HMS Merrimack (CSS Virginia)

HMS Merrimack, later known as the CSS Virginia, was a notable ironclad warship used during the American Civil War. Originally a Union steam frigate, it was converted by the Confederacy into an armored vessel to challenge Union blockades. Its iron hull was covered with thick steel plates, making it resistant to traditional cannon fire. In 1862, it famously fought the Union ironclad USS Monitor in the Battle of Hampton Roads, marking the first meeting of ironclad ships in combat and transforming naval warfare by emphasizing armored ships over wooden ones.