Revelational article on the Virginia

[gary]

Warship International, the publication of the International Naval Research Organization, has released an article on the Virginia that challenges conventionally accepted concepts on the appearance of that ironclad. The author, Robert Egans, graduated from MIT with a degree in Naval Architecture and contributed to the design of the CVN Enterprise. He worked at several ship yards including Newport News, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and was involved in the SLEP (service life extension program) that lengthened the service 30 year service life of many carriers to 45 years.

What Mr. Egans says about the Virginia is that the notion of having a rounded conical shaped casemate was unfeasible given the building time and the technical skills and machinery required. While her casemate both fore & aft may appear round, they were multi-faceted. He points out her design errors too.

If you want to read the article, contact INRO and ask for issue Vol. XLII, No. 4, 2005. It's $7.25 a copy and while there are numerous other articles, that one article makes it worthwhile.