1860 fleets

Novara class steam Frigates (1853)

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Novara class Steam Frigates (1857) Austro-Hungarian Navy 1843-1900, SMS Novara, Schwarzenberg The Novara class was one of two largely similar, but not sister-ships, two frigates with various interesting backstories and fates, with long and illustrious career for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. At thei design core, two typical sailing frigates which later received steam engine. Powerfully armed, … Read more

CSS Stonewall/Kōtetsu/Azuma (1864)

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Kōtetsu (1864) Japanese Ironclad 1862-1888. The twisted origins of the first Japanese Ironclad The “ship with five lives” Kotetsu was quite unique as being an ironclad changing at least five or six times names and flags during her 20-years long career. She was planned for the Confederate navy under cover, first laid down as the … Read more

USS Spuyten Duyvil (1864)

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USS Spuyten Duyvil (1864) Union Navy The first USN Torpedo Boat After suffering against Confederate use of the torpedo, the Union decided to create a ship using the same weapon. This resulted in the creation of a very original vessel, at first called the USS Stromboli, and soon renamed Spuyten Duyvil. It became in essence … Read more

USS Monitor (1862)

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USS Monitor (1862) Union Navy First of the name & defining a type: The Monitor The USS Monitor is not only an icon of the American civil war, a symbol of the industrial north, but it also defined a genre, a type that found use until recent times. The USN still deployed monitors to combat … Read more

SMS Herzerzog and Novara steam corvettes (1857)

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Erzherzog Friedrich class Steam Frigates Austrian Steam Corvettes (1857) Design of the Erzherzog Friedrich Class The construction of these wooden corvettes, SMS Erzherzog Friedrich and her sister ships, was ordered in Venice Arsenal, during the “Italian phase” of the future Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy. They were designed by the Inspector of Naval Construction Axel Ljungstedt. SMS … Read more

SMS Kaiser (1858)

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The ship of the line turned ironclad Austrian Navy, 1858-1920 SMS Kaiser, Austria’s “wooden battleship”. First article for the 1860 section, the Austrian Navy’s legendary SMS Kaiser: Born as a formidable 2-decker ship of the line, arguably the pride of the Austrian Navy in 1860, she became immortal during the battle of Lissa, being the … Read more

Union Navy 1861-65

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THE UNION NAVY (“OLD NAVY”) The goal of this chapter is not to portray every single ship featured during the American Civil War (1861-1865), on the union side – it would be useless and time consuming. But rather we will try here to show the main classes and most important ship, of military or historical … Read more