The End Of Wooden Walls: A Comparison Of HMS Warrior (1861) To The USS Monitor (1862), David L. Hirsch

In this article I will compare and contrast two warships, the British HMS Warrior and the American Union’s USS Monitor. These ships were the early ironclads which brought an end to the wooden ship navies of the world. Although they never met in battle, both ships were available for military action during the first years of the American Civil War (1861-1865). From early November 1861 until the end of December of the same year Britain and the American Union almost came to war with each other over the HMS Trent Affair. This article will speculate whether the British ironclads would have bested the Union ironclads and broken the Union’s blockade of the Confederate sea ports.