Ship of the Line USS Ohio Stern

[rstratton_cf]

Hello.  Any guidance on this would be appreciated.  Opinions also welcome.

 

I recently found this image of the US ship of the line Ohio taken around 1860-1865, showing the stern detail fairly well.  I really want to figure out what the stern most likely looked like when it was fitted out for its first cruise in 1838.  So a solid 30 years and many coats of paint before this photo was taken.  In addition to finding no documentation on what was white and what was black, there was also little in Navy standards.  But I have a feeling that given this was the first cruise of the Ohio, in the Mediterranean, showing off America's might, that the stern may have been a bit more showy.  I could be wrong.

 

Specific questions:

- Window panes:  black as pictured below?  Or, white as shown in paintings/lithographs of similar ships of the period?

- Pillars on sides of windows (lower deck):  black or white?

- Port lids:  Yes or no?  Hard to tell from the photo below but there are half-lids hanging down from the lower deck port windows.  Something they would have had during an actual cruise?  Or something added because it was technically a receiving ship at the time of this photo?

- Balcony:  I really don't think this was there on the first cruise.  But I'm open to opinions on this as well.

 

Thanks for sharing thoughts.

 

- Rick

[uss frolick]

What a great photograph!

 

With regard the port lids, this engraving of the Delaware from the 1830s shows full classic ports on the lower gun deck, half lids (lower lid) and removable bucklers (upper lid) on the upper gun deck, and completely removable lids or "full bucklers", or possibly no lids at all, on the spar deck:

 

0 by Stephen Duffy, on Flickr

 

Close up:

 

0-1 by Stephen Duffy, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rstratton_cf]

Sorry, I didn't make it clear that I was referring to the lids on just the stern ports, or rather the cabin windows.

 

Thanks.

[uss frolick]

Those are often just called deadlights.

[Talos]

The plans for Ohio's construction show the stern structure. The balcony was added when the ship was planked over, it was not there when the ship was built, nor were they fashionable for 74s since, what, 1810 or so? It's just scabbed onto the outside of the stern without other modifications, not even to the decoration.

 

 

Throwing in a photo of Ohio at the breakers that shows some interesting detail.

 

Edit: And a painting of a couple North Carolina-class ships to illustrate how the new generation of American 74s generally looked in the time period you asked about.

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Talos

[stm]

Brooklyn Navy Yard has a detail model of Ohio similar to your later photo. They may be a good source of information on her earlier years.

 

https://www.navyhistory.org/2011/10/uss-ohio-model-at-brooklyn-navy-yard-center-at-building-92/

[mtaylor]

Don't know if this will help....