ironclad

ironclad
adj. /uy"euhrn klad"/; n. /uy"euhrn klad'/, adj.
1. covered or cased with iron plates, as a ship for naval warfare; armor-plated.
2. very rigid or exacting; inflexible; unbreakable: an ironclad contract.
n.
3. a wooden warship of the middle or late 19th century having iron or steel armor plating.
[1850-55; IRON + CLAD1]

* * *

Type of warship developed in Europe and the U.S. in the mid-19th century, characterized by the iron armour that protected the hull.

In the Crimean War (1853–56) the French and British successfully attacked Russian fortifications with "floating batteries," ironclad barges mounting heavy guns. In 1859 the French completed the first iron warship, the Gloire; its iron plates, 4.5 in. (11 cm) thick, were backed by heavy timber. Britain and the U.S. soon followed. Union forces launched armored gunboats on the Mississippi at the start of the American Civil War, and a flotilla captured Fort Henry (1862). The first battle between ironclads was the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (1862). Later refinements led to the battleship. See also monitor.

French ironclad Gloire, engraving by Smythe after a painting by A.W. Weedon

By courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.

* * *

ship
 type of warship developed in Europe and the United States in the mid-19th century, characterized by the iron casemates that protected the hull. In the Crimean War (1853–56) the French and British successfully attacked Russian fortifications with “floating batteries,” ironclad barges mounting heavy guns, that were towed into position. The French built the first iron warship, the Gloire, completed in 1859. The Gloire's iron plates were about 4.5 inches (11 cm) thick and backed by heavy timber. Displacing 5,617 tons, the vessel carried 36 guns. A sister ship, Couronne, soon followed; two British ironclads, the Black Prince and Warrior, each of 9,210 tons and capable of 14.5 knots, were completed in 1861 and 1862. Meanwhile, at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Captain James Buchanan Eads (Eads, James B.) of St. Louis, Mo., constructed shallow-draft armoured gunboats for use on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. A flotilla of them captured Confederate Fort Henry on Feb. 6, 1862, and successfully engaged a Confederate squadron in April 1862 at Memphis, Tenn., the first ironclads to fight enemy warships. On March 9, 1862, the Monitor and the Merrimack (correctly, the Virginia) fought their historic duel off Hampton Roads, Va., the first battle between ironclads.

      A number of refinements in the years following converted the ironclad into the battleship (q.v.).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ironclad — I ron*clad , a. 1. having an outer covering of iron or steel; as, an ironclad war vessel. [PJC] 2. so strong or secure as to be unbreakable; as, an ironclad contract. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ironclad — bezeichnet eine Historienfilm aus dem Jahr 2011, siehe Ironclad (Film) eine bestimmte Art Kriegsschiff, siehe Panzerschiff die Besetzung Madagaskars durch die Briten im Jahre 1942, Operation Ironclad, siehe Schlacht um Madagaskar (1942) Die …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ironclad — I ron*clad , a. 1. Clad in iron; protected or covered with iron, as a vessel for naval warfare. [1913 Webster] 2. Rigorous; unbreakable; severe; exacting; inflexible; as, an ironclad oath or pledge. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ironclad — [ī′ərnklad΄] adj. 1. covered or protected with iron 2. difficult to change or break [an ironclad lease] n. a warship of the 19th cent. armored with thick iron plates …   English World dictionary

  • Ironclad — I ron*clad , n. A naval vessel having the parts above water covered and protected by iron or steel usually in large plates closely joined and made sufficiently thick and strong to resist heavy shot. Modern naval vessels are made of steel… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ironclad — I adjective covered, defended, difficult to alter, difficult to break, difficult to change, exacting, firm, immutable, impossible to alter, impossible to break, impossible to change, inexorable, inflexible, ironbound, irreversible, irrevocable,… …   Law dictionary

  • ironclad — (adj.) 1852, of warships, American English, from IRON (Cf. iron) (n.) + CLAD (Cf. clad). Of contracts, etc., 1884. As a noun meaning iron clad ship, it is attested from 1862 …   Etymology dictionary

  • ironclad — [adj] fixed, rigid abiding, agreed, arranged, certain, changeless, confirmed, definite, determinate, enduring, firm, inflexible, in the bag*, planned, prearranged, settled, stated, stubborn, sure, unalterable, uncompromising, unwavering; concepts …   New thesaurus

  • Ironclad — La primera batalla entre ironclads: CSS Virginia (izquierda) contra el USS Monitor, en el año 1862 en la Batalla de Hampton Roads. Un ironclad o nave acorazada fue un tipo de buque de guerra propulsado por vapor de finales del siglo XIX, que… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ironclad — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Ironclad ou Iron clad est une opération majeure (5 7 mai 1942) de la bataille de Madagascar (ou bataille de Diego Suarez, 5 mai au 8 novembre 1942).… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”