Illinois was a detailed, full scale mockup of an Indiana-class

Indiana class battleship

The three Indiana-class battleships were the first battleships to be built by the United States Navy comparable to contemporary European ships, such as the British . Authorized in 1890 and commissioned between November 1895 and April 1896, they were relatively small battleships with heavy armor and...

 battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

, constructed as a naval exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, in 1893.

Background

In the decade preceding the Columbian Exposition, the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 initiated a fleet modernization program. Sometimes referred to as the 'New Navy', the first steel-hulled warships were constructed to replace the wooden and ironclad ships from the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 period. In 1891, the first class of modern American battleships, the Indiana-class, was laid down. These warships included modern technologies absent in their Civil War-era predecessors, particularly electricity and electrically-driven devices.

When the Columbian Exposition was being planned, it was decided to showcase this new naval technology. However, the Rush-Bagot Treaty

Rush-Bagot Treaty

The Rush-Bagot Treaty was a treaty between the United States and Britain ratified by the United States Senate on April 16, 1817 . The treaty provided for a large demilitarization of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, where many British naval arrangements and forts still remained...

 forbade warships to operate on the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

. Also, a battleship built on the Great Lakes would then have been confined to the Great Lakes for its entire existence because, prior to opening of the Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, there was no way to get the ship out of there. So it was decided that a full scale replica of a battleship would be constructed. This mock-up would permit the demonstration of new technologies being used in the Indiana-class warships. In keeping with the Navy's policy of naming battleships after states and in honor of the Exposition's location, the facsimile battleship was called Illinois.

Construction

Illinois was constructed alongside a pier and gave the appearance that she was moored to the wharf. She was designed by architect Frank W. Grogan, and built at a cost of $100,000.

A foundation of pilings and heavy timbers were built in Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

, at the north-east corner of the exposition grounds. The sides of Illinois were constructed of brick, plastered with cement. The hull structure was carefully constructed to match the contour of the Indiana-class warships.

A superstructure, redoubts, barbettes, turrets and main and secondary guns were assembled using wood framing, covered with cement and metal lathing. Fittings and details, such as anchors, torpedo nets, davits, railings, and a multitude of other details, gave the appearance of a functioning warship. Within the superstructure were berthing spaces, cabins, galley, and other living spaces all constructed to emulate realistic living conditions on American battleships. As a result of the attention to detail, Illinois was a faithful reproduction of a coastal battleship.

Exhibits

One objective of the Columbian Exposition was to highlight electric generation technologies, and Illinois was no exception.

Because the hull was solid, no machinery or compartments were placed below the berth deck, the level just below the main deck. Instead, an electrical plant was installed on the main deck to provide power to 350 16-candlepower lamps, two 38,000 candlepower search lights, and a few electrical motors.

Two 16 kilowatt marine generators were also installed on Illinois, and used to highlight their operation for visitors. However, the actual power for the ship came from a 500 volt, 50 hp motor. The wiring on Illinois was done in accordance to naval regulations and was completely watertight.

Illinois was equipped with a complete set of navigation and running lights. Two large searchlights were also demonstrated to visitors. Additionally, Illinois had two Sturtevant blowers, and used in an on-board machine shop.

Crew

A detachment of officers, sailors, and marines, were assigned to the Illinois by the Navy Department. The crew performed standard drills and duties as they would on a functioning warship. In addition to the crew assigned by the navy, custodial staff were attired in historic naval uniforms used between 1776 to 1848. Illinois was commanded by Commodore Richard Worsam Meade, and the Executive Officer was Lieutenant Commander E.D. Taussig

Edward D. Taussig

Edward David Taussig was a decorated Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He is best remembered for being the officer to claim Wake Island during the Spanish-American War, as well as recapturing and serving briefly as Governor of Guam, to restore order on the island after its capture by the...

, who would later claim Wake Island

Wake Island

Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...

 during the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

.

Disposition

Plans were made to move Illinois seven miles (11 km) north to the waterfront at the foot of Van Buren street, upon completion of the exposition. Despite skepticism that moving her was feasible, some foundation pilings were reportedly laid down at the new location starting 13 June 1894.

However, this plan was never fully realized, and like many of the other buildings constructed for the Columbian Exposition, Illinois was dismantled some time after the expo closed October 1893.