o becoming a major world power and to be included in major decisions of the world. The ironclads caused a long range of reaction in navies and gave America a push for the influence they wanted in Europe. Many say that the invention of the ironclad is quite possibly one of the chief reasons for the continued existence of the United States. (Mac Bride,43) In the past people have often thought of naval ships as only tools of war. Many never considered that a ship could be useful in improving foreign policy and in pushing for American influence, but when Europe heard about this invention they began to realize that America had an adequate navy and the largest and finest #destroyers in the world. Europe began to recognize America as a nation that should be taken seriously and would probably be better to have as a friend rather than a foe! It has been said that without this invention, America would still be behind in world status, because major nations would not respect us. The Europeans saw the ironclad for what it was, an invention that would revolutionize modern navies. The ironclad was seen as a very valuable vessel for rivers, harbors, and for blockading. Ironclads were also formidable adjuncts to fortifications on land for coast and harbor defense. (Trexler,72) The invention of the Ironclad not only impacted and influenced navies, it also changed the direction of naval warfare by making the use of the wooden ship in war obsolete forever and served as a revolutionary change for modern navies. The building of the ironclad broke a five hundred year tradition in warship construction, wooden ships were no longer built for Naval warfare. Wooden ships had long bee...
