U.S. Naval Power Grew to Match Mercantile Ambition-- Part 2: U.S. Ships-of-the-Line

From 1813-1820, a major naval building program was underway, but it was dropped to save money. The ship-of-the-Line USS Ohio was launched in 1820 but sat decaying in 1826. British officer Frederich de Roos wrote of her in 1826, "A more splendid ship I never beheld. She is already falling rapidly into decay."

The USS Pennsylvania, SOL, was built in Philadelphia though its hull never touched water for many years. It had been designed originally to be the largest fighting ship possessed by any nation.

By 1830, the United States had the second-largest merchant fleet and these ships needed protection. The USS Pennsylvania was finally launched. By the 1840s, the U.S. Navy was the strongest it had ever been, but the navies of France and Britain were still a whole lot larger. In 1846, the tonnage of British ships under construction was triple that of the whole American fleet.

--Brock-Perry