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The Beginning of the Age of Iron At the start of the 19th century, the most powerful vessel on the ocean was the ship of the line. These were big wooden vessels mounted as many guns as possible, and in battle the ships with the most guns would win. However, as technology advanced this idea began to become obsolete. Steam engines were installed in warships, and later screw propulsion was invented(this source of propulsion was much more reliable than paddle wheels). Besides propulsion, new cannons were invented as well as new types of shot. Rifled cannons allowed for much longer range as well as accuracy. Explosive shells were created, and had a devastating effect on wooden warships. The first ever ironclad warships were of French origin and basically floating batteries with slightly inclined armored sides. Some of the first actual ironclad warships(not batteries) were the French La Gloire and the British HMS Warrior, however these vessels wouldn't be tested in combat. The first battle of ironclad vessels would take place in the American Civil War.



The Battle of Hampton Roads (March 8-9, 1862) is one of the most famous battles in US naval history, most famous for the duel of two ships: the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. The CSS Virginia was originally the USS Merrimack, a Union frigate that would be burned by retreating US forces, however the hull and machinery would remain intact. At the start of the Civil War the blossoming Confederate Navy realized that it wouldn't be able to contest the Union Navy by building more ships than the Union, so it was decided to build fewer, yet more powerful ships, and the way to accomplish this was by building an ironclad warship. The hull and machinery of the Merrimack were to be used to build an ironclad warship, armored with iron plates, and armed with many guns in an case mate structure, as well as a ram in the bow.



The USS Monitor, a radical vessel designed by Swedish engineer John Ericsson was a low profile vessel, the deck of the ship was a mere 18 inches above the water to reduce the profile of the ship. The ship was armed with two 11 inch guns carried in a revolving turret in the middle of the ship; this is the first turret to ever be built in a warship and it allows the guns to fire in any direction about the ship. The Monitor had a shallow draft, well suited for shallow water. The design of the ship itself was quicker to build than the Virginia, an important factor as the Monitor was started multiple months after the Virginia, and it would be the only vessel in the US navy capable of fighting the Virginia. The ship was finished in a mere 118 days



In the first day of the battle, the Virginia attacked and attempted to break the Union fleet blockading Hampton Roads, specifically the Union warships USS Cumberland, USS Congress, and USS Minnesota. As the Virginia approaches it fires multiple shots into the Cumberland before ramming it, however as the Cumberland sinks it nearly sinks the Virginia as well, however the Virginia manages to free herself. The Virginia then fires shots into the Congress, which in turn is pummeled until it surrenders then sinks, still burning(it would later explode during the night). This left only the Minnesota left, and the ship had grounded, however as night approached, and the tide went out, the Virginia retreated. For the Union, all was not well, they had suffered terrible losses and inflicted minor damage on the Virginia, however help had arrived; the Monitor arrived in the night. In the second day as the Virginia comes out to finish the Minnesota, she notices a strange vessel in the water between the wooden warship and herself; it was the Monitor. The battle begins as the two ironclad warships duel it out for hours, maneuvering and fighting for position. However as the battle closed, neither side could claim victory and the battle was a draw. The Virginia was unable to penetrate the Monitor as it was carrying explosive shells anticipating a fight against wooden ships. The Monitor was unable to penetrate the Virginia as the guns on board were using smaller charges for safety reasons.

After the battle, both ships would meet their ends within a year: the Virginia, destroyed to prevent capture by Union forces, and the Monitor would sink in a storm, as the ship was unable to handle the open ocean.

However in the end this battle had a major impact on naval warfare. These ships were not the first to be armored but they were the first to be tested in battle, especially against each other. On the first day of the battle, iron easily defeated wood, however on the second day of battle, iron was stopped by iron. An ironclad warship easily defeated wooden warship, but was fought to a draw by another iron warship. Only iron can stop iron. In a stroke, the graceful sailing ships are replaced by the iron steam powered ships, a new age of naval warfare had begun: the one of iron.

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Works Cited Data Sources "History." //The History of the USS Monitor//. Mariners' Museum and Park, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . Jenkins, Mark F. "The Technology of the Ironclads." //Naval Gazette//. Vols. II, III. N.p.: n.p., 1998. //Ironclads and Blockade Runners of the Civil War//. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . //Photo # NH 61676 Artwork of CSS Virginia //. N.d. U.S. Naval Historical Center. //Wikipedia//. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . "The Story of the USS Monitor." //the Madison Historical Society//. Madison Historical Society, 2007. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. .

Works Cited Pictures (note that the first is both for data and a photo) "10 Facts about Hampton Roads." //Civil War Trust//. Civil War Trust, 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . US Navy. //Photo of Engraved sketch plan of USS monitor//. 1862. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER. //Wikipedia//. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . "USS Monitor Battles CSS Virginia." //History//. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . Louis Prang & Co. //The Monitor and Merrimac: The First Fight between Ironclads//. 1886. //Wikipedia//. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. . *each picture is placed with its corresponding paragraph (this was just bothering me as I did it differently from the example but there is a method to my madness)