Civil War Ironclads supplies the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding. In constructing its new fleet of ironclads, William H. Roberts explains, the U.S. Navy faced the enormous engineering challenges of a largely experimental technology. In addition, it had to manage a ship acquisition program of unprecedented size and complexity. To meet these challenges, the Navy established a 'project office' that was virtually independent of the existing administrative system. The office spearheaded efforts to broaden the naval industrial base and develop a marine fleet of ironclads by granting shipbuilding contracts to inland firms. Under the intense pressure of a wartime economy, it learned to support its high-technology vessels while incorporating the lessons of combat.But neither the broadened industrial base nor the advanced management system survived the return of peace. Cost overruns, delays, and technical blunders discredited the embryonic project office, while capital starvation and never-ending design changes crippled or ruined almost every major builder of ironclads. When Navy contracts evaporated, so did the shipyards. Contrary to widespread belief, Roberts concludes, the ironclad program set Navy shipbuilding back a generation.
Contents:
List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction
1 ""I Have Shouldered This Fleet"" - Gustavus Fox and ""Monitor Mania""
2 Forging the Fleet - Alban C. Stimers and the Passaic Project
3 The Navy Looks West
4 Mobilization on the Ohio River
5 Miserable Failures - Combat Lessons and Political Engineering
6 A Million of Dollars - The Price of ""Continuous Improvement""
7 Progress Retarded - The Harbor and River Monitors, 1863-1864
8 The Sudden Destruction of Bright Hopes - The Downfall of the General Inspector
9 Good for Fifty Years - Winding Down the Mobilization
10 Additions, Alterations, and Improvements - Reversing Technological Momentum
Appendix Tabular Data for Passaic- and Tippecanoe-Class Monitors Abbreviations Notes Essay on Sources Index
""Civil War Ironclads could easily be a case study to accompany any text in the history of technology or management. Anyone concerned with managing complex technology, of which building warships is still among the most complex, will be able to apply lessons learned.""
