Ironclads

[civilwartalk]

Ironclads

The steam powered ships covered with iron plates first used in the Civil War.

The most famous of the ironclads were the Merrimac (renamed the Virginia) and the Monitor. The South created the Virginia from the hull of the Merrimac, a wood ship they captured from the Union.

The North built the Monitor, described as looking like "a cheese box on a raft."

These two ships met in a famous battle near Norfolk, Va., in 1862. Neither ship was badly damaged, and the battle was a draw. But everyone could see that the days of wooden naval ships were over.