On October 12, 1861, CSS Manassas became the first ironclad to see combat at the Battle of the Head of Passes on the Mississippi River. Protected by iron or steel armor plates, ironclads held a ...

Here’s What You Need to Know: The ironclad Sphinx lived a colorful life. It has long been common for aging warships to be retired but then sold to another nation for continued service – and that was ...

Here’s What You Need to Remember: The warship spent the next two years in the Washington Navy Yard, until it was seen by a Japanese purchasing agent that had been sent by the Japanese Tokugawa ...

On March 9, 1862, Confederate Navy ship CSS Virginia and Union navy ship USS Monitor met in battle off the coast of Virginia. Their clash was inconclusive, but the battle was the first time metal ...

Introduction -- 1. Confederate naval activity in Europe: the first phase, 1861 -- 2. The first cruisers: January-July 1862 -- 3. The hope-filled era: first ironclad construction, July-December 1862 -- ...