Fulton's 'Steam Battery': Blockship and Catamaran

ssociated with Fulton throughout the life of the project and were fully capable as ship designers. The work on the machinery was another matter, however, for men capable of working metal were scarce and few workmen could read plans. Fulton had some of the work done outside of his own plant, particularly the brass and copper work (mostly by John Youle's foundry). As a result, Fulton was required to move from plant to plant, keeping each job under almost constant observation and personally supervising the workmen. The equipment then available for building a large engine was inadequate in many ways. The large steam cylinder presented a problem: it had to be recast several times and some of the other parts gave trouble, either in casting or in machining and fitting.

[Illustration: Figure 3.--SCALE MODEL of Steam Battery, showing double hull, in the Museum of History and Technology. (Smithsonian photo P-63390-D.)]

Guns for the battery were another problem. Only 3 long guns (32-pdr.), were av