USRC Jefferson (1845)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Jefferson |
| Builder | Freeman, Knapp & Totten |
| Completed | April 1845 |
| Fate | Abandoned in Patagonia in 1851 due to storm damage |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Survey ship |
| Tons burthen | 343 tons |
| Length | 160 ft 0 in (48.77 m) |
| Beam | 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Propulsion | One high-pressure steam engine, 36" cylinder with a throw of 32" producing 120 horsepower |
| Sail plan | Three-masted schooner |
| Speed | 6.9 knots under steam 9.2 knots under sail and steam |
| Crew | 4 officers and 40 men |
| Armament | 26 gun ports, but only 1 gun mounted |
USRC Jefferson was a three-masted, coal-fired steamship built for the US Revenue Cutter Service in 1845 and named for Founding Father and third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson. Her design and construction were advanced and experimental for her time. Her hull was made of riveted iron plates, rather than wood planks. She was fitted with experimental propellers rather than paddlewheels, but was still expected to sail. Like many early attempts at new technology, the ship was an operational failure. She was slow and subject to mechanical breakdowns. Originally expected to patrol Lake Ontario for smugglers from Canada, it became clear that she was not going to be able to catch them.
The Jefferson was reassigned to the US Coast Survey, where speed was less important, in 1848. In 1849 she made at least one survey on the Atlantic coast, albeit with ongoing mechanical issues. After this survey season, she was converted to sidewheel propulsion and ordered to San Francisco where she was to lead survey efforts on the West Coast of the United States. In June 1851, on her voyage to take up her new assignment, she was damaged in a storm off the east coast of Patagonia. Jefferson made it to port without loss of life, but the ship was a total loss. She was condemned as unseaworthy and abandoned in Argentina. Her place on the west coast was taken by USCS Active.
Jefferson was part of an early experiment to learn how steam propulsion should best be incorporated into ship design. Screw propellers were new at the time, and it was unclear what design provided the best efficiency and how their mechanical reliability might vary. It was also unclear how various paddlewheel and propeller designs might impact the sailing qualities of ships. This was important because coaling stations were few and far between, and coal storage aboard ships was limited. Long voyages required sailing to save coal. The Revenue Cutter Service built eight steamers in the mid-1840s to test the performance of different ship designs. Jefferson was one of these experiments.[1]
Jefferson was built by the firm of Freeman, Knapp, and Totten, as part of a three-ship contract that also included USRC John Tyler, and USRC George M. Bibb.[2] The iron hull plates and frames were produced at the firm's Fort Pitt shipyard across the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh.[3] Since the ship was assigned to serve in Lake Ontario, her hull was disassembled and shipped by canal boat to Oswego, New York.[4] There, final assembly was supervised by John W. Capes, who also assisted John Ericsson in the construction of USS Monitor and other ironclads.[5] Jefferson was launched in April 1845. She was subject to speed trials in September 1845. In a calm sea she achieved a speed of 7.9 mph (12.7 km/h), albeit while suffering two mechanical breakdowns, over the course of two hours sailing. She burned 668 pounds (303 kg) of coal per hour. Two days later, with all sails set and the steam engine running full throttle, she achieved a speed of 10.6 mph (17.1 km/h) while burning 600 pounds (270 kg) of coal per hour.[6]
Jefferson's original propeller was designed by John Ericsson. This propeller broke twice and was replaced by a propeller design by Richard Loper that was 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) in diameter. The new propeller was produced in Philadelphia and shipped to Buffalo for installation on Jefferson in August 1845.[1][7] She spent much of her time in Lake Ontario under repair or laid up.
The ship was named for President Thomas Jefferson. She was the third USRC vessel named Jefferson.
