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UNITED STATES / IRONCLAD TRANSITION / INDIVIDUAL SHIP

USS Lehigh

Passaic-class monitor employed in Union coastal operations.

Passaic classUnited States NavyIronclad transitionVerified subject image
A cropped photograph of the USS Lehigh during the Spanish-American War. The ship on the opposite side of the pier is USS Governor Russell.
A cropped photograph of the USS Lehigh during the Spanish-American War. The ship on the opposite side of the pier is USS Governor Russell.Original found at: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h51000/h51301.jpg · Public domainImage source
ClassPassaic class
NavyUnited States Navy
CountryUnited States

What is known about this ship

Passaic-class monitor employed in Union coastal operations.

Service history

Lehigh served with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and later remained in reserve after the Civil War.

Class context: Passaic class

The Passaic class enlarged and refined the single-turret monitor concept after USS Monitor. Ten ships were built for Union coastal operations during the Civil War, combining very low freeboard with a rotating armored turret and heavy smoothbore or rifled weapons.

This ship is recorded as a member of Passaic 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. Lehigh I (Monitor) ↗Naval History and Heritage Command · accessed 2026-09-18
  2. NH 55201 Passaic class monitor ↗Naval History and Heritage Command · accessed 2026-09-18
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