Java-class frigate (1863)
USS California, formally Minnetonka, in the early 1870s | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Java class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | |
| Built | 1863–1864 |
| In commission | 1867–1888 |
| Planned | 10 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Cancelled | 6 |
| Retired | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Wooden screw frigate |
| Displacement | 3,953 long tons (4,016 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 14.01 m (46 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 5.26 metres (17 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12–13 knots (22–24 km/h; 14–15 mph) |
| Complement | 325 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Piscataqua had 20 × 9-inch SB guns |
The Java class was a series of ten wooden-hulled steam frigates ordered by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. Construction of the ships was significantly delayed with the war's end, and ultimately, only four ships were launched. Of those, only three went to sea and served brief careers due to poor wood quality and a lack of funding. The ships were designed with the ability to attack mechant shipping at sea, which was planned to detur a war with European powers in the post-war era.