A Different Subsidized Merchant

[Timerover51]

The following quote is taken from the Report of the naval committee to the House of Representatives, August, 1850, in favor of the establishment of a line of mail steamships to the western coast of Africa, and thence via the Mediterranean to London; designed to promote the emigration of free persons of color from the United States to Liberia: also to increase the steam navy, and to extend the commerce of the United States
With an appendix added by the American Colonization Society.
This was published in 1850, and can be found on Project Gutenberg. I apologize for the length of the title, but it was a Congressional Report.

The committee do not propose that our Government shall attempt to emulate this vast network of steam navigation, with which England has already encompassed the globe. But it is believed that the recent increase of our territory, on the Pacific and in the Gulf of Mexico, forms an additional reason for a considerable augmentation of our steam navy, whether by a direct addition to the navy proper, or[8] by the encouragement of lines of steam packets, to be established by private enterprise under the auspices of Government. If the latter system should be adopted, as already commenced, the ships will be built under the inspection of a Government officer, at the expense of private individuals; they will be commanded by officers in the navy, and will be at all times available for the public service. It will be the interest of the contractors to adopt, from time to time, all the improvements which may be made in machinery and in the means of propulsion, and the ships will be kept in good repair. Besides being commanded by a naval officer, each ship will carry a sufficient number of midshipmen for watch officers, and thus a very considerable portion of the personnel of the service will be kept actively employed, with the opportunity of acquiring the knowledge and skill requisite to the proper management of a steam navy. A corps of trained engineers and firemen will be attached to each ship, and no doubt these would generally remain with her when the ship should be called into the public service.

Essentially, a private individual or corporation would build the ship, and the U.S. Navy would operate it, with the owner collecting the profits, while the crew cost was paid for by the government. As crew costs are a major factor in the operation of a ship, this would be an interesting alternative to the standard form of Subsidized Merchant.

 

[whartung]

Interesting concept. I wonder what the vernacular would be for such a vessel. A "Prize ship" since it's essentially funded by high seas prizes?

 

[Condottiere]

USS Enterprize

 

[Spinward Flow]

USS Enterprize

USS Enterprice ...

 

[kilemall]

Wouldn’t the Venetian galley system be similar?

Venetian navy - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Venice and its lagoons :: The merchant fleet

www.venicethefuture.com

Local slow bulk freighters are private in line with the round sail ships.

Fast freighters equivalent to galleys (which I interpret as both higher jump and higher maneuver) have some armament rapidly fitted to full in wartime, travel in convoys, standardized to rapid construction, and have troop transport ability as well.

They are government owned/subsidized, and are only paid to ship high value fast cargo. This explains the per trip/not per parsec rate, it’s government setting to edge out any private or other nation merchant service.

The fast galleys operated with paid specialist rowing crew. They were paid low, but had rights to ship their own cargo free of fare and taxation as compensation. So maybe something like everyone gets paid monthly Cr1000 but gets free freight tonnage per trip equal to what they should normally get, plus perhaps extra tonnage for ranked officer 4th through captain.

Interesting that the Venetian navy ended its days with slave crews. That had to impact their effectiveness.

Anyway, there is a model off the 3I path.

 

[Condottiere]

In the beginning of the 16th century, a lowering of the carrack's forecastle and elongation of the hull gave the ocean-going galleons an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more maneuverable vessel. The galleon differed from the older types primarily by being longer, lower and narrower, with a square tuck stern instead of a round tuck, and by having a snout or head projecting forward from the bows below the level of the forecastle. In Portugal at least, Portuguese carracks were usually very large ships for their time (often over 1,000 tons), while galleons were mostly under 500 tons, although the Manila galleons were to reach up to 2,000 tons. With the introduction of the galleon in Portuguese India Armadas during the first quarter of the 16th century,[9][10] carracks' armament was reduced as they became almost exclusively cargo ships (which is why the Portuguese carracks were pushed to such large sizes), leaving any fighting to be done to the galleons. One of the largest and most famous of Portuguese galleons was the São João Baptista (nicknamed Botafogo, "Spitfire"), a 1,000-ton galleon built in 1534, said to have carried 366 guns.[citation needed]

 

[mike wightman]

The English went one step further with the race-built galleon which significantly outperformed the Spanish ships during the Spanish Armada incident.

 

[Condottiere]

Apparently, the secret was the fish shaped hull.

The Spaniards had an interesting formation, moon shaped, with the most powerful galleons anchoring the ends.

 

[Timerover51]

In the beginning of the 16th century, a lowering of the carrack's forecastle and elongation of the hull gave the ocean-going galleons an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more maneuverable vessel. The galleon differed from the older types primarily by being longer, lower and narrower, with a square tuck stern instead of a round tuck, and by having a snout or head projecting forward from the bows below the level of the forecastle. In Portugal at least, Portuguese carracks were usually very large ships for their time (often over 1,000 tons), while galleons were mostly under 500 tons, although the Manila galleons were to reach up to 2,000 tons. With the introduction of the galleon in Portuguese India Armadas during the first quarter of the 16th century,[9][10] carracks' armament was reduced as they became almost exclusively cargo ships (which is why the Portuguese carracks were pushed to such large sizes), leaving any fighting to be done to the galleons. One of the largest and most famous of Portuguese galleons was the São João Baptista (nicknamed Botafogo, "Spitfire"), a 1,000-ton galleon built in 1534, said to have carried 366 guns.[citation needed]

You might at least indicate that this is a Wikipedia quote.

 

[Condottiere]

It's pretty obvious.