Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 5:37:06-5:38:27

USS New Ironsides is a better comparison for HMS Warrior

Comparing Warrior with New Ironsides improves on the usual monitor matchup but still requires budget, fleet, and sea-state context.

American Civil WarFleet TacticsHMS Warrior (1860)IroncladsNaval BudgetsRoyal NavySeakeepingUSS New Ironsides
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Question

Is USS New Ironsides a more honest comparison with HMS Warrior than USS Monitor?

Short answer

Yes, but Warrior still benefits from better backing, fleet context, speed, and open-water seakeeping.

Notes

USS New Ironsides provides a closer comparison with HMS Warrior than USS Monitor does. The assessment attributes some of New Ironsides' limitations to congressional budgeting in that period. The comparison also needs to account for the forces accompanying each ship: Warrior could appear with Black Prince and other British vessels, while Monitor could have support too. In the separate Warrior-versus-Monitor scenario, open-water conditions become especially important. The proposed argument is that Warrior's passage at speed could create swell dangerous to a ship poorly suited to heavy seas. That is a hypothetical seakeeping argument, rather than evidence that such an encounter occurred.