USS Nahant, 1898

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Courtesy of the ever-fascinating photostream of the photo curator of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy...

Civil War Passaic-class monitor USS Nahant, at the New York Navy Yard in 1898. She and several other Civil War monitors were activated for harbor defense during the Spanish-American War, although their "defensive" value was almost purely psychological in the sense that they calmed public fears about the deployment of more modern U.S. warships farther from the Eastern seaboard. The amount of deck clutter accumulated since the 1860s is striking.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

The amount of deck clutter accumulated since the 1860s is striking.

Really.

I doubt the cute little roof would strike fear into the enemy.

Another 1898 photo from Navsource:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/nahant.htm

 

[USS ALASKA]

Depending upon which Spanish ship showed up in New York harbor. Cristóbal Colón sailed from Spain with wooden guns as her main battery...of course, her secondary's were still deadly. ;-)


Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Michael W.]

Not exactly what I would want to serve aboard at the turn of the century. Kind of like, "Here is your next ship assignment in 2016, a 1950's diesel sub..."

 

[AndyHall]

Crew members aboard U.S.S. Nahant, one of the last surviving Civil War monitors, pose on deck for a photograph during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The dents in the turret behind them were likely put there by Confederate shot off Charleston, thirty-five years before.

 

[Michael W.]

The never repaired the dents, pretty cool.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Those dents - wow. Would those hits create any spalling inside of the turret? Were the gunners deafened from the noise?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Those dents - wow. Would those hits create any spalling inside of the turret? Were the gunners deafened from the noise?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

Between the impact of incoming shot and the reports of the guns themselves, I'd be surprised if they didn't all have some degree of hearing loss, either then or later!

I'm not certain on spalling, but I do know there were cases of the nuts on the inboard side flying off of the bolts and causing injury/death; IIRC, Captain George W. Rodgers was killed in the pilothouse aboard the monitor Catskill by such a flying nut.

 

[AndyHall]

The never repaired the dents, pretty cool.

No Bondo in those days.