Monitor differed from HMS Warrior in one decisive respect: Warrior deterred opponents, while Monitor fought an equally armoured warship at Hampton Roads. The battle did not prove decisive gun power because neither crew could damage the other's protected sections. The image of armoured knights striking with the handles of their weapons captures the mismatch between protection and offensive power. The duel made the practical problem of fighting armoured warships impossible to ignore and secured Monitor's fame.
Chapter · 0:51-2:31
Why USS Monitor became the famous ironclad
Monitor's duel with CSS Virginia made an otherwise awkward little ironclad a lasting symbol of armoured naval warfare.