

 scription on the terms proposed, with a guaran- 

 tee and forfeiture in case of failure in any of 

 the properties and points of the vessel as pro- 

 posed. Price, $275,000 ; length of vessel, 174 

 feet ; breadth of beam, 41 feet ; depth of hold, 

 11^ feet ; time, 100 days ; draught of water, 10 

 feet ; displacement, 1,245 tons ; speed per hour, 

 9 statute miles. 



"Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia. Vessel of 

 wood and iron combined. This proposition we 

 consider the most practicable one for heavy 

 armor. "We recommend that a contract be 

 made with that party, under a guarantee, with 

 forfeiture in case of failure to comply with the 

 specifications ; and that the contract require 

 the plates to be 15 feet long and 36 inches wide, 

 with a reservation of some modifications, which 

 may occur as the work progresses, not to affect 

 the cost. Price, $780,000 ; length of vessel, 220 

 feet ; breadth of beam, 60 feet ; depth of hold, 

 23 feet ; time, 9 months ; draught of water, 13 

 feet; displacement, 3,296 tons ; speed per hour, 

 9J knots. 



" S. C. Bushnell & Co., New Haven, Conn., 

 propose a vessel to be iron-clad, on the rail and 

 plate principle, and to obtain high speed. The 

 objection to this vessel is the fear that she will 

 not float her armor and load sufficiently high, 



and have stability enough for a sea vessel. 

 With a guarantee that she shall do these, we 

 recommend on that basis a contract. 



" Price, $235,250 ; length of vessel, 180 feet ; 

 breadth of beam feet ; depth of hold, 12| 

 feet; time, 4 months; draught of water, 10 



feet ; displacement, tons ; speed per hour, 



12 knots." 



The recommendation was adopted by Con- 

 gress, and the 3 vessels ordered to be built are 

 the last three on the list given above. 



The contract made with Capt. Ericsson stipu- 

 lated for the completion of his battery within 

 100 days from the signing of the contract, 

 which was Oct. 5th, 1861, and the extraordi- 

 nary provision was introduced, that the test of 

 the battery, upon which its acceptance by the 

 U. S. Government depended, should be its with- 

 standing the fire of the enemy's batteries at 

 the shortest ranges, the United States agreeing 

 to fit out the vessel with men, guns, &c. The 

 following is a general description of the vessel 

 as completed and delivered to the U. S. Gov- 

 ernment for trial, March 5, 1862. The hull is 

 formed by two distinct parts, a lower and up- 

 per, both of which are flat-bottomed ; the lower 

 one built of |-inch iron, 124 feet long, 34 feet 

 wide at the top, and 6| feet deep. The sides 

 incline at an angle of about 51 with a vertical 

 line, and terminate in sharp ends, the bow pro- 

 jecting and coming to a point at an angle of 

 80. The upper hull is 174 feet long, 41 feet 

 4 inches wide, with perpendicular sides 5 feet 

 high. It juts over the lower hull on each side 

 8 feet 7 inches, and at each end 25 feet. The 

 sides of this portion are built of white oak, 2 

 feet thick, covered with 6 inches of iron plates 

 on the outside, and a i-inch plating of iron with- 

 in ; the object of the latter being to arrest splin- 

 ters in case of a ball penetrating the sides. The 

 top is covered with a bomb-proof flat deck un- 

 protected by any railing or bulwark. This 

 deck consists of oak beams, 10 inches square 

 and 26 inches apart, covered with 8-inch plank, 

 and this with 2 layers of iron, each an inch 

 thick. The draught of water is 10 feet, leaving 

 only 18 inches above the surface. The project- 

 ing ends of the upper hull serve as a cover for 

 the propeller and rudder in the stern and the 

 anchor in the bow. The former are entirely 

 out of reach of shot ; and the latter is carried 

 in the upper hull, from which it is readily low- 

 ered, and into which it is hoisted again by men 

 working below, without any exposure or sign 

 of their movements on the outside. The lower 

 hull is so situated beneath the upper, that it 

 can only be reached by a ball after this has 

 passed through at least 25 feet of water, and 

 the inclination of the sides would then prevent 

 its penetration ; and the upper is impregnable 

 in its 6 inches of iron, backed with 30 inches 

 of white oak and the inner lining of -|-inch 

 iron. The prominent object upon the deck in 

 the middle of the boat is the turret or castle, a 

 cylinder of 20 feet diameter within, and 9 feet 

 high, built of 8 thicknesses of 1-inch plates, bolt- 



