John Ericsson

Summary: John Ericcson was a Swedish-born American inventor known for his development of the steam-powered, screw-propelled, iron-clad warship. His other notable achievements included a steam-powered locomotive, the Ericcson caloric engine, the rotating gun turret, submarines, self-propelled torpedoes, and work in the field of solar energy.

John (born Johan) Ericcson was born July 31, 1803, in Långban, Värmland, Sweden. In 1815, he began his career as a draftsman on the Göta canal’s construction at the age of 12. By age 15, he was overseeing planning for the project’s eastern canal line. Ericcson joined the Swedish Army in 1820 at the age of 17, serving as a military engineer, land surveyor, and cartographer. He would later receive a captain’s commission, although he soon resigned upon immigration to England. He married Amelia Byam there in 1836, although they had no children and lived apart for most of their marriage. He also rarely saw his son Hjalmar, the product of an earlier relationship, who lived with his mother.

Johan Ericcson immigrated to London, England, and changed his name to John in 1826. His engineering pursuits centered on propulsion systems. His work with engines included improvements to steam engine design, such as new types of steam boilers, and designing engines propelled by compressed air, as opposed to steam. There, he went into business with partner John Braithwaite. The two designed and built a steam-powered locomotive named Novelty, which participated in the competitive Rainhill Trials. They also built a steam-powered fire engine purchased by Berlin, Germany. He suffered financial setbacks and was imprisoned for debt approaching £15,000 in 1832. He was released later that same year in exchange for the surrender of his English patent rights.

While in England, Ericcson also experimented with naval engineering, including the development of marine screw propellers, which he patented in 1836. Other noteworthy achievements included the invention of a depth finder, the development of larger guns and condensers that extended travel distances, and the placement of engines below the water line to reduce exposure to enemy fire. Ericcson immigrated to the United States in 1839, receiving his U.S. citizenship in 1848.

He relocated at the behest of U.S. Navy Captain Robert Field Stockton, who was impressed by Ericcson’s naval designs. Ericcson had previously built the Robert F. Stockton, the first steam-powered, screw-propelled, iron ship to make the Atlantic crossing. His first official U.S. assigment was to design the screw-propelled warship the U.S.S. Princeton, commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1843. Ericcson also supervised hull and engine construction at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Princeton was steam powered, with an iron hull and heavy armaments also designed in part by Ericcson. The ship’s 1844 demonstration ended in tragedy as a gun exploded. Six people were killed, including the secretary of the U.S. Navy.

Ericcson began a successful long-term working relationship with Cornelius “Harry” Delamater of the Delamater Iron Works (originally the Phoenix Foundry) in the 1940s. Ericcson had also been experimenting with the development of a caloric engine powered by hot air, as opposed to steam, for much of his adult life, building numerous models and patenting the resulting design in 1851. He had applied for a Swedish patent for an earlier model in 1826. In 1853, Ericcson introduced a new ship bearing his name and powered by the patented caloric engine. The new ship proved slower than conventional steam engines and was retrofitted with such an engine. Ericcson believed that the caloric engine was one of his most significant achievements.

Achievements

One of Ericcson’s most noteworthy achievements was the design of the ironclad warship for the U.S. government during the Civil War. The U.S. Navy contracted Ericcson to build the U.S.S. Monitor in 1861. The ship was commissioned and launched in 1862. The Monitor was driven by a steam-powered screw propeller and featured several innovations, such as a steam-powered, deck-mounted, rotating gun turret. The Confederate Navy countered by salvaging an older ship best known as the former U.S.S. Merrimack, rechristened the C.S.S. Virginia, and covering it with iron. The two ships fought a classic battle along the James River near Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 9, 1862. The Monitor would sink in a storm later that same year.

Ericcson’s screw propulsion system increased vessel speed and became the basis for later submarine propulsion systems and a partial source of inspiration for airplane propellers. Ericcson continued to experiment in the fields of engines and marine propulsion systems for the remainder of his life. The Monitor design was used internationally in the early 20th century up to the end of World War I, including for a Swedish vessel named the John Ericcson, completed in 1865. Ericcson designed many of these vessels. He continued experimenting with armaments such as self-propelled torpedoes. He was also interested in other forms of energy, studying solar, tidal, and wind energy. His writings include the 1876 book Contributions to the Centennial Exhibition, outlining his technological contributions.

Ericcson died in New York City on March 8, 1889. Ericcson’s remains were shipped to his native Sweden aboard the U.S.S. Baltimore and were laid to rest within the John Ericcson Mausoleum in Filipstad, Värmland, Sweden. U.S. memorials include an 1893 statue in Battery Park, New York City, as well as a national monument in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1926. The John Ericcson Society was founded in 1907 and incorporated in 1934. The American Society of Swedish Engineers awards its John Ericcson medal every other year. Ericcson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1993.

Bibliography

De Kay, James T. Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History. New York: Walker, 1997.

Thulesius, Olav. The Man Who Made the Monitor: A Biography of John Ericcson, Naval Engineer. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2007.