Existing comment:
Model of Wabash:
The Wabash was built at Philadelphia Navy Yard and commissioned in August 1856. The large American steam frigates built just before the Civil War demonstrate the combination of a steam driven propeller and a full broadside gun battery.
John Ericsson (1803-1889)
Engineer-inventor Ericsson made several significant contributions to naval design. He proposed placing a warship's engine below the waterline in 1833, following up this innovation with the screw propeller.
Swedish by birth, Ericsson immigrated [probably should be "emigrated"] to the United States in 1839 and became a citizen in 1848. During the Civil War, he convinced the Navy Department to try his final, most audacious design: steam-powered warship with a screw propeller and an armored, revolving gun turret. His ship, called the Monitor, would transform naval warfare. |