Ericsson, John
Ericsson, John (1803–1889), engineer and inventor.Born in Sweden, Ericsson left for England in 1826 seeking sponsorship for his ideas. In 1829, his locomotive Novelty, with a forced‐draft boiler, reached a speed of 50 miles an hour. And in 1837, his Francis B. Ogden successfully tested a new marine propeller. Another Novelty (1839) was the first propeller‐driven commercial vessel. Yet Ericsson failed to interest the British Admiralty.
In 1841, Capt. Robert F. Stockton, USN, had him work for the navy designing the USS Princeton, the first screw‐propelled naval steamer. All of its propulsion machinery was below the waterline, safe from enemy shot. Ericsson developed a stronger gun barrel using wrought iron. The Princeton's main battery consisted of two 12‐inch wrought‐iron smoothbore guns, Ericsson's “Oregon” and Stockton's similar but weaker “Peacemaker.” In 1844, during a...
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