USS Dunderberg (1865)
| 300px | |
| Career (USA) | United States Navy Jack |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Dunderberg |
| Namesake: | Swedish "thunder(ing) mountain" |
| Ordered: | 3 July 1862 (contract) |
| Builder: | William Henry Webb |
| Laid down: | October 1862 |
| Launched: | 10 May 1862 |
| Out of service: | 7 April 1865 |
| Career (France) |  |
| Name: | Rochambeau |
| Namesake: | Comte de Rochambeau |
| Acquired: | 1867 |
| Commissioned: | 1867 |
| Struck: | 1874 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ironclad frigate |
| Tons burthen: |
7,060 tons |
| Length: | 115 metres (377 ft) |
| Beam: | 22.2 metres (72 ft 10 in) |
| Draught: | 6.52 metres (21 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 6 "return flame" boilers, 1-shaft return connecting rod steam engine, 4,500 ihp (3308 kW) |
| Speed: | 15 knots |
| Armament: |
4 × 15 inch smoothbore cannons |
| Armour: |
Iron
Belt: 8.9-6.4 cm (3½-2½ inch) |
Dunderberg, which is a Swedish word meaning "thunder(ing) mountain," was an ocean-going ironclad screw frigate of 16 guns. She was designed by Lenthall as a reproduction of CSS Virginia, with two 21-foot screws, sloping armored casemate sides, and a 50-foot ram. She had a double bottom and collision bulkheads, and was the longest wooden ship ever built. Her keel was laid down in October 1862 by W.H. Webb of New York City. Her construction was initially spurred by the threat of war with the United Kingdom. After that impetus abated, construction lagged, and she was not launched until 2 March 1865. The American Civil War ended before she could be completed, and was formally rejected by the U.S. Navy in September 1866.
Webb began seeking buyers for the warship, the design of which was already beginning to influence naval architecture worldwide. Otto von Bismarck expressed some interest, and the thought of Prussia armed with such a vessel prompted France to hurriedly buy her and commission her in 1867 as Rochambeau. The French scrapped her in 1874.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Additional technical data from Gardiner, Robert (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 119. ISBN 0 85177 133 5.
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