Examines the construction, battles, and technological and historical impact of the Civil War battleships, the Monitor and the Merrimac.

A description of the construction, battles, and historical impact of the Civil War battleships, the Monitor and the Virginia, known to Union forces as the Monitor and the Merrimack, focuses on the Battle of Hampton Roads, where it was evident that the age of wooden warships was gone forever. Reprint.

Contrary to widespread belief, Roberts concludes, the ironclad program set Navy shipbuilding back a generation.--Kathy Crewdson and Ian Dew "The Northern Mariner"

The battle between the Confederate ship Merrimac and the Union’s Monitor at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 9, 1862, introduced the age of the ironclads and ended the dominance of wooden warships forever. This fascinating book shares the behind-the-scenes drama of both the battle and the development of the ships that transformed naval warfare and changed the course of the Civil War.

More than 175 archive and museum photographs, illustrations and diagrams bring to life the history, construction, appearance and function of these amazing fighting vessels. An illustrated history of the origins and evolution of early battleships.

In author-illustrator Nathan Hale’s Big Bad Ironclad, uncover the story of the American Civil War’s ironclad warships with this Hazardous Tale in the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series! “These books are, quite simply, brilliant. . . . Thrilling, bloody, action-packed stories from American history.” —New York Times Ships are great for transport, but when they are made of wood they tend to start leaking when cannons fire upon them. But what if the ship is covered with iron? Assuming it doesn’t sink to the bottom of the ocean, wouldn’t it be stronger and better than any other ship out there? This is the question that begins a race between the North and the South to come up with the biggest, best ironclad warships. Here is the story of the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (also called the Merrimack), two of the world’s first ironclad ships, and their fascinating role in the Civil War. Through their ironclad battle, you will get a wider perspective to the war. Meet Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet. Learn about General Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan to cut off the South from any outside support. And meet Gideon Welles, Lincoln’s “Father Neptune” and secretary of the Navy. Sail back in time and learn of a battle that changed warfare, and a war that changed history. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales! Read them all—if you dare! One Dead Spy: A Revolutionary War Tale (#1) Big Bad Ironclad!: A Civil War Tale (#2) Donner Dinner Party: A Pioneer Tale (#3) Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood: A World War I Tale (#4) The Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale about Harriet Tubman (#5) Alamo All-Stars: A Texas Tale (#6) Raid of No Return: A World War II Tale of the Doolittle Raid (#7) Lafayette!: A Revolutionary War Tale (#8) Major Impossible: A Grand Canyon Tale (#9) Blades of Freedom: A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase (#10) Cold War Correspondent: A Korean War Tale (#11) Above the Trenches: A WWI Flying Ace Tale (#12)

At the outbreak of the Civil War, North and South quickly saw the need to develop the latest technology in naval warfare, the ironclad ship. After a year-long scramble to finish first, in a race filled with intrigue and second guessing, blundering and genius, the two ships -- the Monitor and the Merrimack -- after a four-hour battle, ended the three-thousand-year tradition of wooden men-of-war and ushered in "the reign of iron." In the first major work on the subject in thirty-five years, novelist, historian, and tall-ship sailor James L. Nelson, acclaimed author of the Brethren of the Coast trilogy, brilliantly recounts the story of these magnificent ships, the men who built and fought them, and the extraordinary battle that made them legend.