The Mohongo-class gunboats were a series of seven side-wheel double-ended gunboats operated by the United States Navy during the late 19th century. The ships were built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War and was the third generation of double-ended gunboats intended to engage Confederates in rivers and shallow water. Only one ship was completed in time to join the war effort. By 1870, four ships were sold for civilian use and an additional gunboat was wrecked. The two remaining ships, and , were assigned to the Asiatic Squadron. Ashuelot was wrecked in 1883 and Monocacy was retired and replaced in 1903.
Development and design During the American Civil War, the Union Navy ordered the mass construction of double-ended gunboats. The gunboats, with a shallow draft and identical fore and aft, were intended for littoral and riverine operations against the Confederate States. Compared to other gunboats, the double-ended vessels could shoot in either direction without the need to turn around. The ships were primarily propelled by two side-wheels mounted amidship, although they were also equipped with two masts. The first class of double-ended gunboats was the heterogeneous , which was followed by the homogeneous . Third was the Mohongo class, which was enlarged from the Sassacus design and featured iron hulls.
The Mohongo-class design featured a length along the waterline of , beam of , mean draft of , and a complement between 159 and 190. They were the largest double-ended gunboats and displaced 1,370 tons. The ships were propelled by direct-acting inclined engines powered by two boilers fed by 224 tons of coal that turned two side-wheels to produce and speeds between . The ships also featured one funnel and were rigged as schooners. While the full hull forms performed better at ocean navigation then previous double-ended gunboats, they were criticized for being unstable and hard to handle.
Armament greatly varied between ships and time period. Initially, the ships were fitted with a broadside of several Dahlgren guns and a Parrot rifle on the fore and aft, with several howitzers mounted on the upper deck. Compared to other warships of the era, conditions on board were very comfortable. The steam engines kept the vessels warm even during frigid weather, and condensed water from the heating system was used by the crew. Crewmembers also appreciated large cabins and an open berth deck.
Service history
Contracts for seven ships were issued between June and July 1863 to civilian shipyards that had experience with metalworking, and each ship was laid down that year. Only one ship was completed soon enough to serve during the Civil War, and the Navy no longer had a need for double-ended gunboats once the war was over.
was wrecked off British Columbia in 1868 while four ships, , , and were sold off by 1870 for merchant use. and were retained by the Navy assigned to the Asiatic Squadron, where the ships performed well in shallow waters in the region and adapted to the climate. While Ashuelot was wrecked off Shantou, China in 1883, Monocacy served as part of the squadron until she was replaced in 1903 by .
Ships in class +DataNameBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedOut of serviceAshuelotDonald McKay186322 July 18654 April 1866Wrecked, 1883MohongoZeno Secor & Company18639 July 186423 May 1865Decommissioned, 29 May 1870MonocacyDenmead Foundry186314 December 18641866Decommissioned, 1903MuscootaContinental Iron Works186318645 January 1865Sold, 17 June 1869ShamokinReaney, Son & Archbold1863186431 July 1865Decommissioned, 24 December 1868SuwaneeReaney, Son & Archbold186313 March 186423 January 1865Wrecked, 9 July 1868WinnipecHarrison Loring Shipyard186320 August 18641865Sold, 17 June 1869
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