John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval ConstructorMany stirring words have been written about the heroic deeds of the officers and men of the U.S. Navy before, during and after the Civil War. But very little has been published about the naval constructors who built the warships that made their exploits possible. Of all of the Navy's constructors from this era, none had more impact than John Lenthall (1807-1882). A native of Washington D.C. and the son of ambitious English parents, young Lenthall's stellar rise through the ranks of naval constructors soon led to his appointment as the chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs. Now the U.S. government's highest-ranking naval architect, John Lenthall was in charge of designing and constructing the nation's warships. The magnificent Merrimack class steam frigates were one of his first achievements. His stance early in the Civil War on ironclads and coolness toward John Ericsson have been consistently misunderstood-Lenthall accepted the Navy's need for armored warships but objected to a fleet of only brown water-capable monitors. When he retired in 1871, he had been bureau chief for over seventeen years and responsible for the building of nearly all the Navy's ships during an era of unprecedented technological evolution. 'John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor' is thoroughly documented with previously untapped primary archival source material from Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum and the Franklin Institute, and the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. 'John Lenthall' is written by a historian and naval architect who can clearly explain the nuances of ship design. The author's treatment of Lenthall and the legacy of his fellow constructors brings to life a previously untold chronicle of American ingenuity and achievement. |
Contents
CHAPTER | 9 |
CHAPTER 4 | 29 |
CHAPTER 6 | 47 |
CHAPTER 8 | 71 |
CHAPTER 10 | 91 |
CHAPTER 12 | 105 |
CHAPTER 14 | 125 |
Chief Constructor | 145 |
CHAPTER 27 | 303 |
CHAPTER 29 | 325 |
CHAPTER 31 | 347 |
LENTHALLS LEGACY | 371 |
APPENDIX 2 | 387 |
APPENDIX 4 | 405 |
Better to Fight at the Threshold than Upon the Hearthstone | 419 |
APPENDIX 8 | 433 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Sailing Navy Appendix appointed apprentice April armor Benjamin Isherwood bilge bolts breadth building built bureau chief Bureau of Construction calculations Canney Captain chief constructor Commodore Congress dated deck dockyard documents draft Easby engines Ericsson F Street feet Francis Grice Franklin Institute Grice gunboats guns Gustavus Fox Hanscom harbor Hereinafter cited Hornsby hull Ibid inches Independence Seaport Museum iron Ironclad Warship Ives Collection John Ericsson John Lenthall John Lenthall Collection July June keel later Latrobe launched Lenthall Personal Papers Lenthall to Secretary Lenthall's letter March Mary mould loft NARA naval architect naval constructor Navy Department Navy’s ninety-day gunboats officers OSN1 Paullin Philadelphia Navy Yard plank plans Pont Portsmouth propeller proposed Repair Rodgers Samuel Humphreys screw Ship design credits sister steam frigates Steam Navy steam sloops steamers Stimers Store Ship turrets U.S. Navy vessels Waggaman Washington Navy Yard York