Ironclad beauty contest?

CSS Stonewall would have been scary to behold. Not sure “beauty” is how I’d describe her.
 

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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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That is a version of William Geogehan's plan, which is a mystery as it is wrong. We would love to know where he got the information to come up with that.
 
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.


Elegant looking! Sorry, any time I look at these monsters that last description is the last one would think of. Guess would say interesting (too many years of art class. never lost seeing things in that viewpoint) or projection power, a beast ready to spring ,
As for which type.....maybe Potters modified Kalamazoo or his super Kalamazoo design.
Gizz
 
Missed this thread last summer. You know you're smitten by the Naval War when those things begin to look beauteous.

Just had a browse through files, trying to wrap my head around which floating industrial park looked pretty. Fearsome, intimidating, surreal, fascinating but can't find one you'd call lovely.

Which ship is this, please? No idea, snipped from one of the ' Ships on James ', LoC photos. Seems as sleek a ship as there was?

uss monitor which crop.jpg
 
Missed this thread last summer. You know you're smitten by the Naval War when those things begin to look beauteous.

Just had a browse through files, trying to wrap my head around which floating industrial park looked pretty. Fearsome, intimidating, surreal, fascinating but can't find one you'd call lovely.

Which ship is this, please? No idea, snipped from one of the ' Ships on James ', LoC photos. Seems as sleek a ship as there was?

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USS Casco.
 
USS Casco.
Beat me to it, it came up on an ironclad page on facebook, and the discussion amongst us "experts" by a process of elimination came up with Casco. Incidentally that is the clearest rendering of that photo I have ever seen. Beautiful even if the ship wasn't !
As an aside I wonder what the sailor outboard of the railing on the port quarter is doing - I could think of one thing in that position !
 
Missed this thread last summer. You know you're smitten by the Naval War when those things begin to look beauteous.

Just had a browse through files, trying to wrap my head around which floating industrial park looked pretty. Fearsome, intimidating, surreal, fascinating but can't find one you'd call lovely.

Which ship is this, please? No idea, snipped from one of the ' Ships on James ', LoC photos. Seems as sleek a ship as there was?

View attachment 258337

I always get a chuckle from the round bridge and steering wheel, a turret top pilothouse without the turret :wink:
 
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