Fortune-class tugboat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Lead of her class USS Fortune off San Diego | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fortune class |
| Operators | |
| Completed | 9 |
| Retired | 9 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Tugboat |
| Displacement | 420 tons |
| Length | 137 feet (42 m) |
| Beam | 26 feet (7.9 m) |
| Draft | 9.5 feet (2.9 m) |
| Complement | 52 |
| Armament | 2 × 3 lb (1.4 kg) |
The Pinta or Fortune-class was a series of nine tugboats built to support the Anaconda Plan during the American Civil War. The Union Navy built the ships to maneuverer blockading warships, although most of the class was completed after the war. The vessels served as yard craft through the rest of the century, and several ships were refitted to serve as gunboats, training ships, or experimental torpedo boats.
During the American Civil War, the Union Navy aimed to blockade the Confederate States into submission. To maneuver blockading warships, it needed a fleet of tugboats. By 1864, the existing fleet of small, wooden-hull, weak riverine boats were unsatisfactory. To address the issue, a series of iron-hull, propeller-driven tugboats were ordered.[1] The largest design became known as the Fortune or Pinta-class tugboat.[2][3]
The class had an overall length of 137 feet (42 m), beam of 26 feet (7.9 m), depth of 9.5 feet (2.9 m), displacement of 420 tons, and a crew of 52. One vertical compound steam engine turned a propeller that could produce a top speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The ships were armed with two 3 lb (1.4 kg) guns.[3]