Many stirring words have been written about the heroic deeds of the
officers and men of the U.S. Navy before, during and after the Civil
War. But very little has been published about the naval constructors who
built the warships that made their exploits possible. Of all of the
Navy's constructors from this era, none had more impact than John
Lenthall (1807-1882).
A native of Washington D.C. and the son of ambitious English parents,
young Lenthall's stellar rise through the ranks of naval constructors
soon led to his appointment as the chief of the Bureau of Construction,
Equipment and Repairs. Now the U.S. government's highest-ranking naval
architect, John Lenthall was in charge of designing and constructing the
nation's warships. The magnificent Merrimack class steam frigates were
one of his first achievements. His stance early in the Civil War on
ironclads and coolness toward John Ericsson have been consistently
misunderstood-Lenthall accepted the Navy's need for armored warships but
objected to a fleet of only brown water-capable monitors. When he
retired in 1871, he had been bureau chief for over seventeen years and
responsible for the building of nearly all the Navy's ships during an
era of unprecedented technological evolution.
'John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor' is thoroughly
documented with previously untapped primary archival source material
from Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum and the Franklin
Institute, and the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. 'John Lenthall' is written
by a historian and naval architect who can clearly explain the nuances
of ship design. The author's treatment of Lenthall and the legacy of his
fellow constructors brings to life a previously untold chronicle of
American ingenuity and achievement
