Two events triggered this topic, the cover of Harry Harrison’s book “Stars & Stripes Forever” and a TV program about the recovery efforts of USS Monitor. The book shows what appears to be HMS Warrior in a losing battle with the Monitor and the TV program spoke of Monitor and Virginia as the most powerful warships in the world at the time. Is American bias at work here? I do not think the HMS Warrior at 9000 tons and carrying 110 pounders would have had any trouble defeating the Virginia or Monitor. Although Monitor innovated the gun turret on a warship and the Virginia defeated two Navy frigates I don’t for a minute believe that either one or both could have survived against the Warrior. I know SDMB has a lot of military experts, do you agree with my observations.
One person’s take on it:
Depends on the engagement. In open seas? No, I doubt the Monitor would last very long. In a small bay with little maneuvering room where speed is not a factor? It would be a close battle. One of the reasons the Monitor was so survivable was because of the small size of the turret, which was the primary target, and the shape (round) meant that anything short of a direct impact would glance. The Warrior would be in the similar position as the Virginia was, in that without fully moveable weapons, it would have to position itself to fire. In the Warrior’s element however, the open sea, It wouldn’t have been much contest simply out of seaworthiness. That’s my 2 cents.
In the calm seas that Monitor would have to operate in Warrior would have been able to fire more accurately, thus compensating a little for a difficult target.
I’d have thought that Warrior circling Monitor at a radius of around 500 yards or more and being able to bring a full broadside to bear would have probably been her safest option as at that range Monitor would not have been able to penetrate Warrior’s armour, suchj a turning circle would have been within the capability of Warrior.
Still it does show what an innovation Monitor was with its larger bore guns in a rotating turret.
Basically Monitor was the forerunner of the modern battleship whereas Warrior was the final refinement of the old.
Just FTR, the site linked above gives a turning circle for the Warrior of 760 yards.
Turning circle of a ship is rated as its diameter not its radius.
I realize that, dave, but thanks - it was an available number. That site doesn’t really address the range of the ships’ weapons, and I know little on that score, but it does describe a scenario similar to what you describe: basically that Warrior would’ve pummelled Monitor before Monitor got close enough to do any serious damage.
These two ships just weren’t likely to meet as their respective environments of advantage were so different. Monitor wasn’t going to be encountered on the open sea, and Warrior was unlikely to enter an environment, like a large river, where Monitor may have been able to get closer before becoming targetable. IMO, of course.
Thanks for the great link beatle, I guess others have also wondered about this engagement. Warrior could also ram the Monitor, at 10 times it’s mass coupled with Monitor’s very low freeboard it would be highly vulnerable.