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Air Trails magazine ran a regular featured
titled "Air Progress" that documented
the evolution of various classes of airplanes and helicopters. Occasionally, they would also run "Rocket
Progress," "Auto Progress,"
and, less frequently, "Ship Progress." Here, Mr. Staab presents an array or warships ranging from a
primitive log dugout to a modern day (for the 1950s) battleship. The drawings are usually crisp and
clear, but for some reason these are blurry, possibly due to color misalignment during printing.
Ship Progress
By H. Alonzo Staab
 1. Primitive African dugout,
a hollowed log, was man's first attempt to create hull structure of a boat.
2. Egyptian Galley (1600 B.C.). Employed largely for commerce on Nile. Oars manned by slaves, square
sail.
3. Viking Long Ship (c. 1000 A.D.). Developed by Norse sea rovers for use in war. Sailed Baltic and
North Seas, reached as far as Nova Scotia.
4. Constitution (Old Ironsides). Famous U.S. frigate, largest and heaviest armed ship of day. Crew
400.
5. Hartford. Civil War armed sloop, flagship of Capt. David Glasgow Farragut, who later was first
full admiral of U.S. Navy.
6.Clermont. Designed by Robert Fulton, first financially successful U. S. steamboat. Launched in
1807.
 7.
Great Eastern. Built to sail between England and Australia without refueling. Never made the voyage;
eventually used for laying Atlantic cable.
8. Santa Maria. Flagship of Christopher Columbus. One of the three that sailed from Spain in 1492
attempting to establish a westward route to India. 69 days later, on Christmas eve, she wrecked just
off Hispaniola Island (Haiti), thus discovering America.
 9.
Flying Cloud. One of the most famous of American breed of Clipper Ships. Noted for her speed and carrying
capacity. Used for trade between California and Far East. Once averaged 15 1/2 knots for 24 hours.
10. Monitor. First armored ship to mount gun turret, predecessor of the battleship. Built during
Civil War, fought in the battle of Hampton Roads May 9, 1862, defeating the Confederate armored ship
Merrimac. Designed by Swedish engineer John Erickson.
 11.
U.S.S. Missouri (Mighty Mo). Famous battleship on whose deck peace treaty with Japan was signed. Wartime
complement 2700 men and officers. Full load displacement is 57,216 tons. Four screws, 200,000 hp geared
turbine engines, maximum speed 33 knots. Served also in Korean war, now slated for mothballs.
 12.
S.S. United States. Largest luxury liner built in America. Established a new transatlantic speed record
from New York to Southampton, England, of 3 days, 10 hours; 40 min. on her maiden voyage, July 1952.
Believed capable of 40-45 kn.
Additional Notes:
1. The dugout, also used by the American Indians, was predecessor of the canoe and a great improvement
over the log on which primitive man floated, using his hands as paddles.
2. The Egyptian Galley was usually clinker built of cedar wood, approximately 60 to 70 ft. long.
Strengthened by a heavy multistrand rope stretched from one end of the hull to the other and supported
by two to four crutches to ease the strain of the overhanging ends.
3. The Viking Long Ship had to be rugged, as the seas it sailed were rough. It was 160 to 170 ft.
long and built primarily to be propelled by oars. The modern whaleboats of today are very similar in
shape.
4. The Constitution was built at Edmund Hart's Naval Yard, Boston, Mass. It was launched in October
1797 and first put to sea on July 22, 1798. In the War of 1812 it carried 55 guns and a full war complement
of 465 officers and men. The length of the main deck was 174ft. 10 1/2 in., beam 43 ft. 6 in., displacement
1576 tons.
5. The Hartford's length was 225 ft., beam 44 ft., displacement 2900 tons. Mounted 24 smooth-bore
broadside cannon and 2-20 powder rifled-guns.
6. Clermont was built at the yards of Charles Brown, Corlear's Hook, N. Y. Length 150 ft., beam 18
ft., displacement about 100 ton. Its designer, Fulton, was not the first inventor of steamboats, being
preceded by others here and abroad.
7. The Great Eastern was largest passenger ship of its time. Length was 692 ft., displacement 18,914
tons. Capacity 3000 passengers. Built in England in 1854.
8. Santa Maria carried crew of 39 men; was approximately 80 ft. long, displaced in the neighborhood
of 200 tons.
9. Flying Cloud (Clipper Ship) was launched at Donald McKay yards, Boston, Mass. in 1851. Length
225 ft., displacement 2783 tons. Flying Cloud burned at St. Johns, New Brunswick in 1874.
10. Monitor: flat bottom hull, 174 ft. long with a beam of 41 ft. 4 in. Displacement was approximately
1250 tons, speed 9 knots .
11. U.S.S. Missouri: one of the four of the Iowa Class battleships. Completed in 1943 at Brooklyn
Navy Yard.
Posted January 28, 2017
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