In the last post I wrote that the USS Monitor was designed by John Ericcson (which I knew) and Theodore Timby. But, who was Theodore Timby? I'd never heard of his name. Turns out, he had a whole lot to do with the success of the Monitor.
From Wikipedia.
THEODORE TIMBY
Theodore Ruggles Timby (5 April 1809 - 9 November 1909) is credited as the inventor of the revolving gun turret that was used on the USS Monitor. (I always was of the opinion that that was Ericsson's invention.)
He was born in Duchess County, New York. Early in his life, at the age of 16, he invented a method for raising ships out of the water for repairs by sinking a water-filled box beneath it and then forcing the water out through pumps in order to raise it.
Throughout the 1840s, Timby perfected a revolving gun turret for use on the land and water. He constructed a 21-foot long model and brought it to Washington, D.C., but met with little success as war was not imminent. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War, Timby brought his model to the Abraham Lincoln White House, and this time met with much more success.
Something About This New Kind of a Ship to Be Called the Monitor. --Old B-Runner
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