Potomac-class frigate
USS Sabine, one of the two lengthened ships. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Potomac class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Java-class frigate |
| Built | 1819–1861 |
| In service | 1825–1912 |
| Completed | 9 |
| Lost | 4 |
| Retired | 5 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Heavy sailing frigate |
| Displacement | 1,726 short tons (1,541 long tons) |
| Length | 175 ft (53 m) lbp |
| Beam | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Depth | 14.3 ft (4.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Complement | 480 |
| Armament | 44 guns of various shot nominally |
The Raritan or Potomac-class frigate was a class of nine heavy United States Navy frigates which were in operation through much of the 19th century. The ships were intended to be constructed slowly for the sake of build quality, and entered service between the 1820s and 1860s due to a lack of funding. The design was based on the prior original six frigates of the United States Navy and Java-class frigates, but had become outdated by the time the last ships of the class entered service. They served in various conflicts, most notably the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. By the end of the latter, four members of the class had been sunk and those remaining were repurposed, with the last disposed of in 1912.