The tallest stamp the Post Office had ever issued when it was released on May 27, 1926 is today’s #stampoftheday.
The stamp features John Ericsson, the self-taught Swedish-born inventor who not only designed the Monitor, the iron-clad Union ship that played a decisive role in the Civil War, but also made seminal improvements in the design of hot-air engines and propellers used by machine-powered ships.
Ericsson’s story is really quite amazing. The son of a mine supervisor in Sweden and the brother of a distinguished rail and canal builder, he started working as a surveyor when in 1817, when he was only 14. With no formal training, he began working on a variety of mechanical inventions. Over the next several decades he is credited with making major improvements in the design of hot-air engines used in in locomotives, ships, small industry and with developing the twin-screw propeller system that greatly increased the speed of ships (because the screws turn in opposite direction). Not surprisingly, Ericsson was also known for his quick temper and the DeLamater Iron Works, where he was based for many decades, became known as “the Asylum.”
Not longer after the Civil War began, the Confederacy converted the USS Merrimack into an ironclad ship, and once commissioned, the new ship was soon wreaking havoc on the wooden U.S. Navy Ships blockading Virginia’s ports. Union officials, who had been looking into building their own iron-clad ships, intensified those efforts and turned to Ericsson, who was, by that time, well-known. Ericsson initially rebuffed them because he resented the Navy for the way he had been unfairly blamed (and unfairly unpaid) for a fatal accident involving the USS Princeton, a seminal ship he co-designed in the 1840s. However, after some intensive lobbying by high-ranking officials, he agreed and submitted a design for an iron-clad ship that featured the then-unique idea of a rotating gun turret sitting atop a low-lying boat that reportedly was inspired by the Swedish lumber rafts he had seen as a young surveyor. Officials quickly accepted his design and, remarkably the ship was built and launched in about 100 days. (Isn’t it amazing how fast the federal government can move when it really wants to?)
In March 1862, just days after it was launched in March 1862, it battled the CSS Virginia (the former USS Merrimack) at the Battle of Hampton Roads. While the battle ended in a stalemate with neither ship able to sink the other. But this also meant that the Confederate boat was no longer an effective weapon against the naval blockade. Viewing the ship as a success, the Navy ordered several more similar boats. And several features of the Monitor would be included in future warships around the world, particularly the rotating turret, which is still seen on warships today.
Ericsson went on to design other naval ships and weapons, including a torpedo boat and “sun engines” that used solar energy for hot-air engines. After he died in March 1889, the Navy moved to honor his wish to be buried in Sweden. But initial plans were controversial. The New York Times reported that many people felt that by selecting the third-rate USS Essex to transport his remains, the Navy was not paying proper respect to Ericsson. In response, the Navy decided to send the remains on the USS Baltimore, escorted by other ships. On August 23, 1890, the fleet departed New York City with a twenty-one gun salute and the Swedish flag hoisted on every ship of the squadron. Around 100,000 people turned out for the funeral procession and departure ceremonies, including several veterans of the USS Monitor.
The idea for the 1926 Ericsson Memorial Issue stamp came from the John Ericsson Memorial Commission, which had raised funds to create a memorial to the inventor to be built in West Potomac Park, Washington, DC directly south of the Lincoln Memorial. The stamp, which pictures the J.H. Frazer-designed memorial, shows the seated figure of Ericsson surrounded by figures representing Vision, Labor and Adventure. Getting all of this onto one stamp required that the stamp be longer than any stamp previously issued by the Post Office.
Stay safe and be well.