USS Water Witch (1845)
Encyclopedia
USS Water Witch (1845) was a steamer
designed and constructed by the U.S. Navy as an experimental improved version of its current steam-powered ships which were not considered as efficient as they should be.
The first Water Witch, a steamer built in 1844 and 1845 at the Washington Navy Yard
, saw little active service. She was originally constructed to serve as a water supply vessel for the Norfolk, Virginia
, station, but she was not used for that purpose because her draft was too deep for her to pass through the locks of the Dismal Swamp Canal
to obtain fresh water. Consequently, she was fitted as a harbor vessel and tug.
system caused her to fail in that mission as well. In order to rid steamers of their vulnerable above-water paddle wheel housings and to increase their broadside weight, Lt. W. W. Hunter had devised and patented a system of placing the wheels inside the hull of the ship at a right angle to the keel making their rotations horizontal rather than vertical. The paddles extended their full length outside of the hull for maximum contact with the water for propulsive purposes; and, inside the hull, they were encased by a cofferdam which kept the water from entering the ship proper. Unfortunately for Lt. Hunter, the wheels lost much of their power pushing water through the encased area inside the hull, forfeiting between 50 and 70 percent of their potential power.
, where she had arrived sometime before 21 November 1845. Her modifications there were so extensive that, in spite of the fact that she retained her name, the new creation is regarded as a second, distinct ship.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
designed and constructed by the U.S. Navy as an experimental improved version of its current steam-powered ships which were not considered as efficient as they should be.
The first Water Witch, a steamer built in 1844 and 1845 at the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
, saw little active service. She was originally constructed to serve as a water supply vessel for the Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, station, but she was not used for that purpose because her draft was too deep for her to pass through the locks of the Dismal Swamp Canal
Dismal Swamp Canal
The Dismal Swamp Canal is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. It is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States, opened in 1805...
to obtain fresh water. Consequently, she was fitted as a harbor vessel and tug.
Water Witch used to test the Hunter Wheel
However, her unique, but poorly conceived, propulsion Hunter WheelHunter Wheel
The Hunter Wheel was a device intended to improve the efficiency of propulsion in U.S. Navy steam-operated ships in the late 1830s and early 1840s...
system caused her to fail in that mission as well. In order to rid steamers of their vulnerable above-water paddle wheel housings and to increase their broadside weight, Lt. W. W. Hunter had devised and patented a system of placing the wheels inside the hull of the ship at a right angle to the keel making their rotations horizontal rather than vertical. The paddles extended their full length outside of the hull for maximum contact with the water for propulsive purposes; and, inside the hull, they were encased by a cofferdam which kept the water from entering the ship proper. Unfortunately for Lt. Hunter, the wheels lost much of their power pushing water through the encased area inside the hull, forfeiting between 50 and 70 percent of their potential power.
Termination of test and conversion to service as a “new” ship
That fact was recognized before the ship had served a year, so she was condemned and sent to Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, where she had arrived sometime before 21 November 1845. Her modifications there were so extensive that, in spite of the fact that she retained her name, the new creation is regarded as a second, distinct ship.