Secretary Stanton's Rams at Hampton Roads

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Tonight's reading will be The Rams at Hampton Roads by Chuck Veilt (Journal of the Company of Military Historians Fall 2017 which was delivered this last week). What should I find out from reading about these rams?

I understand the Argo was chartered by the Army or Navy and when the ship got the assignment to ram the Merrimack/Virginia the civilian crew refused and were mostly replaced with volunteer "contrabands of war" from the stevedores found in Fort Monroe area.
 
I don't know if it's formally a member of "Stanton's Rams," but for my money, the most interesting of the lot is Vanderbilt, which became USS Vanderbilt. After acceptance into the Navy, she bears the distinction of being perhaps the only "civilian conversion" to be armed like a real US Navy cruiser (the vast majority carried what one could call gunboat-class armament).
 
I don't know if it's formally a member of "Stanton's Rams," but for my money, the most interesting of the lot is Vanderbilt, which became USS Vanderbilt. After acceptance into the Navy, she bears the distinction of being perhaps the only "civilian conversion" to be armed like a real US Navy cruiser (the vast majority carried what one could call gunboat-class armament).

Well, as I could recall she was one of few american merchant steamers of this era that could really move... 14+ knots, more than most of decidated USN warships of this era. And, she was big enough to carry at least corvette-size battery.
 
Back
Top