The Kalamazoo-class monitors were a class of ocean-going ironcladmonitors begun during the American Civil War. Unfinished by the end of the war, their construction was suspended in November 1865 and the unseasoned wood of their hulls rotted while they were still on the building stocks. If the four ships had been finished they would have been the most seaworthy monitors in the US Navy. One was scrapped in 1874 while the other three were disposed of a decade later.
John Lenthall, Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, ordered Benjamin F. Delano, naval constructor at New York City, to design a wooden-hulled ironclad that would carry her armament in two gun turrets. The deck was to be 3 feet (0.9 m) above the waterline and protected by 3 inches (76 mm) of armor. The ship's side armor was to be 10 inches (254 mm) thick, backed by 12–15 inches (305–381 mm) of wood; it was to cover the entire ship's side, down to a depth three feet below the waterline. It should carry enough coal to steam one week at full power with "sufficient speed to make good use of its ram".[1]Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, called them enlarged versions of the Miantonomoh-class monitors with greater speed and "adapted to coast service", meaning more seaworthy.[2]
The Kalamazoo-class ships were 345 feet 5 inches (105.3 m) long overall and had a length between perpendiculars of 332 feet 6 inches (101.3 m). They had a beam of 56 feet 8 inches (17.27 m) and a draft of 17 feet 6 inches (5.3 m). The ships were designed to displace 5,660 long tons (5,750 t) and were 3,200 tons burthen.[3] They were the largest ships to be built in navy shipyards to date.[2]
Their unseasoned wooden hulls were massively reinforced by iron straps as well as iron stanchions to bear the enormous weight of their armor and guns. They retained the typical monitor overhang introduced by John Ericsson, designer of the Monitor, where the upper part of the hull was 42 inches (1,100 mm) wider than the lower part of the hull. The Kalamazoo's wrought iron side armor consisted of two layers of three-inch plates, backed by 21 inches of wood, six feet in height. The outer layer of armor extended 18 inches (460 mm) further below the waterline. The three-inch deck armor rested on 6 inches (152 mm) of wood and was covered in another three inches of wood.[2]
They were powered by two 2-cylinder horizontal direct-acting steam engines, each driving one 15-foot (4.6 m) propellers, using steam generated by eight tubular boilers.[2][Note 1] The engines were rated at 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW) and designed to reach a top speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4] They had a bore of 46.5 inches (1,181 mm) and a stroke of 50 inches (1,270 mm). Two large funnels were positioned between the turrets to handle the combustion gases from the boilers.[2] The Kalamazoos were intended to carry 500 long tons (510 t) of coal.[4]
The ships' main armament consisted of four smoothbore, muzzle-loading, 15-inch (381 mm) Dahlgren guns mounted in two twin-gun turrets.[2] Each gun weighed approximately 43,000 pounds (20,000 kg). They could fire a 350-pound (158.8 kg) shell up to a range of 2,100 yards (1,900 m) at an elevation of +7°.[5] The turrets were protected by 15 inches of armor.[Note 2][4]
Construction of the ships began between late 1863 and early 1864 and they were still being built when the war ended in early 1865. Construction was suspended on all four on 17 November 1865; they remained on the stocks. The ships were renamed, usually twice, in 1869 to conform to several new ship naming conventions. Vice AdmiralDavid D. Porter ordered that Colossus be rebuilt to carry 10 large broadside guns and fitted with iron masts in a ship rig, but this never happened. The unseasoned wood in their hulls quickly began to rot after construction was suspended and they were broken up beginning in 1874.[2] Unusually, Passaconaway was condemned by an Act of Congress on 5 August 1882 before she was finally broken up in 1884.[11]
Canney, Donald L. (1993). The Old Steam Navy: The Ironclads, 1842–1885. Vol. 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-586-8.
Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-8317-0302-4.
Olmstead, Edwin; Stark, Wayne E.; Tucker, Spencer C. The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast, and Naval Cannon. Alexandria Bay, New York: Museum Restoration Service. ISBN0-88855-012-X.
Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN0-88254-979-0.
Silverstone, Paul H. (1989). Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-783-6.
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The Kalamazoo class monitors were a class of ocean going ironclad monitors begun during the American Civil War Unfinished by the end of the war their construction was suspended in November 1865 and the unseasoned wood of their hulls rotted while they were still on the building stocks If the four ships had been finished they would have been the most seaworthy monitors in the US Navy One was scrapped in 1874 while the other three were disposed of a decade later Engraving of KalamazooClass overview NameKalamazoo class Operators United States Navy Preceded byMiantonomoh class Succeeded byUSS Puritan Built1863 65 Planned4 Completed0 Scrapped4 General characteristics TypeMonitor Displacement5 600 long tons 5 700 t Tons burthen3 200 bm Length345 ft 5 in 105 3 m Beam56 ft 8 in 17 3 m Draft17 ft 6 in 5 3 m Installed power2 000 ihp 1 500 kW estimated 8 Tubular boilers Propulsion2 Shafts 2 Direct acting steam engines Speed10 knots 19 km h 12 mph Armament2 2 15 inch 381 mm smoothbore Dahlgren guns ArmorGun turret 10 15 in 254 381 mm Hull 6 in 152 mm Deck 3 in 76 mm Contents 1 Design and description 2 Ships 3 Construction and fate 4 Notes 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External linksDesign and description editJohn Lenthall Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair ordered Benjamin F Delano naval constructor at New York City to design a wooden hulled ironclad that would carry her armament in two gun turrets The deck was to be 3 feet 0 9 m above the waterline and protected by 3 inches 76 mm of armor The ship s side armor was to be 10 inches 254 mm thick backed by 12 15 inches 305 381 mm of wood it was to cover the entire ship s side down to a depth three feet below the waterline It should carry enough coal to steam one week at full power with sufficient speed to make good use of its ram 1 Gideon Welles Secretary of the Navy called them enlarged versions of the Miantonomoh class monitors with greater speed and adapted to coast service meaning more seaworthy 2 The Kalamazoo class ships were 345 feet 5 inches 105 3 m long overall and had a length between perpendiculars of 332 feet 6 inches 101 3 m They had a beam of 56 feet 8 inches 17 27 m and a draft of 17 feet 6 inches 5 3 m The ships were designed to displace 5 660 long tons 5 750 t and were 3 200 tons burthen 3 They were the largest ships to be built in navy shipyards to date 2 Their unseasoned wooden hulls were massively reinforced by iron straps as well as iron stanchions to bear the enormous weight of their armor and guns They retained the typical monitor overhang introduced by John Ericsson designer of the Monitor where the upper part of the hull was 42 inches 1 100 mm wider than the lower part of the hull The Kalamazoo s wrought iron side armor consisted of two layers of three inch plates backed by 21 inches of wood six feet in height The outer layer of armor extended 18 inches 460 mm further below the waterline The three inch deck armor rested on 6 inches 152 mm of wood and was covered in another three inches of wood 2 They were powered by two 2 cylinder horizontal direct acting steam engines each driving one 15 foot 4 6 m propellers using steam generated by eight tubular boilers 2 Note 1 The engines were rated at 2 000 indicated horsepower 1 500 kW and designed to reach a top speed of 10 knots 19 km h 12 mph 4 They had a bore of 46 5 inches 1 181 mm and a stroke of 50 inches 1 270 mm Two large funnels were positioned between the turrets to handle the combustion gases from the boilers 2 The Kalamazoos were intended to carry 500 long tons 510 t of coal 4 The ships main armament consisted of four smoothbore muzzle loading 15 inch 381 mm Dahlgren guns mounted in two twin gun turrets 2 Each gun weighed approximately 43 000 pounds 20 000 kg They could fire a 350 pound 158 8 kg shell up to a range of 2 100 yards 1 900 m at an elevation of 7 5 The turrets were protected by 15 inches of armor Note 2 4 Ships editShip Builder 3 Namesake Renamed 3 Laid down 3 Suspended 3 Scrapped 3 Kalamazoo Brooklyn Naval Shipyard Brooklyn New York Kalamazoo River 6 Colossus 15 June 1869 1863 17 November 1865 1884 Passaconaway Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Kittery Maine Mount Passaconaway 7 Thunderer 15 June 1869 Massachusetts 10 August 1869 18 November 1863 Quinsigamond Boston Naval Shipyard Boston Massachusetts Lake Quinsigamond 8 Hercules 15 June 1869 Oregon 10 August 1869 15 April 1864 Shackamaxon Note 3 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Philadelphia Pennsylvania Shackamaxon 10 Hecla 15 June 1869 Nebraska 10 August 1869 late 1863 January 1874 9 Construction and fate editConstruction of the ships began between late 1863 and early 1864 and they were still being built when the war ended in early 1865 Construction was suspended on all four on 17 November 1865 they remained on the stocks The ships were renamed usually twice in 1869 to conform to several new ship naming conventions Vice Admiral David D Porter ordered that Colossus be rebuilt to carry 10 large broadside guns and fitted with iron masts in a ship rig but this never happened The unseasoned wood in their hulls quickly began to rot after construction was suspended and they were broken up beginning in 1874 2 Unusually Passaconaway was condemned by an Act of Congress on 5 August 1882 before she was finally broken up in 1884 11 Notes edit Chesneau amp Kolesnik claim that these were Martin boilers 4 Silverstone claims that their armor was only 10 inches thick 3 Also spelled Shakamaxon 9 Footnotes edit Canney p 124 25 a b c d e f g Canney p 125 a b c d e f g Silverstone 1989 p 9 a b c d Chesneau amp Kolesnik p 122 Olmstead et al p 94 Silverstone 1984 p 456 Silverstone 1984 p 474 Silverstone 1984 p 477 a b Shakamaxon Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Navy Department Naval History and Heritage Command Retrieved 1 January 2013 Silverstone 1984 p 479 Passaconaway Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Navy Department Naval History and Heritage Command Retrieved 1 January 2013 References editCanney Donald L 1993 The Old Steam Navy The Ironclads 1842 1885 Vol 2 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 586 8 Chesneau Roger Kolesnik Eugene M eds 1979 Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1860 1905 Greenwich UK Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0 8317 0302 4 Olmstead Edwin Stark Wayne E Tucker Spencer C The Big Guns Civil War Siege Seacoast and Naval Cannon Alexandria Bay New York Museum Restoration Service ISBN 0 88855 012 X Silverstone Paul H 1984 Directory of the World s Capital Ships New York Hippocrene Books ISBN 0 88254 979 0 Silverstone Paul H 1989 Warships of the Civil War Navies Annapolis MD Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 783 6 External links edit nbsp American Civil War portal 1 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry on Kalamazoo 2 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry on Passaconaway 3 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry on Quinsigamond 4 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry on Shackamaxon Retrieved from https en 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