The original plans for the "Neosho"-class ships, designed by James Eads, resembled the s with a draft of , but the successful performance of the during the Battle of Hampton Roads caused the navy to revise its requirement to include a gun turret. Eads responded with an impressive design that included a turret with of armor, a fully armored sternwheel and a draft of , but the navy wanted even less draft and rejected his design. Eads adopted a turtleback deck design that promised to only draw .