Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 50:14-50:45

American Civil War frigates emphasized numbers over matching Warrior

The United States built serviceable frigates in volume, but none was an attractive opponent for the Royal Navy's HMS Warrior.

American Civil WarForce StructureFrigatesHMS Warrior (1860)IroncladsUS Navy
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Question

How did United States Civil War-era frigates compare with their contemporaries?

Short answer

They were adequate and useful in numbers, but an American frigate would not want to fight a ship as powerful as HMS Warrior.

Notes

The Civil War-era American frigates were competent rather than exceptional. Their program emphasized putting useful numbers into service more than creating a single dominant ship. Against most contemporary opponents they would still have a credible chance. HMS Warrior sits outside that comfort zone because none of those frigates would be an attractive opponent for her.