Customer Reviews

Union Monitor 1861-65 (New Vanguard)

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This book provides useful information on a subject that has been given little attention by writers: the technical characteristics of the Union's Civil War monitors. This title also covers three other Union non-monitor ironclads that saw service in the eastern theatre, the USS Keokuk, USS Galena, and USS New Ironsides. The illustrations are of good quality, conveying well the subtle differences between the monitor classes. The author demonstrates how "monitor fever" followed the USS Monitor's success at Hampton Roads, leading an over-emphasis on monitors that ignored their serious failings. With a low profile, thick turret armor, and the flexibility of rotating turrets, the monitors were superior to all Confederate ironclads they encountered, but fared less well against forts. And they were seriously unseaworthy, as demonstrated when USS Weehawken sank in only moderate seas in December, 1863.

This title gives some interesting technical details about guns and armor, but less background on the seaworthiness problem. There is little coverage of monitors in action, or the historic influence of monitors on warship design. There are some interesting points about details like the US Navy's preference for reliable, short-ranged smoothbores in monitors rather than longer-ranged, less reliable rifled guns. Like many books in this series, this title is limited by brevity and gives just enough to make you want more.

This fills in some of the gaps in my library on the American Civil War Navies, in particular, the Union Navy . This book does help with the background information that I was looking for. I would have like to see more technical drawings, with dimensions, for building models of these ships. Otherwise, a good book to read and work with.

This is one of several slim volumes devoted to the history of the earliest American iron-clad warships. This volume focuses on the Monitor class vessel as designed by Swedish inventor John Ericsson for the North. The book is full of interesting information on all aspects of the development of Monitor style of early iron-armored battle ship - including not only the original 'Monitor' but also subsequent multi-turreted versions. The illustrations are particularly nice featuring rare archival photos, period engravings, cut-a-way drawings of the interior workings, and specially commissioned paintings. Highly recommended for those interested in these unusual fighting ships.