San Francisco is Well Protected -- September 27, 2014

From the 26-May-1897 San Francisco Call. William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the newspaper. The Camanche (that's how the Navy spelled it) was a Civil War monitor with an unusual history. After being built, she was disassembled and loaded into the hold of a sailing ship, the Aquila, which carried her around the horn. Aquila sank in her berth in San Francisco. After being salvaged, Camanche was assembled and launched in late 1864. Monterey and Monadnock were examples of New Navy monitors. Both were able to cross the Pacific during the Spanish-American war. Alert had been commissioned in 1875. Bennington was a New Navy gunboat. Wheeling and Marietta were gunboats which had just been built at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco.

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