USS Dictator (1863)

Union Navy Sea-Going Monitor (1864-1877)

The USS Dictator was the largest Civil War Monitor ever built. A seagoing project from Ericsson, to face confederate inronclads being built in Europe. Originally named Protector she was Built by Delamater Iron works NYc in 1862-64 and entered the North Atlantic Blockading Sqn. Postwar until 1877, the North Atlantic Squadron. Mothballed and only sold for BU in 1883. https://www.navistory.com/industrial-era/american-civil-war/uss-dictator.php #americancivilwar #monitor #johnericsson #ussdictator

The largest US Civil War Monitor

In mid-1962 the Union Navy was starting to built monitors after the success of the first USS Monitor from John Ericsson, the program was in full swing to deliver about twenty of them. However they were all supposed to be riverine vessels with limited shore navigation capabilities, as shown by the Hampton Roads duel, and alongside, the Union wanted armoured ships to catch up confederate blockade runners and commerce raiders that zipped in and out of the blockade off shore. So the Union expressed the need for proper Ocean Going Monitors. Ericsson submitted his rough plans for much enlarged Monitors that would be five times the displacement of his original ship. They were ordered, in different designs, but not never completed in time to see action in the Civil War apart the first (here) with the last and most ambitious were never completed at all (Puritan and the gigantic Kalamazoo class of 1863).

On June 18, 1862, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Fox (1821-83), based on plans of the first ship, the “protector” gave the go ahead to start construction at Delamater Iron Works, New York. Fox worried that ironclads under construction in Britain or France for the Confederacy could be threat off shore, and Ericsson proposed plans for two ocean going vessels: the Protector and Puritan (not the “P class” as they diverged much). However when Fox negotiated for a first ship with both a single turret and twin turret, her was rebuffed by Ericsson that thought the second turret would reduce the field of fire and caused too much topweight, even stating it was “as natural as two heads on a human body”. So Fox chosed the twin turret for both ships. Fox postwar was to see first hand the seagoing abilities of Monitors, as he sailed on USS Miantonomoh, first vessel of this class to cross the Atlantic, even finding it a “a pleasant trip”, to see the Tsar in 1866. The latter was impressed and ordered his own Monitors, the Bronenosec class. French Emperor Napoleon II purchased two, and ordered specific designs as well.

The new ship was designed with 20 inch Dahlgrens in mind, and Fox ordered the Puritan with the same, but many modifications led to extra delays and eventually a contract cancelled due to price increases (and the land war going in favor of the Union), see later. Ericsson created the base drawings for Fox, that were enormous, for a ship estimated to 4,484 tons in displacement, 312 feet in length, so as much as a football field, and gained all the improvements denied on smaller Monitors, like a a watertight inner hull, sight holes in the turret for the Gunnery Officer, and other niceties plus a reworked hull for seagoing performances. She was also designed with a long hurricane deck from the turret to the aft strucutre, and promenade walkway around the turret roof.

Originally named “Protector”, she was renamed Dictator on 1 April 1862, after Ericsson request from the Assistant Secretary Gustavus Fox. Ericsson proposed a forward overhang but the contractor, DeLamater Iron Works, eliminated this feature as it was feared according to captains reports, seaworthiness issues when venturing off shore, constant slapping against waves. It was theorized the waves forces would be strong enough to separate the raft from the hull, causing instant flooding, something that perhaps was one cause in the loss of USS Monitor herself.

Overall compared to the smaller, shallow draft Monitors, Dictator was a a cruise ship and some compared her to a “floating palace” by nightfall due to her numerous deadlights to read also in daylight hours. Her large size would make her a constant show place for the Navy, and her berth deck coverted as a ballroom for music and dancing. She never fired a shot in anger, but her massive 15 inch guns would have certainly dospatched of any Confederate vessels, even the ones built in Europe like CSS Stonewall.

Design

Hull and general design

USS Dictator was built at the shipyard funded by Cornelius Henry DeLamater (born 1821) in 1843 as DeLamater Iron Works, a new facility to the foot of West 13th Street on the west side of Lower Manhattan, facing the Hudson River. He famously worked with Capt. John Ericsson on USS Monitor and was naturally suggested to the Navy Secretary Fox for the USS Dictator. DeLamater was famous for his excellent organization and quick delivery of Dictator, his only ship entirely built and fitted out locally, whereas USS Monitor was built at Continental Iron Works.

Deck Plan

Cutaway Plan

USS Dictator was a very large ship indeed, entirely built in wrought iron, riveted, like USS Monitor, wood being used only for internor panelling, notablu in the officer’s quarters. At 4,438 long tons (4,509 t) she was even larger than the three turreted USS Roanoke (4,395t) and the tow-turreted and excellent Miantonomoh class, already seaworthy (3,400t). She was by far the largest of all, with an overall lenght of 312 ft (95.1 m), for a beam of 50 ft (15.2 m), giving her a superior lenght ratio at the expense of stability and agility. Her draft was a comfortable 20 ft 6 in (6.2 m), far more than a Miantonomoh but less than a Roanoke, which was given a much better draught. The hull had flat sides alla long, but instead of a raft, the hull started right underneath, rounded, straight forward, but with overhang aft, above the propeller.

The design called for a constant beam, not rafting anymore, fine lines forward and a broad beem ending in a pointy poop. Both the stern and prow section were heavily compartmented, with small rooms for notably the crew’s quarters, and galley. The main men’s mess and place where they slept as it was customary was the battery deck below the turret, and all around. The latter was massive, and sat just amidship for better balance. It was separated by a bulkhead from the machinery behind that occupied all the space aft of the turret, with the two boilers and the funnel at the center, having a large base. On both sides of the fire room were located passages to the aft section with an overhang.

The aft section contained “state rooms”, the officers quarters, pantries, mess, and stores. The engine room had a large single ventilator with vertical shaft aft of the funnel. The superstructures were bare: The forward sectopn had a small ventilation shaft protruding from the deck, followed by the turret, topped by its promenade roof overhanging platform, also used for spotting all around, and at the middle was the “conning tower”, a heavily armoured coxwain (pilothouse) post with steering wheel, flag pole and weather vane. There was a ventilation mast right behind the turret, close to the flying deck, that was forced to make a U-turn.

This deck went past the turret, surrounding it, with an access staircase aft. Below this flying deck were located attachement points for six transverse-mounting boats. They were suspended below. The idea was to prevent them to be washed over by the sea but it’s unclear how they would have been released in emergency. Then aft of the turret was located the main machinery room ventilation mast, topped with mushroom cap to prevent seawater spray to get in. There were state flag masts fore and aft and chained barriers all along the deck. Her crew amounted to 174 officers and ratings.

Still, like any seagoing monitor, the deck was so low that it was constantly washed over, so the only hatches present were created in a way to prevent any water ingress. The deck was not perfectly flat but with slightly raised in the middle to facilitate water evacuation. But the sides were flat all along, not rounded amidship as seen in one illustration. Later in her career, the enclosed coxwain post was stripped, left open, and a small observation bridge, four storey tall, was mounted atop the platform aft of the turret. The hatches were partly covered and made easier to access, and the flying bridge received two wings up to the beam.

Powerplant

Machinery Cutaway Plan

USS Dictator needed a mammoth engine to power her mass, she had a s2 screws; vibrating-lever steam engine a single propeller (4 bladed bronze) with a single rudder just behind.
This single shaft measured 19 inches in diameter. However due to an error in calculation, the shaft bearings were undersized, which had Ericsson enraged when confronting the inspector on this point. She was given two vibrating-lever steam engines side by side, fed by two boilers, mated on a crancshaft on the single shaft, for an output of 3,500 ihp (2,600 kW). Ericcsson promise around 11-14 knots, but on trials, her best speed was 10 knots (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph).

Protection

USS Monitor was protected in the same vein as former vessels, and her turret would have been invulnerable at the time: The turret mirrored indeed the main caliber at 15 in (381 mm). It was extremely heavy and needed a lot of output (manual) to turn, and thus was fairly slow. The pilothouse was equally well protected at 12 inches (305 mm) wth just narrow slits to see around, it was probably in the southern summer not a pleasant site… The Hull itself had a regular plating with bolted-on plates 6 inches (152 mm) thick. Below these flanks, the unarmoured hull was curving down, deniying any impact given the water itself. The deck was only supposed to bounce back projectile and 1.5 in (38 mm) thick.

Armament

USS Passaic Turret and Dahlgren Guns
It was limited to her massive guns, two 15 in (381 mm) Dahlgren smoothbores. Thesewere muzzle-loaded moothbore models with the typical Dahlgren pear-shape cast iron body, fixed on the turret but with elevation thanks to the cradle axis.

The inner ring around had a bowling-style ditch railing with a slight downard curve for gravity, for the cannonballs to be lifted up through a small hatch from the ammunition room below, reaquiring a fixed position for reloading. There was enough space for 12 cannonballs for each cannon. The latter needed to be wheel-jacked all the way along their railing each time they needed reload from the muzzle, with the breech ending close to the turret inner wall. But this allowed the ship to fire up to 24 rounds before taking a static position to reload again. The turret was of the spindle type, on rollbrearings. In heavy wather with roll, gravity would have made this quite difficult. The two turret breeches could received a tap in heavy water.

Dalhgren for these guns used the hollow casting technique developed by Thomas Jackson Rodman. The Bureau of Ordnance ordered the Dahlgren 15-inch and 20-inch shell guns be cast using the Rodman hollow casting method but this led to friction with Dahlgren added confusion in nomenclature. Performances (range and muzzle velocity are in research).

15 inch guns, Charlestown Navy Yard

⚙ specifications
Displacement	4,438 long tons (4,509 t)
Dimensions	312 x 50 x 20 ft 6 in ft (95.1 x 15.2 x 6.2 m)
Propulsion	2 shafts, vibrating-lever steam engine: 3,500 ihp (2,600 kW)
Speed
Range	10 knots (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph)
Armament	2× 15 in (381 mm) Dahlgren smoothbores
Protection	Turret 15 in, Pilothouse 12 in, Hull 6 in, Deck 1.5 in
Crew	174 officers and enlisted men

Career of USS Dictator

USS Dictator was laid down by Delamater Iron Works, in New York, under contract by John Ericsson, on 16 August 1862. She was launched on 26 December 1863 and commissioned on 11 November 1864, under ommand of John Rodgers, and a crew of 174. The civil was stil ongoing, and it was hope the ship could break the largest remaining confederate riverine fortifications, but she was not ready. Plus the situation changed rapidly as stime progressed. Indeed, construction problems already with her powerplant, kept her initial service brief and mostly stuck in endless trials and fixes. On her trial voyage, she grounded. Then her rudder developed issues, and it was decided to have its bearings down to a half inch thickness in a six hours job. When it was no longer sufficient, she wa soverhauled. Then at last she was declared ready for service and assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, cruising on the Atlantic coast from 15 December 1864. Fir the next months, almost a year, until her decommission on 5 September 1865, long after the end of the war in April she waited for European-built Confederate Ironclads that never came. She was then mothballed at the League Island Navy Yard in ordinary service with a caretaker crew until 1869, surplus like more US monitors.

USS Dictator after her 1969 refit.

She was recommissioned once more on 20 July 1869, after a long modernization and overhaul that cost $59,654.27, against an initial 1964 cost of $1,393,566… USS Dictator saw service from then on with the North Atlantic Fleet, until 28 June 1871. She was then decommissioned again and in ordinary service, at New York Navy Yard, until 12 January 1874. She was reecommissioned again, still for service with the North Atlantic Station. USS Dictator was then decommissioned a last time at League Island, on 1 June 1877. She remained there, mothballed, until sold for BU on 27 September 1883, to A. Purvis & Son, for a cost of $40,250. Dictator had been the darling of Ericsson, his dream vessel. Donald McKay, famous clipper designer himself compared her lines “…as beautiful as a woman’s leg”. But allher career she lacked the speed and even seaworthiness to be a proper sea going ironclad. Plus she was caught up by technology and by 1975, her artillery was hopeless against breech-loaded rifled guns, that fired shells much faster at greater ranges.

About USS Puritan

USS Puritan was the second monitor ordered by Fox. She was to be armed the same way, but even costier and armed with tow turrets. However Fox complained about the great cost of the first already, and some compromises had to be made. Ericsson proposed modifications and her design ended quite different. She was to be faster and larger overall, at 4,912 tonnes for a longer hull at 340 ft (103.6 m) a similar beam of 50 ft (15.2 m) for a better hull ration, and a reduced draft of 20 ft (6.1 m). Construction dragged on. Continental Iron Works of Greenpoint in Brooklyn was chosen as main contractor, and the more powerful propulsion machinery from Allaire Iron Works of New York City, with a single, larger vibrating-lever (VL) Ericsson steam engine for two propellers, fed by six Martin water-tube boilers was to deliver a bit more than Dictator, for a top speed of around 12 knots, plus a better range thanks to 1000 tonnes of coal on board. Armament was howeve pushed further with a pair of enormous 20 in (508 mm) smoothbore Dahlgren guns. Protection however was comparable to Dictator.

USS Puritan was laid down in 1863, launched on 2 July 1864, but due to delays in construction and casting of the new 20-inch smoothbores, it was was suspended in 1865. The war ended and she was declared surplus,, mothballed, never to be completed. Her hull was later scrapped and the metal reused for the construction of a new monitor USS Puritan, built expressly for the Spanish American War.

About the Kalamazoo class

The title of “largest monitor of the civil war” goes to USS Dictator as she was indeed completed and in service, even for a short time, but she was not the summum og that type. In between a sort of intermediate, “medium” sized monitors, designed for shallow draught operations, but capable of seagoing, appeared in between, the Miantonomoh class. Prfectly balanced, they were considered the best of the US civil war monitors. However, if laud down in 1962 they were launched in 1863 but completed late 1864 or in 1865 and USS Monadnock was the only one that saw action. The remainder were completed in 1865 but soon proved to be the best monitors ever built by the Union. This gave an idea of improving on their design, pushing for new lines, extra speed, and more power. Despite Ericsson’s objections they all had two turrets, bringing twice the firepower to bear. The next design was to be large enough for sea-going operations while retaining the two-turret arrangement, just with larger Dahlgren guns.

The result was the Kalamazoo class, also named after Indian Tribes. To reach a better speed, it was decided to make them lighter and they were build from wood, covered with iron armour, and braced also with wrought iron. They had two turrets for four Dahlgren 15-in (381mm) main guns, displaced and amazing 5,600 long tons (5,700 t) or 3,200 tons burthen for a longer and wider hull at 345 ft 5 in (105.3 m), 56 ft 8 in (17.3 m) in beam and a reduced 17 ft 6 in (5.3 m) in draft. This was a middle ground between riverine and shore operations and seagoing capabilities. The class comprised the USS Kalamazoo order at Brooklyn Naval Shipyard (she was renamed USS Colossus on 15 June 1869), Passaconaway from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine (renamed USS Thunderer on 15 June 1869, Massachusetts on 10 August 1869), USS Quinsigamond from the same, renamed USS Hercules, 15 June 1869 and Oregon on 10 August 1869, and USS Shackamaxon from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, renamed USS Hecla on 15 June 1869 and Nebraska, 10 August. All had been laid down between late 1863 and late 1864, but the war ended, and they were never launched and intead, after a long time, BU on stocks in 1884.

USS Dictator (1863)

The largest US Civil War Monitor