John Lenthall The Life Of A Naval Constructor

Author : Stephen Chapin Kinnaman
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 585 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2022-06-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781648894374

Get Book

John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor by Stephen Chapin Kinnaman Pdf

Many stirring words have been written about the heroic deeds of the officers and men of the U.S. Navy before, during and after the Civil War. But very little has been published about the naval constructors who built the warships that made their exploits possible. Of all of the Navy’s constructors from this era, none had more impact than John Lenthall (1807-1882). A native of Washington D.C. and the son of ambitious English parents, young Lenthall’s stellar rise through the ranks of naval constructors soon led to his appointment as the chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs. Now the U.S. government’s highest-ranking naval architect, John Lenthall was in charge of designing and constructing the nation’s warships. The magnificent Merrimack class steam frigates were one of his first achievements. His stance early in the Civil War on ironclads and coolness toward John Ericsson have been consistently misunderstood—Lenthall accepted the Navy’s need for armored warships but objected to a fleet of only brown water-capable monitors. When he retired in 1871, he had been bureau chief for over seventeen years and responsible for the building of nearly all the Navy’s ships during an era of unprecedented technological evolution. 'John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor' is thoroughly documented with previously untapped primary archival source material from Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum and the Franklin Institute, and the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. 'John Lenthall' is written by a historian and naval architect who can clearly explain the nuances of ship design. The author’s treatment of Lenthall and the legacy of his fellow constructors brings to life a previously untold chronicle of American ingenuity and achievement.

Author : Stephen Chapin Kinnaman
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2022-06-27
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1648894968

Get Book

John Lenthall by Stephen Chapin Kinnaman Pdf

Many stirring words have been written about the heroic deeds of the officers and men of the U.S. Navy before, during and after the Civil War. But very little has been published about the naval constructors who built the warships that made their exploits possible. Of all of the Navy's constructors from this era, none had more impact than John Lenthall (1807-1882). A native of Washington D.C. and the son of ambitious English parents, young Lenthall's stellar rise through the ranks of naval constructors soon led to his appointment as the chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs. Now the U.S. government's highest-ranking naval architect, John Lenthall was in charge of designing and constructing the nation's warships. The magnificent Merrimack class steam frigates were one of his first achievements. His stance early in the Civil War on ironclads and coolness toward John Ericsson have been consistently misunderstood-Lenthall accepted the Navy's need for armored warships but objected to a fleet of only brown water-capable monitors. When he retired in 1871, he had been bureau chief for over seventeen years and responsible for the building of nearly all the Navy's ships during an era of unprecedented technological evolution. 'John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor' is thoroughly documented with previously untapped primary archival source material from Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum and the Franklin Institute, and the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. 'John Lenthall' is written by a historian and naval architect who can clearly explain the nuances of ship design. The author's treatment of Lenthall and the legacy of his fellow constructors brings to life a previously untold chronicle of American ingenuity and achievement

Author : Stephen Chapin
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 318 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2024-04-02
Category : History
ISBN : 9781648898594

Get Book

A Crisis of Loyalties: The Destruction and Abandonment of the Gosport Navy Yard by Stephen Chapin Pdf

In the opening days of the American Civil War, the U.S. Navy suffered the catastrophic loss of its most valuable navy yard at Gosport, Virginia, commonly known as the Norfolk Navy Yard. Its fate was sealed by Virginia’s vote for secession and the subsequent resignation of most of the yard’s Southern officers, leaving its commandant, Charles Stewart McCauley, virtually defenseless. Early in the morning of Sunday, 21 April, fleeing federal forces set fire to and abandoned the Gosport Navy Yard, burning ten warships and surrendering 1,200 naval guns to Virginia’s militia. A year later, the Confederate ironclad "Virginia", built on the charred hulk of the steam frigate "Merrimack", chose the sloop "Cumberland"—the one ship to escape Gosport—as her first target during the Battle of Hampton Roads. "Virginia" then attacked the frigate "Congress", leaving in her wake nearly 280 dead or wounded Union sailors and two sunken ships. The birds from the disaster of Gosport had finally come home to roost. In his quest to uncover the details behind Gosport’s destruction, the author methodically cross-tracked chronologies, carefully examined primary sources and dug deeper into the principal officers’ backgrounds to grasp just what was in their minds during the hours leading up to the navy yard’s burning. This fresh focus has yielded a more nuanced explanation of McCauley’s decision to hold back "Merrimack", of Paulding’s rush to burn the yard and run, and of opportunities for success missed by all three commodores present. "A Crisis of Loyalties" is the first full-length work of history to present the entire story of the destruction and abandonment of the Gosport Navy Yard.

Author : Stephen Chapin Kinnaman
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 394 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2019-06-30
Category : Transportation
ISBN : 9781622735662

Get Book

Merrimack, The Biography of a Steam Frigate by Stephen Chapin Kinnaman Pdf

Merrimack is the biography of a warship, the U.S. Steam Frigate Merrimack. Her name has long been linked to the first duel of ironclads, an epic Civil War battle fought at Hampton Roads between the Monitor and Merrimack. But over time the myth of the Merrimack—actually the C.S.S. Virginia—displaced the memory of a magnificent antebellum U.S. Navy warship. The steam frigate Merrimack lost her identity. Nearly forgotten is the story of the original Merrimack, the namesake of a class of six powerful war steamers. When built she was the largest vessel in the U.S. Navy, the nation’s first screw-propelled frigate and the earliest major warship to be armed entirely with shell-firing guns. Her first commission took her on a tour of the principal naval stations of Europe. During her second commission, she served as flagship of the Navy’s Pacific Squadron, cruising the shores of Chile, Peru, Panama, Hawaii, Mexico and Nicaragua. Through the copious use of Merrimack’s deck logs, official correspondence, contemporary newspapers and journals, and original construction plans, the author’s research illuminates the mechanical issues and human interactions that indelibly shaped Merrimack’s brief career. The author provides an unparalleled glimpse into the day-to-day events that defined the life of an active antebellum warship. But Merrimack offers more than just a summary of the ship’s operational life. The author, a professional naval architect and marine engineer, dissects the origins of her design and compares the Merrimack class steam frigates to contemporary U.S. and British warships. He also examines the controversy surrounding her troubled engines, documenting their performance using archived drawings and steam log data. In summary, Merrimack embraces the many threads of a bygone era—history, biography, geography and technology—and has woven them together in telling of the story of the U.S. Steam Frigate Merrimack.

Author : Stephen Chapin Kinnaman
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2024-02-23
Category : History
ISBN : 1648899064

Get Book

A Crisis of Loyalties by Stephen Chapin Kinnaman Pdf

In the opening days of the American Civil War, the U.S. Navy suffered the catastrophic loss of its most valuable navy yard at Gosport, Virginia, commonly known as the Norfolk Navy Yard. Its fate was sealed by Virginia's vote for secession and the subsequent resignation of most of the yard's Southern officers, leaving its commandant, Charles Stewart McCauley, virtually defenseless. Early in the morning of Sunday, 21 April, fleeing federal forces set fire to and abandoned the Gosport Navy Yard, burning ten warships and surrendering 1,200 naval guns to Virginia's militia. A year later, the Confederate ironclad "Virginia", built on the charred hulk of the steam frigate "Merrimack", chose the sloop "Cumberland"-the one ship to escape Gosport-as her first target during the Battle of Hampton Roads. "Virginia" then attacked the frigate "Congress", leaving in her wake nearly 280 dead or wounded Union sailors and two sunken ships. The birds from the disaster of Gosport had finally come home to roost. In his quest to uncover the details behind Gosport's destruction, the author methodically cross-tracked chronologies, carefully examined primary sources and dug deeper into the principal officers' backgrounds to grasp just what was in their minds during the hours leading up to the navy yard's burning. This fresh focus has yielded a more nuanced explanation of McCauley's decision to hold back "Merrimack", of Paulding's rush to burn the yard and run, and of opportunities for success missed by all three commodores present. "A Crisis of Loyalties" is the first full-length work of history to present the entire story of the destruction and abandonment of the Gosport Navy Yard.

Author : John Henry Sherburne
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 436 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1851
Category : United States
ISBN : UCAL:$B60522

Get Book

The Life and Character of John Paul Jones, a Captain in the United States Navy by John Henry Sherburne Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 222 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 1894
Category : Naval art and science
ISBN : STANFORD:36105117797618

Get Book

U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings by Anonim Pdf

Author : Stephen Chapin Kinnaman
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2024-02-23
Category : History
ISBN : 1648899048

Get Book

A Crisis of Loyalties by Stephen Chapin Kinnaman Pdf

In the opening days of the American Civil War, the U.S. Navy suffered the catastrophic loss of its most valuable navy yard at Gosport, Virginia, commonly known as the Norfolk Navy Yard. Its fate was sealed by Virginia's vote for secession and the subsequent resignation of most of the yard's Southern officers, leaving its commandant, Charles Stewart McCauley, virtually defenseless. Early in the morning of Sunday, 21 April, fleeing federal forces set fire to and abandoned the Gosport Navy Yard, burning ten warships and surrendering 1,200 naval guns to Virginia's militia. A year later, the Confederate ironclad "Virginia", built on the charred hulk of the steam frigate "Merrimack", chose the sloop "Cumberland"-the one ship to escape Gosport-as her first target during the Battle of Hampton Roads. "Virginia" then attacked the frigate "Congress", leaving in her wake nearly 280 dead or wounded Union sailors and two sunken ships. The birds from the disaster of Gosport had finally come home to roost. In his quest to uncover the details behind Gosport's destruction, the author methodically cross-tracked chronologies, carefully examined primary sources and dug deeper into the principal officers' backgrounds to grasp just what was in their minds during the hours leading up to the navy yard's burning. This fresh focus has yielded a more nuanced explanation of McCauley's decision to hold back "Merrimack", of Paulding's rush to burn the yard and run, and of opportunities for success missed by all three commodores present. "A Crisis of Loyalties" is the first full-length work of history to present the entire story of the destruction and abandonment of the Gosport Navy Yard.

Author : R. J. Daniel
Publisher : Periscope Publishing Ltd.
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : History
ISBN : 1904381189

Get Book

The End of an Era by R. J. Daniel Pdf

This valuable book fills a welcome gap in the history of the Royal Navy, specifically the role of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors (RCNC) during the last half-century. The author served in the Eastern and Pacific Fleets during World War Two.

Author : Edward William Sloan
Publisher : Naval Institute Press
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2012-12-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612512914

Get Book

Benjamin Franklin Isherwood, Naval Engineer by Edward William Sloan Pdf

A classic account of the 40-year Naval career of Benjamin Franklin Isherwood, whose contributions to Naval engineering helped usher in the development of the modern American Navy. Focusing on the years during and immediately after the Civil War, this study chronicles the extensive contributions made by Isherwood in expanding the size and scope of the U.S. Navy.

Author : G. E. Farr,Brett F. Bostwick
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 53 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 1991
Category : Naval architecture
ISBN : 0913346195

Get Book

John Lenthall, Naval Architect: a Guide to Plans and Drawings of American Naval and Merchant Vessels 1790-1874 by G. E. Farr,Brett F. Bostwick Pdf

Author : United States. President
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1108 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1881
Category : Executive departments
ISBN : IND:30000129137794

Get Book

Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the ... Session of the ... Congress, with the Reports of the Heads of Departments and Selections from Accompanying Documents by United States. President Pdf

Author : Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 952 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2010-12-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9781598843392

Get Book

The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia [2 volumes] by Spencer C. Tucker Pdf

Long overlooked in favor of land engagements, this is the first encyclopedia to analyze the naval aspects of the American Civil War. The brilliance of both sides' secretaries of the navy, Stephen Mallory and Gideon Welles. The Dahlgren guns of the Union forces and the Confederate Navy's Brooke guns that were essential in battles involving ironclad ships. The significant contributions of African Americans in the ship crews of the U.S. Navy during the Civic War. These are examples of the fascinating details contained in The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia that provide readers with a complete understanding of the naval aspects of the American Civil War. The entries in this sweeping text provide comprehensive treatment of overall strategies on each side, the role of diplomacy, leading naval officers and other personalities, battles and important engagements, ship types, well-known individual warships, naval ordnance and weapons systems, and new developments such as mines and submarines. Topics such as shipboard life, major waterways, prominent seaports, and the role of logistics in determining the outcome of the war are also covered.

Author : John Fincham
Publisher : London : Whittaker
Page : 632 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 1851
Category : Naval architecture
ISBN : HARVARD:32044044835676

Get Book

A History of Naval Architecture by John Fincham Pdf

Author : Richard S. West
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 391 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2018-04-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9781789121193

Get Book

The Second Admiral by Richard S. West Pdf

A DEFINITIVE BUT HIGHLY EXCITING LIFE OF ONE OF THE MOST COLORFUL AND HITHERTO NEGLECTED FIGURES IN AMERICAN HISTORY David Dixon Porter (1813-1891) was a U.S. Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank of admiral, Porter helped improve the Navy as the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy after significant service in the American Civil War. Porter began naval service as a midshipman at the age of 10 under his father, Commodore David Porter, on the frigate U.S.S. John Adams. He served in the Mexican War in the attack on the fort at the City of Vera Cruz, commanded an independent flotilla of mortar boats at the capture of New Orleans, and later advanced to the rank of (acting) rear admiral in command of the Mississippi River Squadron, which co-operated with the army under Maj.-Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Vicksburg Campaign. After the fall of Vicksburg, he led the naval forces in the difficult Red River Campaign in Louisiana. Late in 1864, Porter was transferred from the interior to the Atlantic coast, where he led the U.S. Navy in the joint assaults on Fort Fisher, the final significant naval action of the war. Porter worked to raise the standards of the U.S. Navy in the position of Superintendent of the Naval Academy when it was restored to Annapolis. He initiated reforms in the curriculum to increase professionalism. In the early days of President Grant's administration, Porter was de facto Secretary of the Navy. When his adoptive brother David G. Farragut was advanced from rank of vice-admiral to admiral, Porter took his previous position; likewise, when Farragut died, Porter became the second man to hold the newly created rank of admiral. He gathered a corps of like-minded officers devoted to naval reform.