the washington navy yard - Naval History and Heritage Command ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

16 The Washington Navy Yard Above. Interior view of the experimental battery built and operated by Dahlgren on the waterfront of the navy yard. Much of the ordnance operated by the U.S. Navy during the Civil War was first tested and “proofed” at the unique facility. Left. A naval officer rests his arm on the distinctive “soda-water bottle” shaped 9-inch Dahlgren gun, one of the most powerful and reliable weapons in the U.S. Navy’s Civil War arsenal.
The Father of Naval Ordnance 17 blacksmith, anchor-making, rigger, and painter shops manufactured anchors, small arms, chain, and other materiel. 9 A few years earlier the Navy had decided to standardize its large-caliber guns and needed a system to determine how well prototypes would perform before proceeding with production. Dahlgren had the answer. He built a firing range on the yard’s waterfront. Guns being tested fired their rounds out over the Eastern Branch. By recording the splash of rounds, Dahlgren could Commodore Charles Morris, a hero of the War of 1812, but to Dahlgren an “old fogy.” determine the power and range properties of each type of gun. Like many of his successors, President James K. Polk visited the navy yard to witness the test firing of naval cannon at Dahlgren’s “experimental battery.” 10 Despite Dahlgren’s attention to safety, ordnance testing was dangerous business. Michael Shiner, a slave who worked in the yard from 1813 to 1865, noted in a later account that there were many industrial mishaps and accidental explosions in this period that killed or injured workers. 11 In 1849 a gun being tested at the yard’s experimental battery exploded. Jagged pieces of iron from the weapon killed the gunner and narrowly missed Dahlgren. This incident reinforced his belief that he needed a different approach to gun development if he were to build safe, large-caliber guns for the Navy. The result was a family of guns, soon called Dahlgren Guns, that had stronger and thicker metal around their breeches, making them look to some people like “soda-water bottles.” Dahlgren’s unconventional ideas about ordnance design met strong opposition from some quarters. Commodore Charles Morris, Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography in the early 1850s, delayed or opposed many of Dahlgren’s requests for material or other support. Dahlgren considered Morris an “old fogy.” 12 Dahlgren overcame most opposition by cultivating friendships with prominent government and congressional figures and other naval officers and persuading them that his ideas were sound. Shortly after Morris died in 1856, the Navy Department implemented Dahlgren’s program by arming the new warship Merrimack with a battery of his 9-inch guns. He successfully tested the weapon during the ship’s cruise from Norfolk to Annapolis. Dahlgren 9-inch and 11-inch guns became mainstays of the fleet and passed the even more demanding test of combat during the four years of the Civil War. In addition to cannon for major warships, Dahlgren designed and had cast in the navy yard brass furnace a 225-pound boat howitzer for use by naval landing parties. As Dahlgren’s ordnance ideas took hold, the Navy built new facilities at the yard to handle the entire design, testing, and manufacturing process. A cannon foundry, mechanical finishing shop, and gun-carriage shops soon joined the existing facilities at the Navy’s industrial plant. Dahlgren also worked to create a skilled, dedicated, and professional workforce at the yard. He raised the pay for some civilian workers, established billet descriptions and work standards, and provided relevant training. “By attending to the needs of his men, Dahlgren produced a cadre of loyal ordnance specialists.” 13
Page 2 and 3: THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
Page 4 and 5: Secretary of the Navy’s Advisory
Page 6 and 7: List of Illustrations Cover: Lithog
Page 8 and 9: Foreword It is a great honor to be
Page 10 and 11: document collections and personal p
Page 12 and 13: “Captain Thomas Tingey” (Navy A
Page 14 and 15: 2 The Washington Navy Yard Eastern
Page 16 and 17: 4 The Washington Navy Yard from the
Page 18 and 19: 6 The Washington Navy Yard The Navy
Page 20 and 21: 8 The Washington Navy Yard shipping
Page 22 and 23: 10 The Washington Navy Yard Meanwhi
Page 24 and 25: 12 The Washington Navy Yard persuad
Page 26 and 27: 14 The Washington Navy Yard During
Page 30 and 31: 18 The Washington Navy Yard The Fat
Page 32 and 33: 20 The Washington Navy Yard The ord
Page 34 and 35: 22 The Washington Navy Yard for def
Page 36 and 37: 24 The Washington Navy Yard An Afri
Page 38 and 39: 26 The Washington Navy Yard Abraham
Page 40 and 41: 28 The Washington Navy Yard Dahlgre
Page 42 and 43: 30 The Washington Navy Yard Above.
Page 44 and 45: 32 The Washington Navy Yard he appo
Page 46 and 47: 34 The Washington Navy Yard Raphael
Page 48 and 49: 36 The Washington Navy Yard monitor
Page 50 and 51: 38 The Washington Navy Yard USS Atl
Page 52 and 53: 40 The Washington Navy Yard Left. N
Page 54 and 55: 42 The Washington Navy Yard basins
Page 56 and 57: 44 The Washington Navy Yard “USS
Page 58 and 59: 46 The Washington Navy Yard Sailors
Page 60 and 61: 48 The Washington Navy Yard The Ear
Page 62 and 63: 50 The Washington Navy Yard Above.
Page 64 and 65: 52 The Washington Navy Yard Left. T
Page 66 and 67: 54 The Washington Navy Yard A tract
Page 68 and 69: 56 The Washington Navy Yard Left. D
Page 70 and 71: 58 The Washington Navy Yard Taylor
Page 72 and 73: 60 The Washington Navy Yard Navy ya
Page 74 and 75: 62 The Washington Navy Yard Above L
Page 76 and 77: 64 The Washington Navy Yard The Pre
Page 78 and 79:
66 The Washington Navy Yard Of grea
Page 80 and 81:
68 The Washington Navy Yard Left. T
Page 82 and 83:
70 The Washington Navy Yard yard. B
Page 84 and 85:
72 The Washington Navy Yard “woul
Page 86 and 87:
74 The Washington Navy Yard Above.
Page 88 and 89:
76 The Washington Navy Yard
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
80 The Washington Navy Yard Left. A
Page 94 and 95:
82 The Washington Navy Yard and the
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
86 The Washington Navy Yard The Nav
Page 100 and 101:
88 The Washington Navy Yard Right.
Page 102 and 103:
90 The Washington Navy Yard The Nav
Page 104 and 105:
92 The Washington Navy Yard nery, h
Page 106 and 107:
94 The Washington Navy Yard The Mar
Page 108 and 109:
96 The Washington Navy Yard
Page 110 and 111:
98 The Washington Navy Yard An aeri
Page 112 and 113:
Notes 1. Quoted in Peck, Round-Shot
Page 114 and 115:
104 Bibliography Dudley, William S.
Page 116 and 117:
Index A ABCD ships, 39 Adams, John,
Page 118 and 119:
Index 109 Forrestal, James, 78, 93
Page 120 and 121:
Index 111 P Pacific, 19, 39, 71, 85
show all

the washington navy yard - Naval History and Heritage Command ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?