Kalamazoo-class monitor: Difference between revisions

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[[John Lenthall (shipbuilder)|John Lenthall]], Chief of the [[Bureau of Construction and Repair]], ordered Benjamin F. Delano, naval constructor at New York, to design a wooden-hulled ironclad that would carry her armament in two gun turrets. The [[deck (ship)|deck]] was to be {{convert|3|ft|m|1}} above the [[waterline]] and protected by {{convert|3|in}} of armor. The ship's side armor was to be {{convert|10|in|0}} thick, backed by {{convert|12|-|15|in|0}} of wood; it was to cover the entire ship's side, down to a depth three feet below the waterline. It should carry enough coal to steam one week at full power with "sufficient speed to make good use of its [[naval ram|ram]]".<ref>Canney, p. 124–25</ref> [[Gideon Welles]], [[Secretary of the Navy]], called them enlarged versions of the {{sclass|Miantonomoh|monitor|2}}s with greater speed and "adapted to coast service", meaning more seaworthy.<ref name=c5>Canney, p. 125</ref>

The ''Kalamazoo''-class ships were {{convert|345|ft|5|in|m|1}} [[length overall|long overall]] and had a [[length between perpendiculars]] of {{convert|332|ft|6|in|m|1}}. They had a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|56|ft|8|in|m}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|17|ft|6|in|m|1}}. The ships were designed to displace {{convert|5660|LT|t|lk=in}} and hadwere 3,200 [[Builder's Old Measurement|tons burthen]].<ref name=s9>Silverstone 1989, p. 9</ref> They were the largest ships to be built in navy shipyards to date.<ref name=c5/>

Their unseasoned wooden hulls were massively reinforced by iron straps as well as iron [[stanchions]] to bear the enormous weight of their armor and guns. They retained the typical monitor overhang introduced by [[John Ericsson]], designer of the {{USS|Monitor||2}}, where the upper part of the hull was {{convert|42|in}} wider than the lower part of the hull. The ''Kalamazoo''{{'}}s [[wrought iron]] side armor consisted of two layers of three-inch plates, backed by 21 inches of wood, six feet in height. The outer layer of armor extended {{convert|18|in|mm}} further below the waterline. The three-inch deck armor rested on {{convert|6|in|0}} of wood and was covered in another three inches of wood.<ref name=c5/>

They were powered by two 2-cylinder horizontal [[Marine steam engine#Direct acting|direct-acting steam engines]], each driving one {{convert|15|ft|m|1|adj=on}} propellers, using steam generated by eight tubular [[boiler (steam generator)|boilers]].<ref name=c5/>{{#tag:ref|Chesneau & Kolesnik claim that these were [[Martin boiler]]s.<ref name=ck2>Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 122</ref>|group=Note}} The engines were rated at {{convert|2000|ihp|lk=in}} and designed to reach a top speed of {{convert|10|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name=ck2/> They had a [[bore (engine)|bore]] of {{convert|46.5|in|mm|0}} and a [[stroke (engine)|stroke]] of {{convert|50|in|mm|0}}. Two large [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s were positioned between the turrets to handle the [[combustion gases]] from the boilers.<ref name=c5/> The ''Kalamazoo''s were intended to carry {{convert|500|LT|t}} of coal.<ref name=ck2/>

The ships' main armament consisted of four [[smoothbore]], [[muzzle-loading]], {{convert|15|in|mm|adj=on|0}} [[Dahlgren gun]]s mounted in two twin gun turrets.<ref name=c5/> Each gun weighed approximately {{convert|43000|lb}}. They could fire a {{convert|350|lb|1|adj=on}} shell up to a range of {{convert|2100|yd}} at an elevation of +7°.<ref>Olmsted, et al, p. 94</ref> The turrets were protected by 15 inches of armor.{{#tag:ref|Silverstone claims that their armor was only 10 inches thick.<ref name=s9/>|group=Note}}<ref name=ck2/>