Look up gunboat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Union ironclad river gunboats assault the Confederates at Fort Donelson, February, 1862.

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.

History[link]

A model of a type of decked "gun yawl" designed by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman and used by the Swedish Archipelago Fleet

In the age of sail, a gunboat was usually a small undecked vessel carrying a single smoothbore cannon in the bow, or just two or three such cannons. A gunboat could carry one or two masts or be oar-powered only, but the single-masted version of about 15 m (49 ft) length was most typical. Some types of gunboat carried two cannons, or else mounted a number of swivel guns on the railings.

The advantages of this type of gunboat were that since it only carried a single cannon, that cannon could be quite heavy—for instance, a 32-pounder—and that the boat could be maneuvered in shallow or restricted waters, where sailing was difficult for larger ships. A single hit from a frigate would demolish a gunboat, but a frigate facing six gunboats in an estuary would likely be seriously damaged before it could manage to sink all of them. Gunboats were also easy and quick to build; the combatants in the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in New York were mostly gunboats built on the spot.

All navies of the sailing era kept a number of gunboats on hand. Gunboats saw extensive use in the Baltic Sea during the late 18th century as they were well-suited for the extensive coastal skerries and archipelagoes of Sweden, Finland and Russia. The rivalry between Sweden and Russia in particular lead to an intense expansion of gunboat fleets and development of new gunboat types. The two clashed during the Russo-Swedish war of 1788-90 a conflict that culminated in the massive Battle of Svensksund in 1790, where over 30,000 men and hundreds of gunboats, galleys and other oared craft participated. The majority of these were vessels developed from the 1770s and onwards by the naval architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman for the Swedish Archipelago Fleet. The designs were copied and refined by the rival Danish and Russian navies and spread to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.^[1]

Two variants were the most common, a larger 20 m (66 ft) "gun sloop" (from the Swedish kanonslup) with two 24-pounders, one in the stern and one in the bow, and a smaller 15 m (49 ft) "gun yawl" (kanonjolle) with a single 24-pounder. Many of the Baltic navies kept gunboats in service well into the second half of the 19th century.^[2] British ships engaged larger 22 m (72 ft) Russian gunboats off Turku in southeast Finland in 1854 during the Crimean War. The Russian vessels had the distinction of being the last oared vessels of war in history to fire their guns in anger.^[3]

Gunboats were a key part of Napoleon's plan for the invasion of England in 1804. Denmark-Norway used them heavily in the Gunboat War. Between 1803 and 1812, the United States Navy had a policy of basing its navy on coastal gunboats. It experimented with a variety of designs, but they were nearly useless in the War of 1812, and went back to being special-purpose vessels.

Steam era[link]

The screw gunboat USS Alliance, circa 1880.

With the introduction of steam power in the early 19th century, the Royal Navy and other navies built considerable numbers of small vessels propelled by side paddles and later by screws. Initially, these vessels retained full sailing rigs, so that steam propulsion was used as an auxiliary form.

The British Royal Navy deployed two wooden paddle gunboats in the Lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River during the 1837 rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada. The United States Navy deployed an iron-hulled paddle gunboat, the USS Michigan, to the Great Lakes in 1844.

The Von der Tann was the first propeller-driven gunboat in the world. Conradi shipyards in Kiel built the steam-powered 120 long tons (120 t) gunboat in 1849 at for the small navy of Schleswig-Holstein. Initially called "Gunboat No. 1", Von der Tann was the most modern ship in the navy. She participated successfully in the First Schleswig War.

Britain built a large number of wooden screw gunboats during the 1850s, some of which participated in the Crimean war, Second Opium War and Indian Mutiny. The requirement for gunboats in the Crimean war was formulated in 1854 and was to allow for shore bombardment operations to be carried out in the Baltic.^[4] The first ships the Royal Navy built that met this requirement were the Arrow-class gunvessels.^[4] Then in mid 1854 the Royal Navy ordered six Gleaner-class gunboats followed latter in the year by an order for 20 Dapper-class gunboats.^[4] In May 1855, six Dapper-class gunboats were deployed to the Sea of Azov where they repeatedly raided and destroyed stores around its coast.^[5] In June 1855, the Royal Navy reentered the Baltic with a total of 18 gunboats as part of a larger fleet.^[6] The boats were used to attack various coastal facilities operating alongside larger warships from which they drew supplies such as coal.^[6]

Gunboats experienced a revival during the American Civil War. Armed sidewheel steamers were quickly converted from existing passenger-carrying boats by Union and Confederate forces. Later, some boats were purposely built, such as the USS Miami. They all frequently mounted 12 or more guns, sometimes of rather large caliber, and were usually armored to some degree. At the same time, Britain's gunboats from the Crimean war period were starting to wear out so a new series of classes was ordered. At the same time, construction shifted from a purely wooden hull to an iron teak composite.^[7]

SMS Panther, a famous gunboat diplomat from the Agadir Crisis.

In the later 19th century and early 20th century, "gunboat" was the common name for smaller armed vessels, often called "patrol gunboats"^{[by whom?]}. These could be classified, from the smallest to the largest, into river gunboats, river monitors, coastal defense gunboats (such as the SMS Panther), and full-fledged monitors for coastal bombardments. In the 1870s-1880s, Britain took to building so called "flat-iron" (or Rendel) gunboats for coastal defence.^[8] When there would be few opportunities to re-coal, vessels carrying a full sailing rig were still used as gunboats; HMS Gannet, a sloop preserved at Chatham Historic Dockyard in the United Kingdom, is an example of this type of gunboat.

In the U.S. Navy, these boats had the hull classification symbol "PG"; they usually displaced under 2,000 long tons (2,000 t), were about 200 ft (61 m) long, 10–15 ft (3.0–4.6 m) draught and sometimes much less, and mounted several guns of caliber up to 5–6 in (130–150 mm). An important characteristic of these was the ability to operate in rivers, enabling them to reach inland targets in a way not otherwise possible before the development of aircraft. In this period, gunboats were used by the naval powers for police actions in colonies or weaker countries, for example in China (see e.g. Yangtze Patrol). It is this category of gunboat that inspired the term "gunboat diplomacy". With the addition of torpedoes they became ""torpedo gunboats".

In Britain, much of the gunboat fleet was disposed of as part of Admiral Fisher's reforms in the 1900s.^[9] A handful were still in service in various roles at the start of World War I.^[10] The very last in active service were two of the second Bramble class which survived until 1926 carrying out river patrols in west Africa.^[11]

Insect-class HMS Aphis (with larger calibre guns installed in 1939).

In the circumstances of World War I, however, the Royal Navy re-equipped with small (625 long tons (635 t)), shallow draught gunboats (12 ships of the Insect class) with sufficient speed to operate in fast-flowing rivers and relatively heavy armament. During the War and in the post-war period, these were deployed in Romania on the Danube, in Mesopotamia on the Euphrates and Tigris, in northern Russia on the Northern Dvina and in China on the Yangtze. In China, during anarchic and war conditions, they continued to be deployed until World War II in defence of British interests; other western Powers did the same.

More, larger, gunboats were built in the late 1930s for the Far East. Some were sailed there; others were transported in sections and reassembled at Shanghai.

World War II and the United Kingdom[link]

Most British gunboats were withdrawn from the Far East early in World War II and redeployed in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, where they supported various army operations in north Africa and southern Europe. Those that remained in the Far East were either handed over to the Chinese (HMS Sandpiper, renamed Ying Hao) or lost to the Japanese.

Vietnam War[link]

U.S. riverine gunboats in the Vietnam War, utilized Patrol Boats River (PBR), which were constructed of fiberglass; Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), commonly known as Swift Boats, which were built of aluminum; and Assault Support Patrol Boats (ASPB) built of steel. U.S. Coast Guard 82-foot Point Class Patrol Boats supplemented these U.S. Navy vessels. The ASPBs were commonly referred to as "Alpha" boats and were primarily deployed for mine sweeping duties along the water ways, due to their all steel construction. The ASPB's were the only U.S. Navy riverine craft specifically designed and built for the Vietnam War.^[12] All of these boats were assigned to the U.S. Navy's "Brownwater Navy".^[13]

See also[link]

• Alarm class torpedo gunboat
• Dryad class torpedo gunboat
• Insect class gunboat
• Japanese gunboat Chiyodagata
• Japanese gunboat Seta
• Japanese gunboat Unyo
• List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy
• SMS Panther
• HMS Rattlesnake (1886)
• Redbreast class gunboat
• River gunboat
• Russian gunboat Korietz
• Soviet gunboat Krasnoye Znamya
• Spanish gunboat Callao
• Spanish gunboat General Concha
• Spanish gunboat Marques del Duero
• Torpedo gunboat
• HMS Vixen (1865)
• Von der Tann (gunboat)
• Yorktown class gunboat

Notes[link]

Print references[link]

• Anderson, Roger Charles, Oared Fighting Ships: From classical times to the coming of steam. London. 1962.
• Chapelle, Howard, The History of the American Sailing Navy Norton. 1949.
• Friedman, Norman. US Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History. 1987; Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-713-5.
• Glete, Jan, Navies and Nations: Warships, Navies and State Building in Europe and America 1500-1860 (vol 2) Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm. 1993. ISBN 91-22-01565-5
• Preston, John Antony, Send a Gunboat! The Victorian Navy and Supremacy at Sea, 1854-1904. Conway Maritime, London. 2007. ISBN 978-0-85177-923-2.

Web references[link]

• http://www.chdt.org.uk/Historic_Warships/HMS_Gannet/hms_gannet.html

Chad Smith
Chad Smith performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 4, 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Chadwick Smith
Born	(1961-10-25) October 25, 1961 (age 50) St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Funk rock, alternative rock, funk metal, experimental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, jazz-funk
Instruments	guitar, Piano, Guitar, Oboe, Saxophone, Didgeridoo, Flute
Years active	1982–present
Associated acts	Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats, Glenn Hughes, Dave Navarro, Toby Redd

Chadwick "Chad" Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961)^[1][2][3] is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers whom he joined in 1988. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot, which formed in 2008.

Smith has also worked with Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and on his own instrumental side-project, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats. In 2010 Smith released a children's record, Rhythm Train which he recorded with legend, Dick Van Dyke, and Leslie Bixler. In April 2010 MTV named Rhythm Train one of the best children's records of all time.

In addition to Smith's bands, he also records with many other musicians including The Dixie Chicks, Kid Rock, George Clinton and Outernational. Smith was ranked #87 on Rolling Stone list of "100 Greatest Drummers of All time". He entered the Guinness book of the world records for playing the world's largest drum kit consisting of 308 pieces. In March 2012 Modern Drummer named Smith #2 on its list of best living drummers.

Smith, along with his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.

Biography[link]

Smith was born Chadwick Smith on October 25, 1961 in Saint Paul, Minnesota but spent most of his childhood in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he attended Andover High School and graduated from Lahser High School in 1980. Following high school, Smith spent his time playing in many local bands and the local club scene. It wasn't until 1988 when Smith decided to fly to California to visit his brother that his life changed. While in California, Smith was one of the last drummers to audition for the vacant spot left open by D. H. Peligro in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith completely blew the other three band members away with his aggressive drumming, although Smith's personal style and background of hard rock and motorcycles didn't completely mesh with the other three, who came from a punk rock background. Singer Anthony Kiedis hired Smith to be in the band although he insisted that he needed to get rid of his bandana and long hair. The following day, Smith showed up for another audition wearing the same bandanna and sporting the same long hair. Kiedis admired Smith and found his persistence pretty impressive.^{[citation needed]} Smith joined the Chili Peppers in December 1988 and within a few months was recording his first album with the band, Mother's Milk. Smith reflected on joining the band in a 2012 interview by saying “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, cool, they have a record deal. Great! I’d love to be in a band that has a record deal. We started playing, and right away we just hit it off musically. I was like, ‘Man, this is a blast! These guys are great!’ … We were just doing what we do. We just jammed, which is what we still do today. It’s very similar.”^[4]

In 2008, during a break for the Chili Peppers, Smith joined the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot. The group has released two album to date. In 2011, due to touring commitments with the Chili Peppers, Smith was unable to tour with Chickenfoot and was replaced by Kenny Aronoff although Smith still remains a member of the band and plans to record more music with them during the next break away from the Chili Peppers.

In August 2011, the Chili Peppers released I'm with You, their tenth studio album, seventh with Smith. The band expects to be on the road until at least 2013 supporting the album although Smith said a new album isn't expected until at least late 2013. In April 2012, the band was inducted by Chris Rock into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Personal life[link]

On May 8, 2004 in Hopetown, Abaco, Bahamas, Smith got married for the second time to architect Nancy Mack. They have two sons together, Cole and Beckett Cash and as of March 2012 are expecting their third child as announced by Smith on his Twitter page. Smith has 3 other children from previous relationships; daughter Manon St. John Smith with first wife, Maria St. John, daughter Ava Smith, and son Justin Smith.^[3][5]

Smith is a diehard Detroit Pistons fan and loves playing golf, riding motorcycles, surfing and watching Saturday Night Live. He has a striking resemblance to actor Will Ferrell and has acknowledged the resemblance in various interviews.^[6]

Smith regularly contributes to many non profit organizations including: MusiCares, Surfer's Healing, an organization which provides aid to children facing Autism, Right Turn in Boston, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children's Hospitals across the United States and Camp Korey, which is one of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall summer camps for children with serious illness.

Equipment[link]

Chad Smith drumming at the London Guitar Show 2008

Chad's Pearl Acrylic kit:

• 12x8 tom
• 14x14 floor tom
• 16x16 floor tom
• 24x18 kick drum
• 14×5 Pearl Ultracast Snare

Note: Chad rarely uses his signature snare.

Sabian cymbals:

• 14" AAX-Celerator Hats,
• 21" AA Rock Ride,
• 20" AA Rock Crash,
• 19" AA Medium Crash,
• 19" Vault Holy China,
• 10" AAX Splash

Vater Percussion sticks:

• Chad Smith Funk Blaster

Pearl hardware:

• C1000 straight stand x 5
• P2000C bass drum pedal
• H2000 hi-hat stand
• S2000 snare stand
• D1000S throne
• T2000 double tom stand
• B1000 boom stand
• AX20 adapter

Remo drumheads:

• Clear Powerstroke 4 (Bass Drum Batter): 24"
• Clear Ambassador (Tom Resonants): 12", 14", 16"
• Clear Controlled Sound(Tom Batters):12", 14", 16"
• Coated Controlled Sound (Snare Batter): 14"
• Ambassador Hazy (Snare Side): 14"

Selected discography[link]

• Jam Sessions - Jamming with Linc (1977)
• Pharaoh - Point Of Entry (1982)
• Toby Redd - In the Light (1986)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk (1989)
• Second Self - Mood Ring (1990)
• Twenty Mondays - Twist Inside (1992)
• Queen Remix (1991)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
• Wild Colonials - Fruit of Life (1994)
• General Clusterfunk - Starin' Straight at the Sun (1994)
• Various Artists - A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division (1995)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute (1995)
• Original Soundtrack - Grace of my Heart (1996)
• Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness (1996)
• Thermadore - Monkey on Rico (1996)
• Howard Stern's Private Parts (1997)
• Lili Haydn - Lili (1997)
• John Fogerty - Blue Moon Swamp (1997)
• Leah Andreone - Alchemy (1998)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)
• Fishbone - The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerk (2000)
• Various Artists - Loud Rocks (2000)
• Dave Navarro - Trust No One (2001)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way (2002)
• Johnny Cash - Unearthed (2003)
• Glenn Hughes - Songs In The Key Of Rock (2003)
• Hughes Turner Project - HTP 2 (2003)
• John Frusciante - Shadows Collide With People (2004)
• Glenn Hughes - Soulfully Live In The City Of Angels (2004)
• Glenn Hughes - Soul Mover (2005)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (2006)
• Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (2006)
• Glenn Hughes - Music For The Divine (2006)
• Glenn Hughes - First Underground Nuclear Kitchen (2008)
• George Clinton - George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love (2008)
• Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (2009)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Meet The Meatbats (2009)
• B'z - Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive (2009)
• Rhythm Train with Leslie Bixler, Chad Smith and Featuring Dick Van Dyke - (2010) ^[7]
• Paul Oakenfold - Pop Killer (2010)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - More Meat (2010)
• Kid Rock - Born Free (2010) ^[8]
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm with You (2011)
• Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III (2011)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Live Meat And Potatoes (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers Official website
• Chad on Twitter
• Rhythm Train
• Guitarworld
• Chad Smith on Drum Channel