1803-1889

Swedish-born American engineer who influenced the design of warships. Building the first successful screw propeller in 1836, he immigrated to the United States three years later. He helped produce the Princeton, a unique steam-powered warship with engines and boilers below the water surface. Ericsson is best known for his production of the USS Monitor, an iron-clad that withstood the Confederate ship Virginia, reinforcing Union support for the navy. Ericsson also refined structural plans for additional ironclads.