Fulton's "Steam Battery": Blockship and Catamaran

This paper offers a close‑up look at an experimental warship built during the War of 1812, widely regarded as the first steam‑powered vessel to take a combat role. By exploiting a set of original plans uncovered in the Danish Royal Archives, the author moves beyond the sketchy patent drawing that has long limited our understanding, providing a clearer picture of the ship’s dimensions, layout, and purpose.

The study walks the reader through the vessel’s unconventional catamaran‑style blockship design, emphasizing its double‑hull construction and the engineering ideas behind it. Detailed illustrations accompany a step‑by‑step reconstruction process, helping scholars and model‑makers alike visualize how the ship might have looked and performed. In placing the craft within the broader naval technology of the early nineteenth century, the article sheds light on the ambitions and challenges faced by early steam pioneers.