U.S. Navy steel vesselsIn 1883, the first steel vessels of the U.S. Navy were authorized by Congress. Four boats were built - the cruisers Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and a dispatch boat Dolphin (22 Stat. L. 477). The Atlanta was launched 9 Oct 1884, and commissioned 19 Jul 1886. Of these, the Chicago was the largest, with a length of 325 feet and width of 48 feet. The Atlanta and the Boston were 270 feet long and 42 feet wide, powered by horizontal back-acting engines and cylindrical tubular boilers.«* |