Passaic class monitor
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USS Passaic during gunnery tests in the Hudson River, N.Y., November 1862 |
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Class overview | |
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Builders: | Continental Iron Works Harlan & Hollingsworth Harrison Loring Reaney, Son and Archbold Donohue, Ryan & Secor Atlantic Iron Works |
Succeeded by: | Canonicus class |
In commission: | 25 November 1862 - 1899 |
Completed: | 10 |
Lost: | 2 USS Weehawken, foundered 6 December 1863 USS Patapsco, mined 15 January 1865 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement: | 1,875 tons |
Length: | 200 ft (61 m) overall |
Beam: | 46 ft (14 m) |
Draught: | 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) |
Propulsion: | 2 Martin boilers, 1-shaft Ericsson vibrating lever engine, 320 ihp (235 kW) |
Speed: | 7 knots |
Complement: | 75 |
Armament: | 1 × 15 in (381 mm) smoothbore 1 × 11 in (279 mm) smoothbore Lehigh, Patapsco: 1 × 15 in (381 mm) smoothbore 1 × 8 in (203 mm) Parrott rifle Camanche: 2 × 15 in (381 mm) smoothbore |
Armor: | Iron Side: 5 - 3 in (12.7 - 7.6 cm) Turret: 11 in (27.9 cm) Deck: 1 in (2.5 cm) |
The Passaic-class ironclad monitors of the U.S. Navy saw service in the U.S. Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The last such monitor was stricken from the Navy List in 1937.
Naval architect and engineer John Ericsson designed the Passaic-class warships, drawing upon lessons learned from the first USS Monitor, which he also designed. The Monitor fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, but was lost in a storm in December 1862. The Passaic monitors were larger than the original Monitor and had their pilothouses atop the turret, rather than near the bow. This allowed a wider field of fire and easier communications between captain, pilot and crew.
Warships of Passaic class included:
The first ship of the class was named for the town of Passaic, New Jersey.
[edit] References
Gardiner, Robert (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Conway Maritime Press, p. 120. ISBN 0 85177 133 5.
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