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USS Princeton (1843) |
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| Career |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Ordered: | 18 November 1841 | |
| Laid down: | 20 October 1842 | |
| Launched: | 5 September 1843 | |
| Commissioned: | 9 September 1843 | |
| Decommissioned: | 31 January 1847 | |
| Fate: | broken up, 1849 | |
| Struck: | ||
| General characteristics | ||
| Displacement: | 954 tons | |
| Length: | 164 ft | |
| Beam: | 30 ft 6 in | |
| Draft: | 17 ft | |
| Propulsion: | Sail and steam | |
| Speed: | 7 kts | |
| Range: | ||
| Complement: | 166 officers and enlisted | |
| Armament: | 2 12" Sg., 12 42-pdr. car. | |
The first Princeton was the first screw steam warship in the United States Navy. On 28 February 1844, during the demonstration of her two heavy guns for dignitaries, one of the guns exploded and killed Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and others.
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Princeton was laid down 20 October 1842 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard as a 700-ton corvette. The designer of the ship and main supervisor of construction was the Swedish inventor John Ericsson, who later designed the USS Monitor. The construction was partly supervised by Captain Robert F. Stockton who had secured the political support for the construction of the ship. The ship was named after Princeton, New Jersey, site of an American victory in the Revolution, and hometown of the prominent Stockton family. The ship was launched on 5 September 1843 and ordered commissioned 9 September 1843 with Capt. Stockton in command.
Her two vibrating lever engines were built by Merrick & Towne, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and designed by John Ericsson. They burned hard coal and drove a six-bladed screw 14 feet (4.3 meters) in diameter. The engine was small enough to be below waterline. Ericsson also designed the ship's collapsable funnel, an improved range-finder, and improved recoil systems for the main guns.
Princeton made a trial trip in the Delaware River 12 October 1843. She departed Philadelphia 17 October for a sea trial, proceeded to New York, where she engaged in a speed contest with the British steamer SS Great Western, besting her handily, and thence returned to Philadelphia 20 October to finish outfitting. On November 22 Captain Stockton reported "Princeton will be ready for sea in a week". On 28 November he dressed ship and received visitors on board for inspection. On 30 November she towed Raritan down the Delaware and later returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Princeton sailed 1 January 1844 for New York, where she received her two big guns, named Peacemaker and Oregon.
The “Oregon”, originally named "The Orator", was a 12-inch smooth bore muzzle loader (ML) made out of wrought iron and was capable of firing a 225 pound shot 5 miles using a 50 pound charge. It was designed by Ericsson and manufactured in England at the Mersey Iron Works and shipped to the U.S. in 1841. The design was revolutionary in that it used the "built-up construction" of placing red-hot iron hoops around the breech-end of the weapon, which pre-tensioned the gun and greatly increased the charge the breech could withstand.
The "Peacemaker" was another 12-inch muzzle loader made by Hogg and Delamater, New York, New York, under the designs and direction of Capt. Stockton. Attempting to copy the Oregon, but not understanding the importance of Ericsson's hoop construction, Stockton instead heavily reinforced it at the breech by simply making the metal of the gun thicker, ending up with a weight of more than 27,000 pounds. This produced a gun that had the typical weakness of a wrought iron gun, the breech being unable to withstand the transverse forces of the charge. This meant it was almost certain to burst at some point. Stockton only allowed for a few test charges before putting it aboard the Princeton.
Princeton was sent to Washington, D.C. in late January 1844, arriving 13 February. Washingtonians displayed great interest in the ship and her guns. She made trial trips with passengers on board down the Potomac River February 16, 18 and 20, during which the Peacemaker was fired several times.
On February 28, she departed Alexandria, Virginia on a pleasure and trial trip down the Potomac with President John Tyler, his Cabinet and approximately two hundred guests on board. Upon the final firing of Stockton's Peacemaker, the defective gun at last burst, instantly killing Secretary Upshur; Secretary Gilmer; Captain Beverly Kennon, Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs; Virgil Maxcy of Maryland, Chargé d'Affaires to Belgium, 1837–42; David Gardiner of New York, the father of Julia Gardiner who later married President Tyler; and the President's valet, a black slave named Armistead. It also injured about 20 people, including Captain Stockton. When Julia Gardiner, who was aboard, found out her father had died in the explosion she fainted into President Tyler's arms. Some believed this is how they had met, but they had actually been introduced prior to the incident.
During construction and in the years following, Stockton attempted to claim complete credit for the design and construction of the Princeton. Although it is true he was a strong advocate of the ship and certainly helped bring it into existence, the engineering genius was mostly Ericsson's. A Court of Inquiry for the cause of the explosion exonerated Capt. Stockton due to his political influencecitation needed (he supported Tyler’s campaign), blaming the explosion on Ericsson (despite the fact Ericsson had nothing to do with the design of the Peacemaker gun)citation needed, and "bad luck". As a result of his shameful treatment, Ericsson developed a long-lasting mistrust of the US Navy.
Princeton was employed with the Home Squadron from 1845 to 1847. She later served in the Mediterranean from 17 August 1847 to 24 June 1849. Upon her return from Europe she was surveyed and condemned to be broken up at the Boston Navy Yard 17 July 1849. The ship's bell is on display outside Princeton's borough hall.
The United States Navy: A 200-Year History, Edward L. Beach. pp 196-221. Houghton Mifflin Company. Copyright 1986.
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