List of monitors of the United States Navy
Ships of the United States Navy | |
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Ships in current service | |
Ships grouped alphabetically | |
Ships grouped by type | |
This is a list of all monitors of the United States Navy. While the most famous name is represented in this list, many monitors held multiple names during their service life. View the complete list of names.
Historical overview
The whole category of monitors took its name from the first of these, USS Monitor, designed in 1861 by John Ericsson. They were low-freeboard, steam-powered ironclad vessels, with one or two rotating armored turrets, rather than the traditional broadside of guns. The low freeboard meant that these ships were unsuitable for ocean-going duties and were always at risk of swamping and possible loss, but it reduced the amount of armor required for protection.
They were succeeded by more seaworthy armored cruisers and battleships.
River monitors
Ozark class
Harbor monitors
Roanoke class
- Casco
- Chimo
- Cohoes
- Etlah
- Klamath
- Koka
- Modoc
- Napa
- Naubuc
- Nausett
- Shawnee
- Shiloh
- Squando
- Suncook
- Tunxis
- Umpqua
- Wassuc
- Waxsaw
- Yazoo
- Yuma
Coastal monitors
Monitor class
- Monitor, foundered 31 December 1862, 16 killed
- Passaic
- Montauk
- Nahant
- Patapsco, sunk by mine on 15 January 1865, 75 killed
- Weehawken, sunk at anchor, 6 December 1863, 31 killed
- Sangamon
- Catskill
- Nantucket
- Lehigh
- Camanche
- Canonicus
- Saugus
- Tecumseh, sunk by mine, 5 August 1864, 94 killed
- Manhattan
- Mahopac
- Wyandotte
- Ajax
- Catawba, later BAP Atahualpa
- Oneota, later BAP Manco Cápac
Seagoing monitors
The first five of these were ostensibly rebuilds of Civil War era monitors (in much the same way that the 1854 sloop-of-war Constellation was ostensibly a refit of the 1797 sail frigate Constellation). In fact, they were entirely new ships, much larger and more capable than the previous ones. Dates listed are the first commissioning dates.
Puritan class
- (BM-2) Amphitrite (1895) Spanish–American War, WW1
- (BM-3) Monadnock (1896) Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, WW1
- (BM-4) Terror (1896) Spanish–American War
- (BM-5) Miantonomoh (1882) Spanish–American War
Monterey class
- (BM-6) Monterey (1893) Spanish–American War
- (M-7/BM-7) Arkansas (1902) later Ozark, WW1
- (M-8/BM-8) Nevada (1903) ex-Connecticut, later Tonopah, WW1
- (M-9/BM-9) Florida (1903) later Tallahassee, WW1, later IX-16
- (M-10/BM-10) Wyoming (1902) Panama independence, later Cheyenne, WW1, later IX-4
The US Navy created their first
River Assault Flotilla One Program 4 Monitors (40mm cannon)
- RAD 91[1]: 23
- M-91-1
- M-91-2
- M-91-3
- Command Monitor (CCB-Command Communications Boat) C-91-1
- RAD 92[1]: 23
- M-92-1
- M-92-2
- C-92-1
- RAD 111[1]: 23
- M-111-1
- M-111-2
- M-111-3
- C-111-1
- RAD 112[1]: 23
- M-112-1
- M-112-2
- C-112-1
River Assault Flotilla One Program 5 Monitors (105mm Howitzer) & (Flamethrower)
Similar vessels of interest
- Keokuk, an experimental ironclad steamer with composite armor and two armored three-gun towers, fought in one battle, sunk by artillery 8 April 1863, 1 killed
- Spuyten Duyvil, an innovative semi-submersible spar torpedo boat, effectively employed in the Civil War.
- Katahdin, an ironclad harbor defense ram.
See also
References
- Friedman, Norman (1987). US Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-713-5.
- Konstam, Angus (2002). Union River Ironclad 1861-65. New Vanguard 128. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-444-3.
- Roberts, William O. (2002). Civil War ironclads: the U. S. Navy and industrial mobilization. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6830-0.
- Rottman, Gordon (2006). Vietnam Riverine Craft 1962-75. New Vanguard 128. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-931-8.