Civil War ironclads
Subtitle: the U.S. Navy and industrial mobilization
By: William H. Roberts.
Series: Johns Hopkins studies in the history of technology; Johns Hopkins studies in the history of technology (Unnumbered)
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 285
Subjects: United States. Navy -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865; Armored vessels -- United States -- History -- 19th century; Marine engineering -- United States -- History -- 19th century; Industrial mobilization -- United States -- History -- 19th century; Shipbuilding industry -- Military aspects -- United States -- History -- 19th century; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Technology
Description: "Civil War Ironclads offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding. In constructing its new fleet of ironclads, William H. Roberts explains, the U.S. Navy faced the enormous engineering challenges of a largely experimental technology. In addition, it had to manage a ship acquisition program of unprecedented size and complexity.

To meet these challenges, the navy established a "project office" that was virtually independent of the existing administrative system. The office spearheaded efforts to broaden the naval industrial base and develop a marine fleet of ironclads by granting shipbuilding contracts to inland firms. Under the intense pressure of a wartime economy, it learned to support its high-technology vessels while incorporating the lessons of combat.".

"But neither the broadened industrial base nor the advanced management system survived the return of peace. Cost overruns, delays, and technical blunders discredited the embryonic project office, while capital starvation and never-ending design changes crippled or ruined almost every major builder of ironclads. When navy contracts evaporated, so did the shipyards. Contrary to widespread belief, Roberts concludes, the ironclad program set navy shipbuilding back a generation."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. "I Have Shouldered This Fleet"; title: Gustavus Fox and "Monitor Mania" 9; title: 2. Forging the Fleet; title: Alban C. Stimers and the Passaic Project 25; title: 35. The Navy Looks West 45; title: 4. Mobilization on the Ohio River 69; title: 5. Miserable Failures; title: Combat Lessons and Political Engineering 84; title: 6. A Million of Dollars; title: The Price of"Continuous Improvement" lo1; title: 7. Progress Retarded; title: The Harbor and River Monitors, 1863-I864 122; title: 8. The Sudden Destruction of Bright Hopes; title: The Downfall of the General Inspector 147; title: 9. Good for Fifty Years; title: WindingDown theMobilization 17o; title: 1o. Additions, Alterations, and Improvements; title: Reversing Technological Momentum 198; title: Appendix; title: Tabular Data for Passaic- and; title: Tippecanoe-Class Monitors 211; title: Abbreviations 213; title: Notes 215; title: Essay on Sources 269; title: Index 277.