ARMOUR PLATE MAKING IN THE

UNITED STATES.

BY CHARLES O'NEIL.

[Charles O'Neil, rear-admiral U. S. N.; born England, 1842; entered the United States navy on the sloop Cumberland as master's mate, July 1861, and was with it at the capture of Forts Hatteras and Clarke, August 1861; in engagement with confederate ironclad Merrimac 1862; rescued lieutenant Morris from drowning; was favorably mentioned in dispatches and promoted to acting master, 1862; was in both attacks on Fort Fisher; promoted acting volunteer lieutenant 1865; commissioned lieutenant 1868; lieutenant commander 1868; commander 1884; captain 1897; chief naval bureau of ordnance 1897, rear admiral April 22, 1901.]

The manufacture of armour plate as an industry in the United States dates back only to the year 1888, as prior to that time, there being no demand for armour, no establishment in the country was equipped with the necessary machinery for making it, or fully understood the process of manufacture; but as soon as a demand was created, private enterprise quickly provided a source of supply. It is difficult at this time to understand the indifference that existed in this country for a period of at least twenty five years prior to 1888 with regard to armoured ships of war,-a subject which during that time had deeply engrossed the attention of other leading maritime nations of the world, several of which had created powerful fleets of ironclad vessels before the people of the United States had awakened to the necessity of following their example. The enjoyment of peace after the long years of civil war no doubt had much to do with this seeming indifference. During the succeeding years the wooden ships of which the United States navy was almost entirely composed gradually went to decay, until there was but a vestige of a navy remaining; and when matters got to the worst, in 1883, a reaction set in and the United States government went to work seriously to build up a modern navy, and found that it was necessary to aid and encourage several new branches of industry which did not exist in the country, but which were necessary in the construction and equipment of modern ships of war.

The United States navy register of 1864 contains among the list of vessels of the navy the names of seventy three iron

clads, showing that the use of armoured protection for vessels of war, even though of an inferior quality, was recognized as an essential feature of their construction at that period, which makes it all the more astonishing that the matter should have been so completely dropped after the close of the Civil war and allowed to slumber for a period of twenty five years.

The vessels referred to consisted of double and single turreted monitors, of which several remain on the navy list to-day, though the vessels themselves are of but little value, having obsolete guns and very inferior armour. inferior armour. There were also some of the so called light draught monitors, which proved to be utter failures, and a number of Mississippi river steamers which had been adapted for military purposes, and a few of more notable type, such as the Dunderberg, New Ironsides, Galena, and Keokuk.

The armour of nearly all of the United States vessels of that period consisted of several layers of thin plates, each about 1 inch thick, laid on heavy wooden backing; and while of very inferior quality, as viewed from the present standpoint of efficiency, it proved to be quite effective against the artillery then opposed to it. The old monitors received many hits off Charleston, some of the records being as follows:-Montauk, hit 214 times; Weehawken, 187 times; Patapsco, 141 times; Passaic, 134 times; Catskill, 106 times; Nahant, 105 times; Nantucket, 104 times; Lehigh, 36 times; and the New Ironsides, 193 times. Many of these hits were from 10-inch guns, and though the vessels were, as a rule, able to remain at their stations, they suffered considerable injury, though but little was said about it at the time.

The most notable United States ironclads of that period were the Dunderberg and the New Ironsides, and a few words concerning them may not be without interest. The Dunderberg (or Thundering Mountain) was built by William H. Webb, at New York, and is described in the official papers as an iron clad, shot-proof, steam-screw ship of war with ram, to be built of wood and cased with iron. She was designed to carry two revolving gun turrets on the casemate deck, each 21 feet in diameter and 8 feet high in the clear, the armour iron of which was to be 11 inches thick. Each turret was to contain two

guns of 15-inch caliber, and in the casemate eight 11-inch Dahlgren guns were to be carried. The turrets were to be turned by steam. There was to be a shot proof pilot house on one of the turrets or on the casemate deck. The engines and boilers were to be of sufficient capacity to propel the vessel at least 15 knots per hour for twelve consecutive hours in fair weather and smooth water at sea. The vessel was to be completed in fifteen months from July 3, 1862. The guns were to be supplied by the government, but the contractors were to furnish the gun carriages. The contract price was $1,250,000.

The port shutters were of wrought iron, 4 inches thick, and the outer hull was of wood, 6 feet thick at the main deck level, decreasing to 2 feet at the bilge. The under water body was coppered. The sides of the vessel from the main deck to about 5 feet below the load water line were covered with iron 3 inches thick from deck to water line, tapering to 24 inches at the lower edge, and also tapering towards the bow and stern to 24 inches, made in slabs placed vertically. The sloping sides and ends of the casemate were covered with iron plates 4 inches thick, made in one thickness, and about 28 inches wide.

The ship itself was a little over 380 feet long and of 73 feet beam, with a displacement of 7000 tons. The total weight of armour was 1000 tons. The engines were of about 5000 indicated horse power.

The armament as projected was probably more than the ship could carry, and it was finally decided to omit the turrets and the turret guns, and to give the vessel two 15-inch and four 11-inch guns, one 15-inch and one 11-inch gun to be mounted on each broadside and one 11-inch at each end of the casemate. This battery was mounted about February, 1867, from which it will appear that instead of being completed in October, 1863, as required by the contract, the vessel was not completed until three years and a half later.

On February 22, 1867, the Dunderberg went to sea to test her battery, and its general performance was reported as satisfactory. On account of the omission of the turrets a deduction of $22,860 was made from the contract price. It

does not appear that a regular speed trial was made, but it is recorded that at one time a speed of ten knots was attained.

After the vessel was completed, she was, by authority of congress, turned over to the builders upon payment by them of all moneys paid or advanced by the government, and Mr. Webb then sold the ship to the French government. After some alterations, she was put in the service of the French navy, under the name of Rochambeau. There are no records available showing the nature of these alterations or her later history.

The New Ironsides was designed and built by the Cramp snipbuilding company, of Philadelphia, but the scheme of the vessel was due to Mr. B. H. Bartol, of the Philadelphia engine building firm of Merrick and Co. She was called a casemated ironclad frigate, with unarmoured ends, except that her waterline was protected by a complete belt. Her battery consisted of fourteen 11-inch smooth bores and two 8-inch rifles mounted in a casemate. Her steam speed was about six knots, but she had a good spread of sail in addition. Her armour consisted of 44-inch solid iron plates, backed by 21 inches of oak, the inclination of the casemate being 30 degrees from the perpendicular. The armour plates were made at Pittsburg.

For two years this ship was subjected to the most severe test a war vessel can undergo,-alternate blockade duty and close action against fortifications during the American Civil war. On one occasion she remained in action three hours, alone, against the combined forts of Charleston harbor, holding down the artillery fire of the batteries until she was obliged to haul out for lack of ammunition. During this time she was struck on her side armour sixty times, but an investigation showed her to be entirely uninjured. In a period of about six months the New Ironsides was struck 193 times, and was never forced to leave the station for repairs. After the Civil war the vessel was laid up at League Island, Philadelphia, and was destroyed by an accidental fire.

The confederate American ironclad steamers Merrimac, Atlanta, and Tennessee are well worthy of mention; for when we consider the limited means at hand and the lack of skilled labor available, the results achieved can not but excite the admiration of naval people. As is well known, the Merrimac,

or Virginia, as she was officially known, was the United States frigate Merrimac, which fell into the hands of the confederacy at the Norfolk navy yard when it was abandoned by the United States forces. She was cut down, and a heavy casemate of timber was built upon her. This was covered with two layers of narrow bars of rolled iron, each 14 inches thick, making a total of 3 inches. These slabs were rolled from railroad iron, and were, therefore, of excellent material. This iron plating was laid over 20 inches of oak, and was placed at an angle of about 30 degrees from the horizontal. So far as known, no material damage was done to the armour of the Merrimac by the fire of any of the vessels in action with her, among them the historic Monitor.

The confederate steamer Atlanta was built by converting an iron hulled blockade running steamer. Additional displacement was given her by sponsoning her out with square logs, thus increasing her beam, and she was fitted with a central casemate, or citadel, built of 15 inches of Georgia pine, covered by 3 inches of oak, on which were laid two courses of 2-inch iron bars, 7 inches wide (probably rolled from railroad iron), the inner layer being horizontal and the outer one vertical, the fastenings being 11-inch through-bolts set up with nuts and washers. She had a battery of two 6-inch and two 7-inch rifles. The sides of the casemates were inclined at an angle of about 30 degrees from the horizontal.

The Atlanta, under the command of Captain William A. Webb, of the confederate navy, was captured by the United States monitor Weehawken, Captain John Rogers, on July 17, 1863, in the sounds of North Carolina. The Weehawken fired five shots, three of which took effect, penetrating the Atlanta's armor and killing or wounding many of the crew of two guns. She grounded and surrendered.

The confederate ship Tennessee was after the same type as the Atlanta, but was built of wood and specially constructed for use as a vessel of war, and was, therefore, somewhat heavier. The framing of the casemate consisted of an inside diagonal ceiling of 2 inches oak; vertical pine timbers 13 inches thick; an outside layer of 4 inches of oak timber covered by three thicknesses of 2-inch iron bars, 7 inches wide, the whole fast