The Impact
The Battle of the Ironclads was a war of innovation. This battle was the first fight between two ironclad naval warships. The battle brought up three new major innovations in naval war.
1) Using underwater propellers, powered by steam, instead of sails: Propellers, also called skrews, were large metal turbines underwater that were turned by steam power to propel the ship. Men did not have to climb above deck and endanger themselves to fire. The ship was not dependent on wind strength and speed. However, the ship was not suitable for long distance travel in open water and would stay in rivers and protected seas.
2) Fully iron plated ships allowed for more protection: This armor was angled and curved to allow cannonballs to be deflected without significant damage to the hull of the ship. The price for the protection was the ship was very heavy, very slow and very hard to maneuver which can be a problem when fighting in small areas against a more nimble target.
3) A turret that could rotate 360˚ and was heavily armored: The cannon built on the USS Monitor was a 120-ton cylinder that was turned by another steam engine and was capable of firing 180-pound solid iron balls. This gun turret changed naval warfare even more than the metal skrew or the metal armor. The captain no longer had to aim the ship to aim the guns. This turret could keep the enemy under fire from any angle.
If you look at a warships today, you can tell how innovative the USS Monitor and the CSS Virignia were. From these ships' innovations, modern day ships are equipped with think layers of steel armor plating for protection. They also use huge engines and propellers. And lastly, the firepower has changed from using large amounts of broadside cannons to using spinning turrets with multiple cannons on them allowing for independent cannon turning from the direction of the ship. The Monitor was able to be the first ship to include all of theses new technological advances and innovations.
1) Using underwater propellers, powered by steam, instead of sails: Propellers, also called skrews, were large metal turbines underwater that were turned by steam power to propel the ship. Men did not have to climb above deck and endanger themselves to fire. The ship was not dependent on wind strength and speed. However, the ship was not suitable for long distance travel in open water and would stay in rivers and protected seas.
2) Fully iron plated ships allowed for more protection: This armor was angled and curved to allow cannonballs to be deflected without significant damage to the hull of the ship. The price for the protection was the ship was very heavy, very slow and very hard to maneuver which can be a problem when fighting in small areas against a more nimble target.
3) A turret that could rotate 360˚ and was heavily armored: The cannon built on the USS Monitor was a 120-ton cylinder that was turned by another steam engine and was capable of firing 180-pound solid iron balls. This gun turret changed naval warfare even more than the metal skrew or the metal armor. The captain no longer had to aim the ship to aim the guns. This turret could keep the enemy under fire from any angle.
If you look at a warships today, you can tell how innovative the USS Monitor and the CSS Virignia were. From these ships' innovations, modern day ships are equipped with think layers of steel armor plating for protection. They also use huge engines and propellers. And lastly, the firepower has changed from using large amounts of broadside cannons to using spinning turrets with multiple cannons on them allowing for independent cannon turning from the direction of the ship. The Monitor was able to be the first ship to include all of theses new technological advances and innovations.