Ironclads were an important part of many sea battles during the Age of Machines. During that time period, humans built very small naval vessels to engage in military conflicts in the seas. Ships were constructed of wood and had a hinged roof. The entire ship was designed to be bulletproof. Since iron was so valuable back then, ships were reinforced with iron to ensure that they would withstand many shots fired at them.
During the Civil War, Ironclads continued to protect wooden fleets from attack thanks to their bulletproof properties. An ironclad is a steamship armed with steel or iron armor plates (or both) that was built from 1859 to around the mid-1890s. The ironclad was designed in response to the increased vulnerability of wooden ships to cannon or fire-shells from enemy ships. During the Civil War, there was a lot of animosity between the Union and the Confederate states due to the war on sea. As the war heated up and the Union Navy tried to counter the Confederate’s vast amount of boats, ironclads were used to great effect to protect Southern ports from being taken by the enemy.
Although ironclads were primarily used to defend against bullets fired from the opposing side of the Civil War, they were also used to fire on opposing boats that tried to intrude on Southern ports. One of the ironclad warships known as the Monitor was particularly effective in this role. Its ability to fire on any boat that came too near made it one of the most feared warships in the war. The iron ships of the CSS Fourth Class were also used to defend key cities in the state of Alabama during the Civil War.
Ironclad warships were also a crucial part of the entire civil war, when the Union Navy attempted to blockade the Confederate coast in April of 1860. However, the Confederates were not willing to surrender without a fight and so a battle followed where ironclads would face off against more powerful British war vessels. At the Battle of Fort Morgan, which occurred at the mouth of Lake Lanier, a Union force of nearly two hundred boats and about one thousand soldiers successfully confronted the Confederate vessels in what came to be known as the Second Battle of Fort Morgan. In what came to be known as the Battle of St. Mary’s, the Confederates were defeated after suffering a large number of wounded soldiers. Ironclad warships like the Monitor were again an important part of the war.
Virginia, however, was not one of the states involved in the Civil War. Nevertheless, a battle still occurred in Virginia when a battle took place at Albemarle Court House during the height of the Civil War. This battle, which occurred between a Union force of ninety-three vessels and a Confederate fleet of over one hundred vessels, ended with the Union force winning by a narrow margin. Ironclads again played an important role in this Civil War. In the Battle of Perryville, which occurred near Williamsburg, Virginia, a Union cruiser, the Monitor, was hit by a Confederate cruiser (the battle became known as the Battle of Perryville), forcing it to ram into the Union ship carrying the President and his cabinet.
In the years that followed, ironclads made a greater appearance in both the world of wars. The First World War saw an increase in the use of ironclads in amphibious operations where they were used to fire grapeshot and machine-gun fire on the German battle beaches. Many of the ironclad warships in the Pacific Fleet had a number of port holes, which allowed them to launch additional armaments if need be. In addition to their use in amphibious operations, ironclads were also used to bolster the Navy of the United States in the war with Japan, which lasted until the conclusion of the war.
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