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On This Day, October 29'th 1814, the first warship powered by steam, Demologos, is launched in New York. She was designed by Robert_Fulton for the war of 1812, and was built by the civilian shipyard of brothers Adam and Noah Brown. After successful sea trails, she was delivered to the US Navy on June 16'th, 1816, almost a year and a half after the war she was designed for had ended, and the man who envisioned her had died. She never saw any combat, and only served one day of active duty.
She was not your typical paddle wheel steamer to be sure! Demologos was a double ended twin hulled floating battery of 2475 tons. In her day, she was described as being “the most formidable engine of warfare that human ingenuity has contrived!”* She was originally designed to carry thirty 32 pounders, 12 each port and starboard, and 6 fore and aft. She also carried fittings for 2 100 pounder Columbiads, fitted fore and aft to attempt to put huge holes below the waterline of enemy vessels. The navy had trouble sourcing all of her guns, and as the war was over, the Columbiads were never actually installed. She was also fitted with wooden “armor” a;most five feet thick.
Fulton's propulsion design for the Demologos differed greatly from the standard side mounted paddle wheel design. By placing the paddle wheel in the center of the ship, he protected it from gun fire, and also enabled the ship to use a full broadside against an enemy vessel.
Picture from Wikimedia Commons
For all her innovations though, she did have some rather limiting flaws. Although A two-masted lateen rig was added by the orders of her first commander. While she could certainly out maneuver a sailing vessel in little or no wind, she was not very maneuverable. Her steam engine could generate 5.5 knots in perfect condition, but not for extended periods of time and it was not very reliable. The hull was certainly not suited for sea travel, but she was seaworthy. She was designed to be a floating artillery platform to sit in New York harbor and protect it from British frigates and ships-of-the-line.
She mostly spent her time waiting in America's reserve forces, and finally met her fate by being blown up in a gunpowder “accident” on June 4'th, 1829. While she might not be the most attractivevessel of the age, all you ship modelers out there take note, this would be an epic addition to New Horizons, Gentlemen of Fortune or Hearts of Oak! You can find a picture of a model of here HERE.
*Reference from the book “The Iron Age, Volume 68” published in 1901 by the Chilton Company. This book contains references from a first hand account from an engineer that actually saw the vessel as a boy.
She was not your typical paddle wheel steamer to be sure! Demologos was a double ended twin hulled floating battery of 2475 tons. In her day, she was described as being “the most formidable engine of warfare that human ingenuity has contrived!”* She was originally designed to carry thirty 32 pounders, 12 each port and starboard, and 6 fore and aft. She also carried fittings for 2 100 pounder Columbiads, fitted fore and aft to attempt to put huge holes below the waterline of enemy vessels. The navy had trouble sourcing all of her guns, and as the war was over, the Columbiads were never actually installed. She was also fitted with wooden “armor” a;most five feet thick.
Fulton's propulsion design for the Demologos differed greatly from the standard side mounted paddle wheel design. By placing the paddle wheel in the center of the ship, he protected it from gun fire, and also enabled the ship to use a full broadside against an enemy vessel.
Picture from Wikimedia Commons
For all her innovations though, she did have some rather limiting flaws. Although A two-masted lateen rig was added by the orders of her first commander. While she could certainly out maneuver a sailing vessel in little or no wind, she was not very maneuverable. Her steam engine could generate 5.5 knots in perfect condition, but not for extended periods of time and it was not very reliable. The hull was certainly not suited for sea travel, but she was seaworthy. She was designed to be a floating artillery platform to sit in New York harbor and protect it from British frigates and ships-of-the-line.
She mostly spent her time waiting in America's reserve forces, and finally met her fate by being blown up in a gunpowder “accident” on June 4'th, 1829. While she might not be the most attractivevessel of the age, all you ship modelers out there take note, this would be an epic addition to New Horizons, Gentlemen of Fortune or Hearts of Oak! You can find a picture of a model of here HERE.
*Reference from the book “The Iron Age, Volume 68” published in 1901 by the Chilton Company. This book contains references from a first hand account from an engineer that actually saw the vessel as a boy.
