Ironclad beauty contest?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Tonight I was looking over some images of Civil War ironclads. Although many were effective fighting ships, some ironclads were not overly elegant looking. Some Civil War ironclads were simply ugly looking.

I am not concerned with function, but which Civil War ironclad was the most elegant looking? I do understand that forum members may have their own opinion on what was attractive.
 
Will anyone vote for USS Lafayette being the most elegant Civil War ship? From this angle she kind of looks like some drunken captain backed his ship in to a barn.

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Hand Down. CSS Nashville II
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Will anyone vote for USS Lafayette being the most elegant Civil War ship? From this angle she kind of looks like some drunken captain backed his ship in to a barn.

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I think she's slightly better than her semisister Choctaw, merely because of the graceful curve of her casemate.

William D. Porter didn't seem to design very pretty boats. His brother, David D. Porter, called Lafayette 'a mass of iron... she is ironed in places where a shot would not strike once in a century.' Her first captain, Henry Walke, found it necessary to cut away the lower portions of her wheel boxes since the vessel rode lower in the water than designed, and to rearrange the armament to correct her trim.

Actually, one of the things that appeals to me about nearly all of the ironclads is their sheer ungainliness. :D
 
If you go with success in battle, my vote for a Confederate ironclad would have to be the one that was best described as Ugly as a mud duck- the CSS Arkansas. Possibly one of the best built and best looking Confederate ironclads, the CSS Atlanta had probably the shortest and least successful careers of any ironclad. And on the Union side, probably no class of ships were more feared or successful than possibly the ugliest craft in either fleet-the City Class gunboats. I guess that I go for function over form.
 
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Do we consider ships with turrets attractive looking? Most ships with turrets would be described as rather plain looking. Basically a long raft with a turret on it. Possibly effective, but not great looking.
 
One possibility for best looking. Most Confederate ironclads were kind of boxy looking but the CSS Mississippi had a long clean look to her. She was more prepositional that other Confederate ironclads. I think I like her lines.



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Oh dear, that is not CSS Mississippi either, it is a poor impression of William Geogehan's plan. In a couple of days I will upload a colorized plan of her.
 
If you go with success in battle, my vote for a Confederate ironclad would have to be the one that was best described as Ugly as a mud duck- the CSS Arkansas. Possibly one of the best built and best looking Confederate ironclads, the CSS Atlanta had probably the shortest and least successful careers of any ironclad. And on the Union side, probably no class of ships were more feared or successful than possibly the ugliest craft in either fleet-the City Class gunboats. I guess that I go for function over form.

She's not that ugly. Also was a powerful ship when it came to fire power.
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