''Illinois'' was a detailed, full-scale mockup of an

coastal defense battleship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrif ...

, constructed as a naval exhibit at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois, in 1893. It was built alongside a pier of stuccoed brick atop wood pilings, with a stucco covered wood-framed superstructure, and outfitted with limited mechanical systems and displays.

Background

In the decade preceding the Columbian Exposition, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

initiated a fleet modernization program. Sometimes referred to as the 'New Navy', the first steel-hulled warships were constructed to replace the wooden and

ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

ships from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

period. In 1891, the first class of modern American battleships, the ''Indiana''-class, was laid down. These warships included modern technologies absent in their Civil War-era predecessors, particularly electricity and electrically driven devices. When the Columbian Exposition was being planned, it was decided to showcase this new naval technology. However, the

Rush–Bagot Treaty The Rush–Bagot Treaty or Rush–Bagot Disarmament was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812. It was ratified by the United States Senate o ...

forbade warships to operate on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. Furthermore, a battleship built on the Great Lakes would have been confined there for its entire existence because, prior to opening of the Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, there was no way for it to leave. As a result, it was decided that a full-scale replica of a battleship would be constructed instead. This mock-up would permit the demonstration of new technologies being used in the ''Indiana''-class warships. In keeping with the Navy's policy of naming battleships after states and in honor of the Exposition's location, the facsimile battleship was called ''Illinois''.

Construction

''Illinois'' was constructed alongside a pier and gave the appearance that she was moored to the wharf. She was designed by architect Frank W. Grogan, and built at a cost of $100,000. A foundation of pilings and heavy timbers were built in

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, at the north-east corner of the exposition grounds. The sides of ''Illinois'' were constructed of brick, plastered with cement. The hull structure was carefully constructed to match the contour of the ''Indiana''-class warships. A superstructure, redoubts, barbettes, turrets and main and secondary guns were assembled using wood framing, covered with cement and metal lathing. Fittings and details, such as anchors, torpedo nets, davits, railings, and a multitude of other details, gave the appearance of a functioning warship. Within the superstructure were berthing spaces, cabins, galley, and other living spaces all constructed to emulate realistic living conditions on American battleships. As a result of the attention to detail, ''Illinois'' was a faithful reproduction of a coastal battleship.

Exhibits

One objective of the Columbian Exposition was to highlight electric generation technologies, and ''Illinois'' was no exception. Because the hull was solid, no machinery or compartments were placed below the berth deck, the level just below the main deck. Instead, an electrical plant was installed on the main deck to provide power to 350 16-candlepower lamps, two 38,000 candlepower search lights, and a few electrical motors. Two 16 kilowatt marine generators were also installed on ''Illinois'', and used to highlight their operation for visitors. However, the actual power for the ship came from a 500 volt, motor. The wiring on ''Illinois'' was done in accordance to naval regulations and was completely watertight. ''Illinois'' was equipped with a complete set of navigation and running lights. Two large searchlights were also demonstrated to visitors. Additionally, ''Illinois'' had two Sturtevant blowers, and used in an on-board machine shop.

Crew

A detachment of officers, sailors, and marines, were assigned to the ''Illinois'' by the Navy Department. The crew performed standard drills and duties as they would on a functioning warship. In addition to the crew assigned by the navy, custodial staff were attired in historic naval uniforms used between 1776 and 1848. ''Illinois'' was commanded by Commodore Richard Worsam Meade, and the Executive Officer was Lieutenant Commander E.D. Taussig, who would later claim

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Disposition

Plans were made to move ''Illinois'' seven miles (11 km) north to the waterfront at the foot of Van Buren street, upon completion of the exposition. After the move, the ''Illinois'' was to serve as the headquarters for the newly formed

Illinois Naval Militia The Illinois Naval Militia was a naval militia created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1893, and finally dissolved in 1988. The naval militia was reauthorized by Governor Rod Blagojevich through an executive order in 2006. As a naval militia ...

. Despite skepticism that moving her was feasible, some foundation pilings were reportedly laid down at the new location starting 13 June 1894. However, this plan was never fully realized, and like many of the other buildings constructed for the Columbian Exposition, ''Illinois'' was dismantled some time after the expo closed October 1893. The bell of the ''Illinois'' is currently on display at

Navy Pier Navy Pier is a pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Navy Pier encompasses over of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, famil ...

in Chicago and is placed near the

Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows was an exhibition that opened in February 2000 at Chicago’s Navy Pier entertainment complex. It permanently closed in October 2014. It was the first American museum dedicated solely to the art of stai ...

by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum Gallery of Stained Glass.

Background

Construction

Exhibits

Crew

Disposition

See also

References

Further reading