700-60 USS "AMPHITRITE" 1896 US NAVY MONITOR

The USS Amphitrite (BM-2) was an American monitor from the end of the 19th century. The keel for this unit was laid in 1874, the launch took place only in June 1883, and the entry into service with the US Navy took place in 1895. The total length of the ship was 80.1 meters and a width of 16.79 meters. The displacement was around 3,990 tons and the maximum speed was around 10-11 knots. The deck armament of the ship consisted of, among others, 4 254 mm cannons, 2 102 mm cannons and 2 37 mm cannons. The USS Amphitrite (BM-2) was the leading unit of the American monitors class of the same name, ie the Amphitrite. Originally, it was planned to create five units of this class, but the last unit of this type was eventually withdrawn. Units of this type were built as a specific extension and continuation of the Unionist monitors from the Civil War (1861-1865), and it was assumed that they would be seagoing units capable of crossing the Atlantic or the Pacific. While at the time of the creation of the project (first half of the 1870s) of the Amphitrite monitors it was relatively modern, the rapid development of marine technology in this period quickly made it obsolete. For this reason, attempts were made to redesign the units already under construction (including the USS Amphitrite), which significantly extended the process of construction and commissioning. Nevertheless, when it entered service, the USS Amphitrite (BM-2) could hardly be considered the pinnacle of maritime construction. However, the unit took an active part in the American-Spanish War of 1898. She was decommissioned in 1919.