| Summary |
This thesis represents an examination of the development and construction of the U. S. S. Monitor, the first ironclad steam warship commissioned by the United States Navy. The concept of this turreted, low-freeboard, armored, steam battery was the product of Swedish American engineer, John Ericsson. When the American Civil War sparked an intense interest in the construction of armored steamers, Ericsson had been developing his monitor concept for almost two decades. The design incorporated virtually all of the technological innovations which were responsible for the transition in naval architecture which was taking place during the nineteenth century, While an innovative career in marine construction kept Ericsson acutely aware of these technological advances, there had been little to prepare the United States Navy for coping with their wholesale adoption in the form of the Monitor. Since the War of 1812, little save the war with Mexico had been capable of generating support for either expanding or modernizing the United States Navy. Although the influence of a few far-sighted individuals stimulated sporadic experiments with steam propulsion and armor, the results produced little discernable impact among conservative naval policy makers. Likewise these token experiments did little to prepare the navy for developing an ironclad construction program. To complicate the navy's already untenable position, the prospects of civil war brought hundreds of suggestions, opinions, and proposals for the construction of ironclad steam batteries flooding into the navy. Groping for a solution, the navy appointed a board of three officers to determine the most appropriate policy to adopt. After reviewing dozens of designs and proposals, and reiterating their own incompetence in the matter, the members of the board hesitantly approved the construction of three designs. Two reflected the traditional adaption of steam and armor which was characterized by vessels under construction in Europe. The third design, given conditional approval only after a considerable amount of pressure was brought to bear on the board, was that submitted by Ericsson. Approval of the contract for the battery presented the Swedish American engineer and several newly acquired associates with the monumental task of constructing it within the brief period of only one hundred days. To accomplish this Ericsson was required to simultaneously work out the details of the design and organize a system for producing it. While he. labored virtually alone on the design, Ericsson decided to subcontract both the construction of the vessel and the production of the necessary materials and supplies. This method took the utmost advantage of the industrial capacity of the northeast and insured that the work would proceed as rapidly as possible. |
| Summary |
While this method of construction permitted almost every phase of the work to go on simultaneously, it created additional problems. The direct supervision of the work which Ericsson insisted upon proved especially physically taxing as it necessitated his presence at each of the construction sites on a daily basis. Logistics and synchronization between these locations demanded his constant attention. Material shortages created by an economy gearing up for war required frequent alterations in both design and construction scheduling, Complications also stemmed from the ''ironclad Board's" lack of confidence in their decision to approve Ericsson's novel proposal. These reservations were intensified by criticism of the project and served only to complicate further the business of constructing the battery. By late December there was little hope that the vessel would be delivered on time. Although the navy threatened to require Ericsson to pay heavy fines or forfeit the contract for not completing the Monitor in the specified one hundred days, plans for commissioning the battery continued without interruption. Increasing news of the successful conversion of the U. S. S. Merrimack at Norfolk added an air of urgency to the work for it was obvious that Ericsson's Monitor would provide not only the best, but, possibly the only defense against the powerful southern ironclad. Following shakedown cruises which revealed difficulties in the steam machinery and steering the Monitor was hastily commissioned and ordered to Hampton Roads. There, eight hours after a maiden voyage which almost proved to be her last, the battery received a test of its performance which not only justified construction of the vessel, but provided the world with the first comprehensive response to the technological innovations of the nineteenth century. |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| General note | Advisor: William N. Still, Jr. |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-124). |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
