Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Steam Battery Demologos (later Fulton) (1814) Drawing by her designer, Robert Fulton, November 1813, showing the ship's general arrangement.
The Navy started experimenting with steam-powered ships as early as the War of 1812.

Sail-to-Steam Era

Although the Navy started experimenting with steam as early as the War of 1812, steam-powered ships were required to have sails until the 1880s. The Navy transitioned away from sails in the 1890s with the first battleships.