USS Katahdin (1893)
History | |
---|---|
Name | USS Katahdin |
Builder | Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine |
Launched | 4 February 1893 |
Commissioned | 20 February 1897 |
Decommissioned | 8 October 1898 |
Stricken | 9 July 1909 |
Fate | Sunk as target, September 1909 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Type | Steel armored ram |
Displacement |
|
Length | 250 ft 9 in (76.43 m) |
Beam | 43 ft 5 in (13.23 m) |
Draft | 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m) (mean) |
Propulsion | 2 shaft horizontal triple expansion steam engines |
Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
Complement | 97 |
Armament | 4 × 6-pounder rifled guns |
Armor |
|
USS Katahdin, a harbor-defense ram of innovative design, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mount Katahdin, a mountain peak in Maine.
Design and construction
The inspiration behind Katahdin was
Katahdin's design was a new departure in naval architecture, built to ride extremely low in the water with her bow awash while under way. Her hull embodied several new features later used in early submarines. A similar design was the whaleback freighters of the Great Lakes which went into production in 1887.
An order was placed for construction of a prototype armored ram in 1889.
Service history
Although Katahdin's engines were more powerful than specified, Katahdin failed to reach the contracted speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph), requiring the passing of special legislation to allow her to be accepted by the Navy. Conditions aboard the ship were extremely uncomfortable, as it was cramped and had very poor ventilation, leading to almost intolerable temperatures being recorded.[3]
Katahdin departed New York Harbor 4 March 1897, the day of
Katahdin was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 9 July 1909 and designated "Ballistic Experimental Target 'A'". Katahdin was sunk by gunfire at Rappahannock Spit, Virginia, that September.
See also
- "Contract and Screw Trials of the U.S.S. Kathadin", Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers, v.8, February, 1896, pages 1–20 (Full technical engineering details including drawings, description of contract issues)
- USS Vesuvius
Citations
References
- Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
- Preston, Antony (2002). The World's Worst Warships. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-754-6.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- Media related to USS Katahdin (ship, 1893) at Wikimedia Commons