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UNITED STATES / IRONCLAD TRANSITION / INDIVIDUAL SHIP

USS Ajax

Canonicus-class monitor renamed Ajax after completion.

Canonicus classUnited States NavyIronclad transitionVerified subject image
(1865-1899, ex-Manayunk) Photographed during her Spanish-American War service, 1898. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
(1865-1899, ex-Manayunk) Photographed during her Spanish-American War service, 1898. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.19-N-19-11-1 · Public domainImage source
ClassCanonicus class
NavyUnited States Navy
CountryUnited States

What is known about this ship

Canonicus-class monitor renamed Ajax after completion.

Service history

The ship spent much of her career in reserve and postwar coastal service under the name Ajax.

Class context: Canonicus class

The Canonicus class was a larger single-turret monitor design developed from Civil War experience with the earlier Passaic type. Nine ships were completed, mounting a pair of 15-inch Dahlgren guns in one armored turret.

This ship is recorded as a member of Canonicus class. Shared design history belongs on the class page; this page concentrates on the individual hull where evidence is available.

Sources and further reading

  1. Ajax I (Monitor) ↗Naval History and Heritage Command · accessed 2026-09-18
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