NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Stevens Battery. In November an act was 

 passed by Congress, directing the Secretary of 

 the Navy to appoint a committee to examine 

 the Stevens Battery at Hoboken, N. J., and re- 

 port upon the expediency of its being complet- 

 ed by the Government. This board consisted 

 of Commodore Stringham, Commander Wil- 

 liam Inman, Captain T. A. Dornin, and Chief 

 Engineer A. 0. Stimers, all of the United States 

 Navy, and Prof. Joseph Henry, of the Smith- 

 sonian Institute, who met at the navy yard 

 in Brooklyn, on the 1st of December, and pro- 

 ceeded to the investigation of the subject, with 

 which they were charged. The report of the 

 board, made Dec. 24th, was unfavorable for the 

 completion of the ship, Prof. Henry, however, 

 not fully concurring in the conclusion arrived 

 at by the naval officers. 



The ship is described as a long, slender iron 

 vessel, evidently intended for high speed in 

 smooth water, and but partially completed. 

 Her length is 420 feet, and extreme breadth 53 

 feet. Her sides are built of -J-inch iron, rivet- 

 ed to ribs of angle iron 6 inches deep, 3 inches 

 wide, and -J- inch thick, spaced two feet apart 

 throughout the entire length. The bottom is 

 strengthened with floor timbers of plate iron, 



the Minnesota, was abandoned, and attention was directed 

 only to this new antagonist. The vessels soon came into 

 close action, and no effect resulting from the shot of the 

 Merrimac striking the Monitor, an attempt was made by 

 the former to run down and crush or sink the smaller ves- 

 sel. Five times the two vessels struck each other, and each 

 time one of the guns of the Monitor was discharged directly 

 against the plated sides of the Merrimac. The Minnesota 

 directed her fire against the Merrimac, and two of her balls 

 struck the Monitor, without, however, inflicting any damage. 

 Alter the contest had raged for gome hours, the Monitor, en- 

 tirely unharmed, withdrew to some distance for the purpose 

 of hoisting more shot into her turret; which being done, 

 the fight was immediately re-commenced. The Merrimac 

 soon appeared to be in a disabled condition, and gradually 

 worked away towards the batteries at Sewall's Point. As 

 afterwards ascertained, the heavy iron prow, projecting six 

 feet from the stem of the Merrimac, was so wrenched by 

 the concussion against the side of the Monitor, that the tim- 

 bers of the frame were started, causing the vessel to leak 

 badly. It is not known that the shot of the Monitor pene- 

 trated the sides of her opponent ; but it has been reported 

 and denied that the timbers behind the iron plating were 

 shattered by the tremendous force of the blows. The Merri- 

 mac received some injury, and loss of life was incurred from 

 the shot of the Minnesota, but to what extent is not known. 

 During the fight, the first oflicer of the Monitor, Capt. A. H. 

 Worden, took his station in the pilot-house, and direct- 

 ed the firing by signals to the First Lieutenant, S. Dana 

 Greene, by whom the guns were trained and fired. One of 

 the last shots of the Merrimac struck the pilot-house near 

 the aperture through which Captain Worden was looking 

 at the instant. The blow, which was so heavy as to break 

 one of the great wrought-iron beams of the pilot-house, 

 stunned this officer, seriously injuring his eyes and face. 

 On the retiring of the Merrimac, the second officer, now 

 taking charge of the vessel, knowing that another shot 

 striking the pilot-house would be likely to complete its de- 

 struction, and render the vessel unmanageable by disabling 

 the steering apparatus; and acting under positive orders 

 which restricted the Monitor to a defensive course, except 

 so far as might be necessary to protect the Minnesota, de- 

 clined to pursue the Merrimac, and remained by the Minne- 

 sota. Excepting the damage to the pilot-house, the Monitor 

 received no injury in this naval battle. Two mdh leaning 

 against the inner wall of the turret were knocked down and 

 stunned for a short time by a shot striking the opposite side 

 against them, but no other inconveniences were experienced 

 by the officers and crew. Many marks of shot were found 

 upon the sides, turret, and deck of the Monitor, the deepest 



Eenetration of which was on the vertical sides, amounting 

 i one instance to 4i inches. On the tower the deepest de- 

 pression was It inches, and on the deck i inch. 



secured to a heavy box keelson, running from 

 stem to stern, and the plating over this portion 

 is of an inch thick. Five tubular boilers ou 

 each side, occupying 80 feet of the length of 

 the vessel, are secured to the iron keelson, and 

 immediately abaft these are the 8 main en- 

 gines, nearly completed, and occupying 53 feet 

 length of the vessel. 



Four engines, of 1,000 horse power each, are 

 connected with each of the two propeller shafts, 

 which are worked quite independently of each 

 other, so that the propellers, revolving in dif- 

 ferent directions, if desired, may be used to 

 turn the ship round, or they may be used as a 

 substitute for the rudder. Forward of the boil- 

 ers are two pumping engines, and pumps for 

 feeding the boilers, and two engines for running 

 a large fan-blower for furnishing fresh air 

 throughout the ship, drawn down through 

 gratings in the bomb-proof deck above. This 

 will cause a powerful draught in the furnace 

 fires, independently of the height of the chim- 

 ney. The lower deck, at the height of 14 feet 

 above the bottom, is planned to extend forward 

 and abaft the machinery, beneath which will 

 be coal, water-tanks, and powder-magazines, 

 and upon it provisions and shell rooms and 

 other water tanks. The object of the tanks is 

 for containing sea-water, which it is designed 

 to admit to the extent of 1,100 tons, if neces- 

 sary, in time of action, for the purpose of par- 

 tially submerging, and thus better protecting, 

 the vessel. At 21 feet from the bottom is the 

 next deck, rendered bomb-proof forward and 

 abaft the machinery, but over which it is to be 

 of ordinary material. The portion of the ship 

 protected by heavy armor is that occupied by 

 the machinery, extending altogether 120 feet in 

 length. From 3 feet outside the vessel, the 

 sides against this portion are to be carried up 

 on a slope of about 27 with the horizon, to 14 

 feet inboard, giving an upper deck V feet above 

 the 21-feet deck, with the. width of 23 feet 

 amidships. The forward and after ends of this 

 deck are formed like the sides, and slope down 

 to the bomb-proof deck. The inclined armor is 

 to be of 7 thicknesses of plate iron, making al- 

 together 6f inches, supported upon iron beams 

 8 inches deep, and filled in between with locust, 

 and locked with locust planks 6 inches thick. 

 The upper deck is made bomb-proof by 3 layers 

 of iron of 2 inches thickness, including wooden 

 planking 6 inches thick. A light deck continues 

 this platform fore and aft over the quarters of 

 the men and officers. From the lower edge of 

 the inclined armor at the 21-feet line, which is 

 the load water-line, a strong protection of oak 

 timbers, covered with iron plates, extends down 

 the sides of the vessel to the depth of 6 feet. 

 This protection is extended the whole length 

 of the ship. 



These arrangements will be better understood 

 by reference to the accompanying cuts and ex- 

 planations. 



The armament, to be constructed especially 

 for this battery, consists of 5 fifteen-inch guns, 



