"U.S.S. Pawnee, Sheer and Deck Plan
with Original Battery"
By John W. Griffiths, ca. 1858
Watercolor on paper, linen mounted
24 1/2" x 61"
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Bureau
of Ships
U.S.S. Pawnee
Built during the 1850s at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard by John W. Griffiths, the U.S.S. Pawnee was designed with
a set of twin screw propellers and 9-inch Dahlgren guns which added considerable
weight to the ship. To meet the requirement of having a draft of 10 feet
or less, Griffiths modified the hull proportions, making the Pawnee
considerably longer and broader than other vessels of its class. The heavy
guns and shallow draft of the Pawnee proved useful during the Civil
War. Here a two drawings of the Pawnee.