Naval Engineering Blunders of the Civil War

USS Idaho was a fast design developed to chase down Confederate commerce raiders. Henry Steers designed the hull; however, political interference resulted in the installation of faulty engines. Upon completion, the US Navy rejected the cruiser. But Congress insisted that Idaho be commissioned. The engines were tested at sea and eventually removed. Idaho became the USN’s fastest sailing storeship until it wrecked in a storm off Yokohama, Japan, on September 21, 1869.
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[@marks_sparks1]

Good lecture by John once again

[@richardchiriboga4424]

Thank you for a fascinating and informative lecture!!!

[@ctrl1961]

Very interesting thank you.

[@malcolmtaylor518]

Thanks for the lecture. No moniter can realistically be described as ocean-going. Perhaps coast defence ships would be a better description. The concept needed armoured breastwork to increase effectiveness, hence the British HMS Devastation and Thunderer.

[@gregzeigler3850]

Actually, it was their engines that were the downfall of Monitors, since they had to be towed in the open ocean. For instance, the USS Onondaga was later sold to France and towed there. Monitors were used in the Vietnam War.

[@user-hr4br1ii1h]

Are there any Actual pictures ( Daguerreotype etc...) of the CSS Virginia ? I have searched high & low, with no results . One would think that if there are pictures of the USS Monitor, there would be some of the CSS Virginia ......Anyone ?

[@TheMarinersMuseum]

Hi there, great question! We consulted with our archivists and to our knowledge there are unfortunately none in existence. Many "photographs" that you might find are photographs of engravings that were made.

[@user-hr4br1ii1h]

@@TheMarinersMuseum Thank you for that information.
Again , with the Ironclads being such revolutionary gun platforms of that era , someone would’ve wanted to record / preserve the CSS Virginia’s history.
I can only imagine, how many people actually witnessed the Battle of Hampton roads , the aftermath & these two Ironclads returning to their home ports .
And yet , no one thought of getting it all on photographs of any kind .