Ericsson, John

Ericsson, John
born July 31, 1803, Långbanshyttan, Swed.
died March 8, 1889, New York, N.Y., U.S.

Swedish-U.S. naval engineer and inventor.

He moved to England in 1826, where he constructed a steam locomotive (1829) and later devised a caloric engine and patented a screw propeller. He immigrated to the U.S in 1839. During the Civil War he proposed, designed, and built a novel warship, the Monitor. Its battle with the Confederacy's Merrimack led the government to place an order for many more such vessels. Wholly steam-powered and with a screw propeller and an armoured revolving turret, it set a new pattern for U.S. warships that continued until the 20th century. He later developed a torpedo and investigated solar-powered motors.

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▪ Swedish-American engineer
born July 31, 1803, Långbanshyttan, Sweden
died March 8, 1889, New York, New York, U.S.
 Swedish-born American naval engineer and inventor who built the first armoured turret warship and developed the screw propeller.

      After serving in the Swedish army as a topographical surveyor, Ericsson went to London in 1826 and constructed a steam locomotive, the Novelty, for a railway competition at Rainhill, Lancashire, in 1829. The prize was won by George Stephenson (Stephenson, George)'s Rocket. Ericsson also devised a plan for placing warship engines below the waterline to protect them against shell fire. In 1833 he exhibited his caloric engine, on which he worked the rest of his life, and in 1836 he patented a screw propeller, first used in 1837 on the Francis B. Ogden, built in London. Captain Robert F. Stockton (Stockton, Robert F.), of the U.S. Navy, ordered a small iron vessel, the Robert F. Stockton, to be fitted by Ericsson with engines and screw; it reached New York City in May 1839.

      A few months later, Ericsson emigrated to the United States and lived the rest of his life in New York City, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1848. During the American Civil War, Ericsson's proposal to the Navy Department for a novel warship was accepted, and the Monitor was launched on January 30, 1862. Wholly steam-powered and with a screw propeller, the vessel, with its armoured revolving turret, set a revolutionary pattern for warships that continued into the 20th century. On March 9 the Monitor fought the Confederate ironclad Virginia (formerly Merrimack), leading the federal government to place an order with Ericsson for many more Monitor-type vessels; these ships played an important role in the blockade of the Confederacy. (See Battle of Monitor and Merrimack (Monitor and Merrimack, Battle of the).) In later years he developed a torpedo and investigated solar-powered motors.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ericsson,John — Er·ics·son (ĕrʹĭk sən), John. 1803 1889. American engineer and inventor who built the first ironclad warship, the Monitor (1862), which engaged the Confederate Merrimack in a famous naval battle of the Civil War (March 9, 1862). * * * …   Universalium

  • Ericsson, John — (31 jul. 1803, Långbanshyttan, Suecia–8 mar. 1889, Nueva York, N.Y., EE.UU.). Ingeniero naval e inventor sueco estadounidense. Se trasladó a Inglaterra en 1826, donde construyó una locomotora de vapor (1829) y más tarde ideó una máquina térmica y …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • ERICSSON, JOHN —    a distinguished Swedish engineer, born at Langbanshyttan; went to England in 1826 and to United States of America in 1839, where he died; invented the screw propeller of steamships; built warships for the American navy, and amongst them the… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • John Ericsson — Retrado de Ericsson Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Ericsson — (* 31. Juli 1803 in Långbanshyttan; † 8. März 1889 in New York), eigentlich Johan Ericsson, war ein schwedischer Ingenieur und Erfinder. John Ericsson …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ericsson — Ericsson,   John, amerikanischer Ingenieur schwedischer Herkunft, * Gut Långban (bei Filipstad, Verwaltungsbezirk Värmland) 31. 7. 1803, ✝ New York 8. 3. 1889; ging 1826 nach Großbritannien; baute mit John Braithwaite (* 1797, ✝ 1870) die… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Ericsson — Ericsson, John, Ingenieur, geb. 31. Juli 1803 zu Långbanshyttan in Wermland, erst schwed. Offizier, dann in England, seit 1839 in Neuyork, Erfinder der Heißluftmaschine, des Schraubenpropellers für Kriegsschiffe, der Dampfspritze, des… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • John Ericsson — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Ericsson (homonymie). John Ericsson John Ericsson, pionnier de l industrie mécanique moderne Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ericsson-Prozess — Der Ericsson Kreisprozess (nach John Ericsson), auch Ackeret Keller Kreisprozess (nach Jakob Ackeret), ist ein thermodynamischer Kreisprozess. Der Prozess dient als Vergleichsprozess für eine Gasturbinenanlage (interne oder externe Erwärmung) mit …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • john — /jon/, n. Slang. 1. a toilet or bathroom. 2. (sometimes cap.) a fellow; guy. 3. (sometimes cap.) a prostitute s customer. [generic use of the proper name] * * * I known as John Lackland born Dec. 24, 1167, Oxford, Eng. died Oct. 18/19, 1216,… …   Universalium

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