Passaic class monitor

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USS Passaic during gunnery tests in the Hudson River, N.Y., November 1862
Class overview
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.