Monitor and Warrior belonged to different waters

Would draft and freeboard prevent Monitor and Warrior from fighting on equal terms?

Yes in their preferred roles: Monitor belonged in shallow coastal water, while Warrior was built for the open sea.

A viewer compares the matchup to opponents whose sizes suit different flooded rooms, making the choice of battlefield decisive. Monitor could shelter in shallow coastal water that Warrior could not enter. Monitor, however, lacked the freeboard for Warrior's ocean environment and could not simply follow the British ironclad to sea. The contrast shows why operating environment belongs at the center of warship comparison rather than treating every encounter as an open-water duel.