Looking for plans of the US Navy ship of the line USS Pennsylvania
- Thread starter Malevolant
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US. Navy’s ships-of-the-line had uninteresting operational histories. Ohio, was supposed to be the best of the lot and along with North Carolina sailed as flagships of the Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet. The rest spent most of their lives laid up. According to Chapelle, Pennsylvania’s active service consisted of sailing under skeleton crew from the shipyard where she was built to Norfolk, VA to be laid up. She was burned in 1861 when the Confederates captured the Norfolk naval base. Given their inactive service records, I doubt that there is enough market appeal for production of model kits for any of the American Liners.
Roger
Roger
Since all of my ships will be property of the US Navy museum system as of mid 2025. So with 11 ships gone, I will have an empty workshop. I will be re making a few of them. The Pennsylvania being one of them. I will be starting a new build log for her. Today.
I will follow!
What scale will she be?
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Was the read banister functional? If so how did they get on it?
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Thank you!
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For readers interested Pennsylvania and the Mid Nineteenth Century US Navy, I recommend the book John Lenthall by Steven Chaplin Kinnaman.
Kinnaman educated as a Naval Architect provides a detailed biography of Lenthall’s personal and professional life. Beginning as a shipyard apprentice, next Lenthall educated himself in the state-of-the-art of scientific Naval Architecture by a grand tour of British and French shipyards and by collecting books on the subject. He both read and spoke French. Back in the USA he moved up through the naval shipbuilding ranks eventually becoming chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Construction and Repair; the forerunner of the World War II Bureau of Ships.
His first job after returning from Europe was working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and figuring out how to launch the huge Pennsylvania into the shallow River. From that point on he was involved in the design nearly every major vessel built by the navy up to the Civil War.
During the Civil War, while he had had an excellent relationship with Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells,
He fell afoul with Well’s assistant Gustavus Fox, and Fox’s friend David Dixon Porter, both promoters of Ericsson and his Monitor concept. As a result once Wells stepped down after the war Lenthall was forced to retire.
Kinnaman has done a remarkable job of digging up information about and presenting Lenthall’s life. This includes much from Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute and Independence Seaport, as well as that shared by living direct descendents.
A remarkable book.
Roger
Kinnaman educated as a Naval Architect provides a detailed biography of Lenthall’s personal and professional life. Beginning as a shipyard apprentice, next Lenthall educated himself in the state-of-the-art of scientific Naval Architecture by a grand tour of British and French shipyards and by collecting books on the subject. He both read and spoke French. Back in the USA he moved up through the naval shipbuilding ranks eventually becoming chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Construction and Repair; the forerunner of the World War II Bureau of Ships.
His first job after returning from Europe was working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and figuring out how to launch the huge Pennsylvania into the shallow River. From that point on he was involved in the design nearly every major vessel built by the navy up to the Civil War.
During the Civil War, while he had had an excellent relationship with Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells,
He fell afoul with Well’s assistant Gustavus Fox, and Fox’s friend David Dixon Porter, both promoters of Ericsson and his Monitor concept. As a result once Wells stepped down after the war Lenthall was forced to retire.
Kinnaman has done a remarkable job of digging up information about and presenting Lenthall’s life. This includes much from Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute and Independence Seaport, as well as that shared by living direct descendents.
A remarkable book.
Roger
I was recently fortunate to visit the Henry Huddleston Roger’s ship model collection at the US Naval Academy museum. Such an amazing collection and well worth a visit. They have a very impressive model of USS Pennsylvania. I’ve attached a couple photos…
