John Ericsson

John Ericsson, born on July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and three, was a remarkable Swedish-American engineer and inventor whose contributions spanned both England and the United States. His early work included a collaboration on the design of the railroad steam locomotive Novelty, which competed in the prestigious Rainhill Trials on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Although the trials were won by George Stephenson's Rocket, Ericsson's innovative spirit was evident from the start.

In North America, Ericsson made significant strides in naval engineering, most notably by designing the United States Navy's first screw-propelled steam frigate, the USS Princeton. This project was undertaken in partnership with Captain Robert F. Stockton, who later unjustly attributed a tragic accident on the vessel in eighteen forty-four to Ericsson.

Ericsson's legacy continued to grow through his collaboration with Cornelius H. DeLamater of the DeLamater Iron Works in New York City. Together, they developed the USS Monitor, the first armored ironclad warship equipped with a rotating gun turret. This groundbreaking vessel played a crucial role in the American Civil War, notably at the Battle of Hampton Roads in March eighteen sixty-two, where it helped save the Union Navy's blockading squadron from the formidable Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia.