More about the Wampanoag

This is my updated Wampanoag photograph (edited). I had decided that the original photograph that I have found seemed defective, as if it had been retouched or digitally altered in some way that created multiple waterlines, different foward from aft. I have fixed that problem. I also found some interesting insight into the design. The ships were originally intended for use in stopping the fast, British-built blockade-runners that could reach 17 knots. Internal naval politics, principally by David Dixon Porter, ensured that the construction was halted at the critical period. By the time that they were finished, the U.S. Navy no longer had any use for the ships. They used old technology boilers and engines, except for the gearing to increase the propellor speed. That meant that they had a very short range, due to their high coal consumption. Still, the Wampanoag set a speed record that held for several decades.