georgew
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2010
- Location
- southern california
It occurs to me that the Tift's proposal for very simplified construction techniques, particularly hull fabrication may have put J.L. Porter to thinking. If so, I believe it may have affected his Diamond Hull ironclad design. I suspect that the crude hydrodynamic layout of the Tift design may have influenced him to introduce a better hull form while retaining the simplified construction techniques of the Tift proposal. I've also seen an artist's conception of the fabrication of the Albemarle's hull which seems to incorporate the husky "shell" approach of the Tifts then planked over longitudinally. If this is true then it in part explains just why that boat proved so tough in practice (and probably why she drew more water than intended).