List of ironclads

The list of ironclads includes all steam-propelled warship (supplemented with sails in various cases) and protected by iron or steel armor plates that were built in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, between 1859 and the early 1890s.

The list includes ironclads of two different categories or roles, oceanic and coastal (the latter may be floating batteries, monitors and coastal defence ships).

The various ironclads design such as the ram, broadside, central battery (or casemate), turret and barbette will be mentioned.

Wooden hull ships that have been subsequently armored will also be considered in this list.

Although the introduction of the ironclad is clear-cut, the boundary between 'ironclad' and the later 'pre-dreadnought battleship' is less obvious, as the characteristics of the pre-dreadnought evolved from 1875 to 1895.

The Argentine Almirante Brown (1880) was the first ironclad built entirely of steel (until then it was made of iron). [ 1 ]
The Brazilian Riachuelo (1883).
The Chilean Blanco Encalada (1875) was the first ironclad warship sunk by a self-propelled torpedo in 1891. [ 2 ]
The Japanese Kōtetsu (1869) was an ironclad that played a decisive role in the Battle of Hakodate , during Boshin War .
The Danish Helgoland (1878).
The Greek Hydra (1889).
The Dutch Koning der Nederlanden (1874) was the largest ship that served in the Dutch Navy during the 19th century.
The Spanish Numancia (1863) was the first ironclad to circumnavigate the world, between 1865 and 1867. [ 5 ]
The Swedish John Ericsson (1865), part of a class of five monitors, was designed under the supervision of the Swedish-born inventor, John Ericsson , and built in Sweden.