Potomac-class Frigate

The ''Raritan'' or ''Potomac''-class frigate was a series of nine heavy frigates operated by the United States Navy during most of the 19th century. The ships were intended to be constructed slowly for the sake of build quality, and entered service between the 1820s and 1860s due to a lack of funding. The design was based on the prior original six frigates of the United States Navy and ''Java''-class frigates, but became outdated by the time every ship was launched. The ships served with the Navy in various conflicts during the century, most notably the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. By the end of the Civil War, four of the ships were sunk and the rest were repurposed, with the last disposed of in 1912.

Development

Of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, the three designed to carry 44 guns achieved early success during the War of 1812. In response, Congress authorized the construction of six additional 44-gun heavy frigates, which became known as the ''Java'' class in 1813. However, their wartime construction proved detrimental; in the rush to complete the ships quickly, the quality of materials and craftsmanship suffered. Only two vessels of the class entered service, both of which had short operational careers due to issues regarding their hurried development.

Four years later, Congress authorized the construction of nine additional frigates as part of a peacetime "gradual increase" of the Navy. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the ''Java'' class, the Navy emphasized a deliberate construction process, which allowed time to source high-quality materials and ensure quality craftsmanship. Congress did not allocate sufficient funding to complete all of the newly authorized frigates. Instead, the Navy adopted a strategy of constructing the ships nearly to completion, after which they were laid up in shipyards under protective structures. This approach was intended to preserve the hulls, as launching the ships prematurely would have led to rapid deterioration and would have been costly. The plan was to launch and complete each vessel in the event of war, thus retaining the quality vessels without the high cost associated with maintaining them during peacetime.

Design

The new batch of frigates, beginning with '' Potomac'', were based on the older ''Java'' design. The new ships had a length between perpendiculars of , a beam of , and a depth of . They were rated to carry 44 guns, although the exact number and shot of each gun varied between each ship and over time. They displaced 1,726 tons and had a complement of 480 sailors and officers. The ships are also referred to as the ''Raritan''-class frigate.

The ships of the class entered service over a span of 40 years, with the first laid down in 1820 and the last commissioned in 1861. The long delay between their initial design and commissioning meant that the later ships were outdated by the time they were finished. The last two ships, ''Sabine'' and ''Santee'', launched in 1855, were considered obsolete upon entering service. The entire class constituted some of the last sail-only warships in the Navy's inventory as the technology had been eclipsed by the steam engine. The Navy considered to convert the two vessels into steamships, but instead chose to lengthen each ship by . The longer duo is sometimes referred to as the ''Sabine''-class frigate.

Service history

As each ship was slowly brought into service, they were assigned to various American squadrons around the world to show the flag