History Of Warfare: War At Sea In The Ironclad Age

Part of the Cassell 'History Of Warfare' series, a multi-volume history of war and warfare from ancient to modern times.

The most dramatic artefact of the military-industrial revolution was the steam-powered warship. In the mid nineteenth century the major naval powers began to revolutionise their navies, dispensing with wood, sail and cannonballs and embracing steel, steam and shells. At the height of the Victorian era, it was the ironclad warship that made it possible for colonial powers to acquire and control their overseas empires. This narrative history charts the development of these warships from the first French floating batteries to the famous Dreadnoughts.

This compelling and beautifully illustrated volume portrays the strong international competition that sparked the development of ironclad warships, thereby ensuring British dominance at sea and securing for her the most extensive empire the world has ever seen.