The Probert Encyclopaedia of Ships

IRONCLAD

An ironclad is a wooden warship covered with armour plate. The first to be constructed was the French Gloire in 1858, but the first to be launched was the British HMS Warrior in 1859. The first battle between ironclads took place during the American Civil War, when the Union Monitor fought the Confederate Virginia on the 9th of March 1862. The design was replaced by battleships of all-metal construction in the 1890s.
Research Ironclad