DC -- John Ericsson Memorial:
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- JERIC_051016_01.JPG: The John Ericsson Memorial is dedicated to the man who revolutionized naval history with his invention of the screw propeller. He was also the designer of the U.S.S Monitor, the ship that ensured Union naval supremacy during the Civil War.
The following information is from the NPS web site.
Every sailor should celebrate July 31 as a holiday. On that date in 1803, John Ericsson, arguably the greatest naval engineer since the creator of the sail, was born in Langbanshyttan, Sweden. From an early age, he had an inquisitive and brilliant mind. He was nine years old when he built a sawmill and developed a pumping device to clear mines of water. Clearly this was no ordinary child.
Ericsson's father worked for Admiral Count Platen, the President of the Gotha Ship Canal in Sweden. Admiral Platen once remarked to the lad, "Continue as you have begun and you will one day produce something extraordinary." At age 13, he became a cadet in the Swedish Corps of Engineers, and managed a crew of 600 men on a section of the Gotha Ship Canal. Young Ericsson was the Mozart of engineers. Possessing such responsibilities at such a young age was a marvel. Oddly enough, upon completion of his service with the Gotha Ship Canal, this genius joined the army much to the chagrin of Admiral Platen. He made rank in the service, and was known as Captain John Ericsson for the remainder of his days.
In 1826, following his tour of duty with the army, Ericsson moved to England. There along with John Braithwaite, he developed the Novelty, a steam locomotive. It was entered in a contest with George Stephenson's Rocket in 1829. Despite the fact that the Novelty moved at a far faster rate, Ericsson and Braithwaite lost the competition because the Rocket pulled more. It was not speed, but power that carried the day. Frustrated in this endeavor, the brilliant engineer soon divert his attention toward matters of nautical interest, an area that would dominate the rest of his life. Frustrated in this endeavor, the brilliant engineer soon diverted his attention toward matters of nautical interest, an area that would dominate the rest of his life.
He developed the screw propeller, which is the prime source of motivation for sea vessels even to this day. In the late 1830's he tried to sell the concept of the screw propeller to the Royal Navy, but was rejected. This decision was tantamount to one dismissing the notion of the wheel itself. Although the Admiralty dismissed his propeller as not suitable for military use, Ericsson did impress a representative for the United States Navy, Captain Robert F. Stockton. While on a test run on the Thames River, Captain Stockton rode on Ericsson's screw propelled tugboat, the Francis B. Ogden. The steam engines were below the waterline and the source of propulsion was under the rudder of the craft, as opposed to the unwieldy paddle-wheeled steamer. After receiving Stockton's glowing approval, Ericsson moved to New York City.
From there he developed the Princeton, a screw propelled man-of-war, for the United States Navy in 1844. The ship's construction placed the engines four feet below the water line. From there they and the screw propeller were well protected from enemy fire. Unfortunately, the Princeton experiment ended in failure. A gun that Captain Stockton designed exploded during a trial run on the river in Washington, DC, killing among others, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Navy. Although Congress cleared Ericsson of any blame, he nonetheless became an outcast to the United States government. It was the propeller, rather than Ericsson, which survived the disaster. Since its inception and placement into practical use by the United States, this invention has been the main driving force behind seagoing vessels up to the present day. However, it was not until 18 years later that Ericsson himself would reclaim his reputation from the gutter. His floating battery, the Monitor, revolutionized naval warfare. The Monitor-class ships dominated rivers and coastlines for the duration of the Civil War. Following the original vessel's dynamic arrival on the scene in March 1862, Ericsson's success with this particular vessel restored his international prominence.
The Ship:
When the U.S.S. Monitor encountered the C.S.S. Virginia on that fateful day in March of 1862, Ericsson's financial backers technically owned her. The fact that the untested ship had been placed in immediate service spoke volumes about the confidence Ericsson's creditors had in his genius. Under the circumstances of Ericsson's contract, if the Monitor did not prove a success, all monies forwarded by the government were to be refunded. This could have led to the financiers' ruin. Yet these financial concerns did not matter to him. His motivation was the protection of the republic and what it stands for. He remarked, " I love this country, I love its people and its laws; and I would give my life for it just as soon as not." Here was his chance to redeem himself.
During a visit from the double-turreted Monitor-class ship, the Miantonomah in 1866, the Times of London reported, "Round the fearful invention were moored scores of big ships, forming a considerable portion of the navy of that great maritime power, and there was not one of them that the foreigner could not have sent to the bottom in five minutes, had his mind not been peaceful. There was not one of these big ships that could have avenged the loss of its companions, or saved itself from a like fate. In fact, the wolf was in the fold, and the whole flock was at its mercy."
Truly, Ericsson's vision, which was denied by the British Admiralty, came back to haunt the Royal Navy as a reminder that a new age in the realm of naval warfare had dawned. John Ericsson's life is a true American success story. His arrival in the United States was marred by disaster not of his making, however his reputation was salvaged due to teaming his engineering genius with his great love for the United States of America. He was a true hero of the struggle to preserve the Union. After his long, productive career, his life ended in New York City on March 8, 1889. His remains now lay buried in his native Sweden.
The John Ericsson Memorial, located near the Lincoln Memorial, presents a low profile on the skyline of the Federal City. The same could also be said of his Monitor lurking upon the waters of Hampton Roads. In 1916, Congress appropriated $35,000 for the creation of the memorial. Americans chiefly of Scandinavian descent raised an additional $25,000 in the following years. Much as Ericsson experienced difficulty in selling his Monitor, the memorial dedicated to him likewise endured bureaucratic delays.
In 1916, Congress appropriated $35,000 for the creation of the memorial. Americans chiefly of Scandinavian descent raised an additional $25,000 in the following years. The site of the memorial was under dispute from the beginning as its placement conflicted with plans for the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Finally, in 1924 the site was set 800 feet south of the Lincoln Memorial in Potomac Park, in the section now known as West Potomac Park. Unfortunately, due to this delay, James Earle Fraser, the artist chosen by the John Ericsson Memorial Foundation in 1921, remained unable to complete the work for the planned May 1926 dedication. Therefore, Frasier had to place the plaster cast on the site and paint it pink to match the Milford granite that would eventually stand there. On a fine spring Saturday, May 29, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge and Crown Prince Gustav Adolph of Sweden, dedicated the faux granite memorial in front of a crowd of 5,000 people. In September, the granite arrived on site, allowing Frasier the opportunity to carve it. The spring of 1927 saw the unveiling of the true permanent granite memorial visible today.
The Nordic symbolism of the John Ericsson Memorial is apparent to those who visit it. The brooding Swedish-American engineer is backed by three figures representing the qualities of Vision, Adventure, and Labor; each bespeaks the motivation behind Ericsson's inventions. The three mythological figures remain bound together by the Norse "Tree of Life," known as the Yggdrassil. A compass surrounds the base of the statue, with the arrow fittingly pointing due north, towards the Lincoln Memorial, a shrine dedicated to Ericsson's benefactor. It was President Abraham Lincoln who gave Ericsson his chance to assist the war effort.
The marooned nature of the John Ericsson Memorial, and its placement in a lonely corner of West Potomac Park, reflects the unfortunate status Ericsson himself faced in society after the Princeton incident. The isolation reminds us also of the fact that John Ericsson and his naval engineering accomplishments were without equal. Among the memorials on the National Mall, Ericsson's remains a tribute to the opportunity to succeed, which the United States affords to all from within and without.
- Wikipedia Description: John Ericsson National Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Ericsson National Memorial, located near the National Mall at Ohio Drive and Independence Avenue, SW, in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to the man who revolutionized naval history with his invention of the screw propeller. The Swedish engineer John Ericsson was also the designer of the USS Monitor, the ship that ensured Union naval supremacy during the American Civil War.
The national memorial was authorized by Congress on August 31, 1916, and dedicated on May 29, 1926 by President Calvin Coolidge and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Congress appropriated $35,000 for the creation of the memorial, and Americans chiefly of Scandinavian descent raised an additional $25,000. Constructed on a site near the Lincoln Memorial between September 1926 and April 1927, the pink Milford granite memorial is 20 feet (6.1 m) high with a 150-foot (46 m) diameter base.
Sculpted by James Earle Fraser, it features a seated figure of Ericsson 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) high, and three standing figures representing adventure, labor, and vision. The national memorial is managed by National Mall and Memorial Parks.
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