746 



HISTORY OF THE SEA 



glance off without affecting much injury. In October, 1861 

 forty-five days from the laying of her keel, the St Louis was 

 launched, being the first iron-clad ship owned by the United 

 States. Other vessels of similar design were rapidly brought 

 to completion, and these iron-clad river boats began their task 

 of opening the navigation of the Mississippi. The St. Louis 

 was built in the city of the same name, by Mr. James B. Eads, 

 of that city. 



The cuts represent the shape of some of the iron-clads built 

 for service in the western rivers, where the shallowness of the 

 stream made it necessary that the craft should not draw too 

 much water. 



Foi the same reasons the " tin-clads," as they were called 

 from the thinness of the plates with which they were covered, 

 were built. The " double-enders " were also thus constructed, 

 in order to navigate, as necessary, either way, in the narrow 

 and crooked streams, where our navy performed such admir 

 able work during the war. 



The use of heavy artillery in naval warfare has also caused 

 great modifications to be made in the construction of other 

 naval ships than the monitors. To avoid the injury caused by 

 heavy artillery, the idea was suggested of plating them with 

 iron. The most extensive experiments of this kind were made 

 in England, but not with the most gratifying success. It was 

 found that the iron plating rendered the ships too heavy, if it 

 was made thick enough to be of effective service. In a rough 

 sea the vessels rolled so heavily as to be nearly unmanageable, 

 while the weight of the plating on the sides acted with a lever- 

 age to tear the ships in halves, so that they were considered 

 almost unsafe. One of them, also, on her trial trip, having cap- 

 sized and sunk with her entire crew, public confidence in them 

 as serviceable vessels was entirely lost ; and the advantage of 

 iron-plating large shins of war may be still considered as an 

 open question 



