An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden …

Dec 5, 2025 · On March 9, 1862, the Monitor and the Merrimack (correctly, the Virginia) fought their historic duel off Hampton Roads, Va., the first battle between ironclads.

On March 9, 1862, the ironclad warships USS Monitor and CSS Virginia squared off in the most influential naval battle of the Civil War. In early 1862, the Union and the Confederacy were …

On March 9, 1862, one of the most famous naval battles in American history occurred as two ironclads, the U.S.S.Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia fought to a draw off Hampton Roads, …

When they met near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Union iron-plated gunboats had already been plying the waters of Western Theater rivers for some weeks. But no two such ships had …

1 day ago · The world remembers the first clash of ironclad warships on March 9, 1862, as the battle between “Monitor and Merrimac.” Technically, their duel was part of the Battle of …

May 17, 2020 · On 19 April Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of the 3,500 miles of Confederate coastline. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles launched a major construction program, which …

In 1861, Ironclads were created and deployed to the naval battlefields to destroy wooden ships. This guide provides access to material related to "Civil War Ironclads" in the Chronicling …

Ironclads were warships built of wood or iron and covered with thick plates of iron. During the 1820s naval guns that fired explosive shells (versus solid cannonballs) were developed.

Ironclads proved so successful in the Civil War that they fundamentally changed naval warfare. The idea of armored warships gradually replaced wooden ships, and many countries around …