NavSource Main Page FAQ Contact us Search NavSource

Waving US Flag

 NavSource Naval History
Photographic History of the United States Navy		 DESTROYER
ARCHIVE

DESTROYER (Experimental Torpedo Boat)

John Ericsson's so-called "Destroyer" system, was embodied finally in a boat called the "Destroyer," which he built in company with his friend, Mr. C.H. Delamater, and with which he carried on numerous experiments. The Destroyer, launched in 1878, could fire submarine torpedoes. On the "Destroyer" the means of defence consisted simply in a light deflecting deck armor forward, the vessel being intended to fight bows on and depending on her means of offence rather than defence, which were made quite secondary in character. In the end, however, the system did not commend itself to the naval authorities, and the "Destroyer" was left on her designer's hands, an instance of difference of opinion between Ericsson and those charged with the duty of naval administration, and with no supreme test of war to provide opportunity for the determination as to which were the more correct in their judgment. With the "Destroyer," and his work in connection with her. The ship was never accepted into the U.S. Navy.

An online story about the Destroyer can be seen at http://www.eldritchpress.org/js/destroyer.htm.

Click On Image
For Full Size Image		 Size Image Description Contributed
By And/Or Copyright
Destroyer 57kPhoto #: NH 84476. John Ericsson's "Destroyer" longitudinal section of the ship's bow, showing the underwater gun and its projectile "torpedo", circa 1881. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.Tom Kermen
Destroyer 167kcirca between 1882-1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Tom Kermen/Mike Green
Destroyer 167kcirca between 1882-1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Tom Kermen/Mike Green
Destroyer 215kcirca between 1882-1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Tom Kermen/Mike Green
Destroyer 267kcirca between 1882-1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Tom Kermen/Mike Green
Destroyer 1865kcirca between 1882-1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Tom Kermen/Mike Green
Destroyer 91kPhoto #: NH 74553. John Ericsson's "torpedo" boat Destroyer - left -, and USS Alarm (1874-1898) drawing by Fred S. Cozzens, 1892, published in "Our Navy -- Its Growth and Achievements", 1897, depicting the ships at sea. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.Ramon Jackson
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Tin Can Sailors Website
Destroyer History Foundation
Destroyers Online Website
Official U.S.Navy Destroyer Website

Back To The Main Photo Index To The Destroyer Index Page

Comments and Suggestions about this page, E-mail DestroyerInfo
Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster