Potomac-class frigate

USS Sabine, one of the two lengthened ships, pictured between 1890 and 1901.
Class overview
Name	Potomac class
Builders	Washington Navy Yard Boston Navy Yard Philadelphia Navy Yard Norfolk Navy Yard New York Navy Yard Portsmouth Navy Yard
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Java-class frigate
Built	1819-1861
In service	1825-1912
Completed	7
Lost	4
Retired	5
General characteristics
Class & type	Heavy sailing frigate
Displacement	1,726 short tons (1,541 long tons)
Length	175 ft (53 m) lbp
Beam	45 ft (14 m)
Depth	14.3 ft (4.4 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Complement	480
Armament	44 guns of various shot nominally

The Raritan or Potomac-class frigate was a series of nine heavy frigates operated by the United States Navy during most of the 19th century. The ships were intended to be constructed slowly for the sake of build quality, and entered service between the 1820s and 1860s due to a lack of funding. The design was based on the prior original six frigates of the United States Navy and Java-class frigates, but became outdated by the time every ship was launched. The ships served with the Navy in various conflicts during the century, most notably the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. By the end of the Civil War, four of the ships were sunk and the rest were repurposed, with the last disposed of in 1912.

Development

Of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, the three designed to carry 44 guns achieved early success during the War of 1812. In response, Congress authorized the construction of six additional 44-gun heavy frigates, which became known as the Java class in 1813. However, their wartime construction proved detrimental; in the rush to complete the ships quickly, the quality of materials and craftsmanship suffered. Only two vessels of the class entered service, both of which had short operational careers due to issues regarding their hurried development.

Four years later, Congress authorized the construction of nine additional frigates as part of a peacetime "gradual increase" of the Navy. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the Java class, the Navy emphasized a deliberate construction process, which allowed time to source high-quality materials and ensure quality craftsmanship. Congress did not allocate sufficient funding to complete all of the newly authorized frigates. Instead, the Navy adopted a strategy of constructing the ships nearly to completion, after which they were laid up in shipyards under protective structures. This approach was intended to preserve the hulls, as launching the ships prematurely would have led to rapid deterioration and would have been costly. The plan was to launch and complete each vessel in the event of war, thus retaining the quality vessels without the high cost associated with maintaining them during peacetime.

Design

The new batch of frigates, beginning with Potomac, were based on the older Java design. The new ships had a length between perpendiculars of 175 ft (53 m), a beam of 45 ft (14 m), and a depth of 14.3 ft (4.4 m). They were rated to carry 44 guns, although the exact number and shot of each gun varied between each ship and over time. They displaced 1,726 tons 1,726 short tons (1,541 long tons) and had a complement of 480 sailors and officers. The ships are also referred to as the Raritan-class frigate.

The ships of the class entered service over a span of 30 years. The long delay between their initial design and commissioning meant that the later ships were outdated by the time they were finished. The last two ships, Sabine and Santee, launched in 1855, were considered obsolete upon entering service. The entire class constituted some of the last sail-only warships in the Navy's inventory as the technology had been eclipsed by the steam engine. The Navy considered to convert the two vessels into steamships, but instead chose to lengthen each ship by 15 ft (4.6 m). The longer duo is sometimes referred to as the Sabine-class frigate.

Service history

As each ship was slowly brought into service, they were assigned to various American squadrons around the world to show the flag and respond to global crises. In 1831, Potomac was sent across the world during the First Sumatran expedition in response to the murder of American sailors; she was followed up by Columbia seven years later during the Second Sumatran expedition. A decade later, most of the class participated in the Mexican-American war and the capture of California and Monterrey.

In 1858, St. Lawrence took part in the Paraguay expedition. By the outbreak of the American Civil War, Savannah and Cumberland had been converted into sloops. When Norfolk was seized early in the war, Columbia and Raritan were burned to prevent their capture by the Confederates. In 1862, Cumberland was sunk by CSS Virginia–herself built on the hull of USS Merrimack captured at Norfolk–during the Battle of Hampton Roads. During the war, several of the ships served in the Union Blockade of the Confederate coast before being gradually withdrawn from frontline service. Santee was assigned to the US Naval Academy, Sabine was used as a training ship, and Potomac, Bradywine, and St Lawrence were used as storeships before the war ended. Bradywine was wrecked in an unrelated fire at Norfolk in 1864. The remaining ships were slowly retired, with Santee being the last in service until her disposal in 1912.

Ships in class

Data

Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Brandywine	Washington Navy Yard	September 1821	16 June 1825	25 August 1825	Caught fire 3 September 1864, wreck sold 26 March 1867
Columbia	Washington Navy Yard	November 1825	9 March 1836	May 1838	Burned to prevent capture, 20 Apr 1861.
Cumberland	Boston Navy Yard	1825	24 May 1842	November 1843	sunk by CSS Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads, 8 March 1862.
Potomac	Washington Navy Yard	9 August 1819	22 March 1822	15 June 1831	Sold 24 May 1877.
Raritan	Philadelphia Navy Yard	September 1820	13 June 1843	1 December 1843	Burned to prevent capture, 20 Apr 1861
Sabine	New York Navy Yard	February 1823	3 February 1855	23 August 1858	Sold 23 September 1883
Santee	Portsmouth Navy Yard	12 February 1823	16 February 1855	9 June 1861	Sold 2 August 1912
Savannah	New York Navy Yard	July 1820	5 May 1842	15 October 1843	Sold 27 September 1883
St. Lawrence	Norfolk Navy Yard	1826	25 March1847	17 August 1848	Sold 31 December 1875