this week we have the largest ironclad built for the USN during the Civil War. launched in July, 1865 USS Dunderberg was just a little too late to take part in the war. using the excuse that she wouldn't make her contract speed the USN refused the ship and left her builder William Webb in dire straits. he was successful in selling Dunderberg to the French Navy in 1868. the French used the ship from then until 1874 when hull rot forced her to be scrapped. USS Dunderberg was the most powerful ironclad built during the war. she was 377 ft. long and displaced 7800 tons at full load. she had an iron armor belt from 21/2" to 31/2" thick on the hull and the casemate was armored with 41/2" of iron. Dunderberg was armed with four 15" Dahlgren smoothbores and twelve 11" Dahlgren smoothbores. power was from two 2cylinder horizontal back acting steam engines connected to a single shaft. altogether these engines developed somewhere close to 4,500 ihp and supposedly a top speed of 15kts. the top picture is a print from the time, of USS Dunderberg at sea. next is a picture of Dunderberg under construction in William Webb's shipyard. and finally a computer simulation of the ship.
this week we have the largest ironclad built for the USN during the Civil War. launched in July, 1865 USS Dunderberg was just a little too late to take part in the war. using the excuse that she wouldn't make her contract speed the USN refused the ship and left her builder William Webb in dire straits. he was successful in selling Dunderberg to the French Navy in 1868. the French used the ship from then until 1874 when hull rot forced her to be scrapped. USS Dunderberg was the most powerful ironclad built during the war. she was 377 ft. long and displaced 7800 tons at full load. she had an iron armor belt from 21/2" to 31/2" thick on the hull and the casemate was armored with 41/2" of iron. Dunderberg was armed with four 15" Dahlgren smoothbores and twelve 11" Dahlgren smoothbores. power was from two 2cylinder horizontal back acting steam engines connected to a single shaft. altogether these engines developed somewhere close to 4,500 ihp and supposedly a top speed of 15kts. the top picture is a print from the time, of USS Dunderberg at sea. next is a picture of Dunderberg under construction in William Webb's shipyard. and finally a computer simulation of the ship.
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