Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Onondaga



Today's picture is from the James River, Virginia in 1864. It shows the Union ironclad ship, the Onondaga. A group of sailors are on their way out to board the ship. Looking at these old ironclads, and imagining them in the summer in the south, I would have to think that they were unbearably hot inside.
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5 comments:

  1. They are so low in the water, that it looks like if a couple more men get on or if some waves hit it, it would sink

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  2. They sat low to present less of a target.

    Most monitors were single turret. This one was a double turret.

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  3. I found a source listing the freeboard as only 14". It wouldn't take much of a wave to cause some trouble. Didn't the USS Monitor (reported to have a 12" freeboard) sink due to rough weather?

    John

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  4. I believe it sunk in rough weather while being towed...

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  5. A brief history of the Onondaga

    http://www.cityofart.net/bship/onondaga.html

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