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Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight) 16 2 Browse Search
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1. 10 0 Browse Search
James Barnes, author of David G. Farragut, Naval Actions of 1812, Yank ee Ships and Yankee Sailors, Commodore Bainbridge , The Blockaders, and other naval and historical works, The Photographic History of The Civil War: in ten volumes, Thousands of Scenes Photographed 1861-65, with Text by many Special Authorities, Volume 6: The Navy. (ed. Francis Trevelyan Miller) 4 0 Browse Search
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Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., The Union and Confederate navies. (search)
rudder, and anchor, as well as her crew, were thoroughly protected, and neither rams nor guns could make much impression on her. On the other hand, the low freeboard had also one distinctive disadvantage, in that it reduced the vessel's reserve of flotation, thus making it possible for a small influx of water to sink her. The idea of mounting guns in a revolving circular turret had been suggested before at various times, but had never been carried to the point of useful application. In 1842 Timby had proposed a system of coast fortification based on this idea, but the plan had been found defective, and had been rejected. In 1854 Captain Ericsson had submitted to the Emperor Napoleon III. a design of an iron-clad battery with a hemispherical turret. In the next year Captain Cowper Coles, R. N., had suggested a vessel in the form of a raft with a stationary shield for protecting the guns; and in 1859 he had improved upon this design by adding a revolving cupola. But it was left to
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., chapter 15.63 (search)
the publication of the illustration and description of the circular floating revolving tower of Abraham Bloodgood, Theodore R. Timby proposed to build a tower on land for coast defense, to be composed of iron, with several floors Side elevation ber, 1854. and tiers of guns, the tower to turn on a series of friction-rollers under its base. The principal feature of Timby's invention was that of arranging the guns radially within the tower, and firing each gun at the instant of its coming iny motion of the tower, precisely as invented by Bloodgood. About 1865 certain influential citizens presented drawings of Timby's revolving tower to the authorities at Washington, with a view of obtaining orders to build such towers for coast defensresents perplexing difficulties. Nothing further need be said to explain why the Government did not accept the plans for Timby's revolving towers. The origin of rotating circular gun-platforms being disposed of, the consideration of the central
James Barnes, author of David G. Farragut, Naval Actions of 1812, Yank ee Ships and Yankee Sailors, Commodore Bainbridge , The Blockaders, and other naval and historical works, The Photographic History of The Civil War: in ten volumes, Thousands of Scenes Photographed 1861-65, with Text by many Special Authorities, Volume 6: The Navy. (ed. Francis Trevelyan Miller), The birth of the ironclads (search)
the famous Monitor. The idea of her construction was not exactly new, but no vessel of this class had ever been launched. She resembled, in a measure, the suggested floating battery of Stevens, but still more that proposed in the plans of Theodore R. Timby, of New York, and submitted to the War Department by him in the year 1841. This included specifications and drawings for a revolving iron battery, and practically was the foreshadowing of the Monitor. In fact, when the backers of Ericsson came to look into the matter, it was considered advisable to purchase Timby's patents. There were also built at this time two heavily and almost completely armored ships, both more or less experimental, one, the Galena, destined to be a failure, while the other, named the New Ironsides and built by contract with Merrick and Sons, of Philadelphia, became, with the addition of the turret principle, the war-ship of future years. She was 232 feet long, 58 feet in beam, and 4120 tons displacemen
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), A. (search)
below, by machinery, through holes in the deck; they are pointed from within, and by means of a graduated index within the casemate each gun may be brought to bear simultaneously on the same object. Captain Ericsson designed the Monitor class of vessels in 1854, though the idea seems to have lain dormant till the times were propitious. The Monitor attacked the Merrimac March 9, 1862, and, on the 11th of May following, the latter committed suicide. The revolving turret was invented by T. R. Timby, and was patented by him in 1862. Captain Coles introduced a modification into the British navy, and was lost when the ill-fated double-turreted Captain foundered off Cape Finisterre, July, 1870. The Captain had two large turrets placed amidships, in each of which were mounted two 25-ton rifled guns, throwing solid elongated projectiles of 600 pounds, or shells of proportionate weight. In the forecastle and poop were two or three guns of smaller caliber. The thickness of her plating va
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), I. (search)
st application of iron for this purpose was by the French, during the Crimean war in 1855, to gunboats. These had a displacement of about 2,000 tons, were 172 feet in length, 43 feet beam, and 17 feet deep, protected by 4 1/2-inch plating, and mounted 16 guns, all of which could be fought on one side. They were frequently struck by shot, but received no severe injury. The English at the same time built gunboats very similar in size and construction. As far back, however, as 1842, Mr. Theodore R. Timby had invented an iron-plated turret, adapted either to ships or fortifications. See monitor; turret. The civil war of 1861 gave a great impetus to improvements in iron-clad vessels; the success of the monitors inducing the governments of Europe to engage extensively in the construction of iron — clads, the tendency being constantly to increase the thickness of the armor. Iron-clad vessels are of the monitor or turret class, carry guns merely in broadside, or have the two syste
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), M. (search)
by Captain Ericsson to the Emperor Louis Napoleon in 1854. In 1855 Captain Coles of the Royal Navy proposed a system of revolving turrets to the British government, which was adopted after the Monitor had demonstrated the value of the invention. Captain Coles was lost in the iron-clad frigate Captain, a vessel of his own construction, in a gale off Cape Finisterre in 1870. See Plate IV. for a view of the Captain. Prior to the inventions of Ericsson and Coles was a proposition of Mr. T. R. Timby, of Massachusetts, who sent drawings of his proposed turret ships and batteries to the United States Patent Office in 1843. His right to the invention was afterward recognized by the United States, and a royalty paid to him. The evidence tends to show that neither one of these engineers was aware of the invention of the others prior to the completion of his own. The contract for building the Monitor was awarded September 16, 1861. Captain Ericsson says: In order not to lose time, th
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), R. (search)
f the frame, so that, as the box is rotated, the followers turn the screws and are thereby made to advance toward or recede from each other. Re-volv′ing-sun. A pyrotechnic device, con- sisting of a wheel upon whose periphery rockets of different styles are fixed, and which communicate by conduits, so that one is lighted in succession after another. Revolving-press. Re-volv′ing-tow′er. The revolving tower or turret, for offensive or defensive operations, was the work of Theodore R. Timby, of Saratoga, N. Y. The idea was conceived and a model made in 1841, caveated in 1843, and it was patented to him in 1862. The original model had a base, revolvingtower, and central lookout, and the specification of 1843 involved the use of steam-power for revolution and for propulsion of the floating structure. The revolving-turret is a feature in the monitors, both as constructed by Captain Ericsson and his successors, and also by Captain Coles of the British navy, who devised a <
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), S. (search)
w, government vessel1838 Cunard packetsEnglishLine of mail packets, Atlantic1840 President AmericanPassenger vessel (lost), Atlantic1841 English Great Britain, screw, Atlantic1843 NasmythEnglishSteam-hammer1845 CollinsAmericanLine of mail packets, Pacific, Baltic, etc., Atlantic1850 English Great Eastern, Atlantic1858 French La Gloire, armor plates, government vessel1859 English Warrior, armor plates, government vessel1860 WinansAmericanCigar steamers1860 EricssonAmerican Monitor (Timby's turret), government vessel1862 Terms used:— Pressure, the elastic force expressed in pounds per square inch. Temperature, the heat indicated by a thermometer. Density, the weight of a unit of its volume compared with that of water. Re′atirve volume, the space occupied by a given volume compared with that of the water which produced it. Pure steam; in which the water is perfectly vaporized, none being held in mechanical suspension. Wet steam; in which portions of water
Knight's Mechanical Encyclopedia (ed. Knight), T. (search)
ral outline. 2. (Fortification.) The revolving tower for offensive purposes, on land or water, was invented by Theodore R. Timby, of Saratoga, N. Y. The idea was conceived and a model made in 1841, caveated in 1843, patented in 1862. Tar-kilnof invention, the claims were granted by the Patent Office, and it is understood that the United States government paid Mr. Timby a royalty upon all the monitors and revolving-turret vessels. Apparatus for extracting spirits of turpentine from piood. The turret adopted by Captain Ericsson in his monitors is constructed on the same general principle as that of Mr. Timby. Between 1855 and 1860, Captain Cowper Coles, R. N., invented a form of turret for war-vessels, differing from the asked while firing. Sometimes the revolving turret projects through the deck of an iron-plated war-vessel. Invented by Timby, of New York. Captain Coles, of England, made some changes in the adaptation of the turret to the hull. See turret.