USRC Naugatuck USRC " Naugatuck " was a twin - screw ironclad experimental steamer owned by the US Revenue Cutter Service during the American Civil War . She served the U . S . Treasury Department as the USRC " E . A . Stevens " ( later " Naugatuck " ) , a name she retained until sold in 1890 . She was loaned to the Navy by the Treasury Department and thus mistakenly referred to in US Navy dispatches during early 1862 as " USS " Naugatuck " " . An experimental ironclad design . In 1841 , Robert L . Stevens and Edwin Augustus Stevens — the sons of Colonel John Stevens of Hoboken , New Jersey — proposed to the Navy Department the construction of an ironclad vessel of high speed , with screw propellers and all machinery below the waterline . This proposal was accepted and an Act of Congress — approved on 14 April 1842 — authorized the Secretary of the Navy to contract for the construction of a shot and shell - proof steamer , to be built principally of iron , on the Stevens plan . The armor was to be thick , a thickness believed by the Stevenses to be sufficient to resist any gun then known . But experiments made by John Ericsson with his big wrought - iron gun proved that 4 . 5 inches of armor was insufficient , and the construction of the vessel was thus delayed . In 1854 , the builders constructed a larger battery , to be plated with of iron , but this in turn was never finished . This vessel was referred to as the Stevens Battery . A working " proof of concept " vessel . To demonstrate the practicality of the plan of the " Stevens Battery " , the Stevens brothers bought , modified and fitted out at their own expense a small prototype . The iron steamer — originally named " Naugatuck " — was built in 1844 by H . R . Dunham & Company , a New York City locomotive builder , for the Ansonia Copper and Brass Company . During the 1850s , " Naugatuck " ran between New London and New York . In 1861 , Stevens bought " Naugatuck " as a test - bed for innovations intended for the Stevens Battery , still unfinished in the shipyard . During 1861 and early 1862 , Stevens reinforced the deck to support one 100 - pound Parrott gun amidships trained forward , later augmented with two 12 - pounder howitzer s . Stevens replaced the original engine with a twin propeller arrangement , driven by two inclined engines with one boiler . He also added interior ballast tanks fore and aft . The New York Times reported on March 22 , 1862 , that “ The " Naugatuck " is not intended to be a model of Mr . Stevens ’ iron - clad battery , but is designed to illustrate one or two novel ideas connected with that monstrous engine of war , viz : The ability to sink and raise a vessel with great rapidity ; to turn and manage her by means of two propellers located one on each side of the stern ; also , taking up the recoil of the gun by means of India - rubber . ” Stevens renamed the vessel after himself . Many contemporary newspapers and later historians mistakenly confused the " E . A . Stevens " with the Stevens Battery . Edwin Stevens designed the gunboat to operate in shallow waters . The iron hull ' s ballast tanks were placed at the fore and aft extremes of the hull , and utilized a patented gum rubber liner to ensure a watertight seal . These ballast tanks were used to make the vessel semi - submersible , allowing the hull to change its draft from to . The reduced freeboard minimized the vessel ’ s vulnerability to gunfire , keeping the steam machinery below the waterline . Stevens added heavy duty centrifugal pumps that could fill ballast in minutes or , if the boat grounded while ballasted down , pump out to refloat the vessel quickly . With the ballast tanks dry , the vessel ' s speed increased from to over . While its hull boasted all - iron construction , its only armor consisted of a low - lying angled armor band or skirt surrounding the main deck . This band covered a wooden bulwark built of solid cedar , which rose above the deck and measured in depth . The bulwark surrounded the deck , keeping water off it and providing slight cover from enemy fire while ballasted down . At the onset of the Civil War , Stevens offered to donate his gunboat to the Navy , but officials refused the gift , explaining that the untried prototype was not suitable for Navy missions . Stevens then donated her to the U . S . Revenue Cutter Service , providing them with their first ironclad gunboat . " E . A . Stevens " was stationed as one of the cutters patrolling the Varrazano Narrows entrance to New York harbor . Operating with the North Atlantic Blockade . In March 1862 , the Treasury Department ordered the gunboat to steam south from New York to Hampton Roads . It did so with a crew of boatswain , gunner , carpenter , steward , cook , two quartermasters , 14 seamen , and a “ servant . ” The crew also included some of Stevens ’ associates , including William W . Shippen , from the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company . Shippen commanded the vessel , and Lieutenant s J . Wall Wilson and E . L . Morton ( USRCS ) serving under him . Thomas Lingle , who installed the gunboat ’ s machinery , served as chief engineer and remained in that position into 1863 . On April 9 , " E . A . Stevens " reached Hampton Roads to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron ’ s James River Squadron . On April 11 , under command of Captain Shippen , " Stevens " exchanged fire with CSS " Virginia " when the ironclad emerged from its anchorage near Craney Island . " Virginia " ’ s primary target , , declined action , so the hostilities proved inconclusive . On April 29 , Lt David Constable , USRCS relieved Shippen and took command of the gunboat and its crew of two dozen . By May 10 , Confederate land forces evacuated Norfolk , leaving the deep - draft " Virginia " with neither a defensible homeport nor a feasible escape route . On the evening of May 10 , commanding officer Josiah Tattnall ran the ironclad aground near Craney Island and set it on fire . When the fire reached the ship ’ s magazine , the " Virginia " was completely destroyed . With the destruction of the " Virginia " , the Confederate Navy retained only a few lightly armed gunboats to counter the superior forces of the Union Navy . Action at Drewery ' s Bluff ( Fort Darling ) . In an effort to renew his Peninsular Campaign , General George McClellan requested a squadron to force its way up the James River and threaten Richmond from the water . To fulfill this request , North Atlantic Blockading Squadron commander , Flag Officer Louis Goldsborough , assigned Commodore John Rodgers the command of the James River Squadron , which included the navy ’ s wooden steam gunboats and , the ironclads USS " Monitor " and , and " E . A . Stevens " . The Federal warships experienced only minor resistance during their passage up the James River to reach the fortifications at Drewry ’ s Bluff . On May 15 , the battle opened when Rodgers ’ flagship " Galena " approached to within of sunken obstructions in the river . The fort was armed with eight heavy naval guns manned by local Confederate land forces and naval personnel ( the former crew of the " Virginia " ) . " Galena " received over forty hits of which eighteen penetrated its armor . " Monitor " was designed for surface naval combat rather than shore bombardment , so its guns could not elevate high enough to hit the fort . " Stevens " moved up to take its place . The gunboat ' s technological innovations worked effectively , and she sustained no heavy damage from plunging fire as it sat partly submerged and firing its main battery . Moreover , the gunboat ’ s ordnance loading system successfully protected the crew from enemy sharpshooters and musket fire . " Stevens " suffered from the same problem as Monitor , her gun designed to battle warships , not for shore bombardment . " Stevens " bombardment halted when the 100 - pound Parrott rifle burst while firing . The explosion shattered the gun ’ s breech , damaging the pilothouse and the ship ’ s deck . Despite losing its main gun , the gunboat continued to fight its 12 - pound howitzers with canister and shell . By 11 a . m . , Galena had suffered severe damage , exhausted its ammunition , and sustained thirteen dead and many wounded . Rodgers ordered the fleet to retire down river . The " Stevens " had experienced few casualties despite musket fire , enemy shelling , and its catastrophic gun failure . One of the crew received a shot in the arm ; another suffered a serious contusion . Lt . Constable sustained a head injury from shrapnel from the exploding Parrott gun , but remained at his station directing the broadside guns and commanding the ship throughout the remainder of the battle . The James River Squadron retired to City Point , with " Stevens " arriving that evening and the rest of the squadron arriving in the morning of May 16 . On the 16th , Rodgers convened a board , composed of squadron officers , to examine the remains of the Parrott rifle and determine the cause of its failure . The board concluded that rigorous testing and experimentation before installation on board the " Stevens " had weakened the gun , which was the first of its kind produced by the manufacturer . Meanwhile , the gunboat received the squadron ’ s wounded and proceeded downriver shortly thereafter to Fort Monroe . " E . A . Stevens " had been operating in Virginia waters since early April 1862 . Even though its main gun remained shattered , Commodore Rodgers still felt it could provide good service to the James River Squadron . Nevertheless , the vessel saw no serious action after Drewry ’ s Bluff . Returned to the Treasury Department . " " Naugatuck " " was returned to the Treasury Department , and on May 26 the Secretary ordered the gunboat to depart Hampton Roads and steam north to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs . On May 29 , while the gunboat underwent these repairs , President Lincoln honored Lt . Constable by promoting him to Captain before an audience of his full cabinet . Soon afterward , the Treasury Department transferred Constable to a new assignment , but not one near the front lines of the war . By mid - July 1862 , the gunboat had made its way to New York City to become guard ship for the harbor . In July 1863 , the gunboat defended the McDougal General Hospital at Fort Schuyler , playing a small role in the infamous New York City Draft Riots . On July 29 , Treasury Secretary Salmon P . Chase ordered the gunboat ’ s name to revert from " E . A . Stevens " back to " Naugatuck " . Out of its 45 years of its existence , the vessel held the name " E . A . Stevens " for little more than three years . After the conclusion of hostilities , the Treasury Department assigned " Naugatuck " responsibility for patrolling North Carolina ’ s inland sounds , homeported at New Bern . " Naugatuck " served in this duty from late 1865 until the summer of 1889 , with periodic trips to New York , Norfolk , and Baltimore for maintenance and repairs . Throughout its career as a gunboat , " E . A . Stevens / Naugatuck " remained a steamer in the Revenue Cutter Service and at no time had belonged to the United States Navy . On 18 August 1889 , she was reported at Baltimore , Maryland to be sold .