Algoma-class sloop
The Alaska or Algoma-class sloop was a series of screw sloops operated by the US Navy during the later parts of the 19th century. Designed during the American Civil War, only 4 of the 11 planned ships were built, all after the war's end. The class had a brief service life and were all out of service by the early 1890s.
Development and design
Following the end of the American Civil War, the Union Navy transitioned between wartime mass production and began to develop doctrine for the post-war era. Development of the class began in 1864 with the construction of the ships' engines, although work on building the ships themselves did not start until 1867. The classes' design was based on the Ticonderoga-class sloops, and was intended to be an economic alternative to the Contoocook-class and Java-class frigates. Of the 11 ships initially planned, only four were laid down as the other engines were redirected for installation on Swatara-class sloops. The rest of the class was cancelled in 1866, and is sometimes referred to as the Alaska-class.The ships were designed to carry a broadside of ten guns along with a rifle mounted on the bow and a -inch pivot gun, although the exact loadout varied from ship to ship. They had a length between perpendiculars of, beam of, depth of, a displacement of, and two funnels. The ships carried of coal which supplied a engine that turned one propeller and a top speed of. Including the barque-rigged sails, speeds up to were achieved. The ships had a complement of 291.