The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-05-26

I The types of vessels that were
built during the war were selected
for special purposes. The effort was
made to multiply ships as rapidly
as possible to blockade the coast
and to enter shoal harbers the
"ninety dav gun boats" and the
"double-enders" were added to the
navy list, and merchant steamers
were purchased, and were armed
with such batteries as their scant-
ling would bear. All of these ves-
sells have disappeared. with the ex-
csption of the Tallapooso. The
Juniata and Ossipee, of the Kear-
sarge type, but of greater displac~
ment. were launched in 1862, and
they are still in commission and
several vessels of large displacement
and great speed were launched at
about the close Of the war, which
were never taken into service, have
been disposed of since, and form no
part of our present navy.
The New Ironside and the Moni-
tor represented the two features OF
construction which, produced IN
this period of emergency, have con-
tinued to impress naval architec-
ture. AS a sea-going iron-clad the
New Ironsides was for the time and
service required, success. She was
built at the yard of Mr.. Cramp, in
Philadelphia, in 1862. Her length
was 230 feet beam, So feet ; draught
of water, Is feet. She had dis
placement of 4015 tons, apd attain
ed speed of 6 knots per hour with
an indicated horse power of 100.
The capacity of the coal bunkers was
$50 tons. Her battery consisted of
20 xI-inch smooth-bore guns. She
was built of wood, and was covered
with armor fourinches in thickness,
which, with the inclination given to
her sides, made her impervious to
the artillery that was used against
her during the war. In one engage
ment with the batteries on Sullivaus s
Island. Charleston Harbor, lasting
three hours, she was struck seven
times, but at the end of the action,
except some damage to a port shut
ter OF two. che Withdrew in as per-
feet fighting condition as when the
action commenced. This ship does
not appear on the navy list she was
destroyed by fire off the navy-yard
at League Island, Pennsylvania
The Monitor was, without doubt,
the most remarkable production of
the constructive art that appeared
during the war. The original Moni-
tor was lost at sea, but the Passaic
class of Monitors quickly followed
the original of thi. type.
The Passaic was built of iron, and
was launched in 1860. Her length
is 200 feet; beam, 46 feet: draugct
of water, l16 feet. She has a dis
placement of 1875 tons, and attain
ed speed Of knots per hour with
an indicated horsepower Of 377.
The capacity of her coal bunkers is
140 tons. Her battery consists of
xy-inch smootb-bore and l xI-inch
smoth-bore Her sides are protected
by five inches of laminated iron, and
her turret by eleven inches of the
same. This vessel and eleven others
of her class constitute the entire
armored fleet of the United States.
Too much credit cannot be awarded
to Captain Ericsson for bis blilliant
conception of this floating battery,
and the navy must be ever grateful
to him for preserving it from dire
disaster, which was averted by the
appearance of the original Monitor
at the moment of a great crisis.
These vessels bore themselves well
through the storms of element and
battle during the war, proving capa-
bic of making sea-vovages, and OF
resisting the effects of the artillery
that was in use during the period of
their usefulness but an interval of
more than twenty years has produc-
ed such a change in artillery as to
make the protection afforded by
fewlaminated plates of one-inch iron
but poor defence against it, which
results in robbing this fleet of its
once formidable character. Although
many of the features of the original
design may be retained in new con-
structions. most of the details will be
changed, notably in the turret, in
consequence of the greater weight
resulting from the increased thick
ness of armor. The central spindle
around which the Ericsson turret re-
wolves must disappear, and the tur-
ret must turn on rollers under the
base.
The effect produced abroad by
the success of Ericsson's Monitor is
so familiar to all that it hardly |
needs more than passing allusion |
here There is no doubt that the |
Monitor was progenitor of all the |
turreted vessels in the fleets of the
world the essential principal OF the
vessel. however, was never viewed |
with favor. This principal consists in |
the low freeboard, which besides re-
ducing the size of the target, was in
tended to contribute to the steadi-
ness of the hull as a gun platform
by offering no resistance to the
waves, which we're expected to wash |
freely over the vessels deck: the \
to horizontal overhang fthe Passaic I
class was intended to contribute re-
sisting a rolling motion. The vessel
was designed to be as raft on the |
water, constantly submerged by the
passing waves, hermetically sealed
10 prevent the admission of water,
and artificially ventilated by means
of blowers drawing air down through
the turret. This was the most start
ling feature about the construction.
The protection afforded TO the bat
tery by circular turret, having the
form best suited to defect prolectil-
es, the employment Of machinery to
point the guns by the rotation of the
turret, the protection to motive pow
er, to anchoring apparatus, ETC., all
presented admirable points of advan-
tage but the most perfect immersion
of the pull, and the absence of mo-
ton due tc the great stability, was