New Ironsides in the War of 1812

How well would USS New Ironsides perform in the War of 1812?

She would dominate local battles but could not dominate the whole war without an industrial and logistical network capable of sustaining her.

In this time-travel scenario, New Ironsides brings armor, explosive shells, and steam propulsion to the War of 1812. Those advantages make her overwhelmingly powerful against individual sailing warships and allow her to fight without the weather gauge. Fleet initially expects the United States to keep her mostly operational, while Clarke questions whether the chosen port could supply suitable coal and maintenance. Ports with river access to supplies, including New York and Boston in the discussion, offer better prospects than an isolated base. Her poor sailing performance would also restrict attempts to conserve coal while cruising. The panel disagrees over the severity of the coal-quality problem: lower-grade fuel could still work, but would reduce efficiency and increase cleaning. A suitable dockyard, replacement ammunition, and dependable coal at several ports would therefore govern her sustained usefulness. Britain could continue operations elsewhere and might accept heavy losses among third rates to capture such a valuable technical example.