Iron Afloat (Studies in Maritime History) Paperback – December 1, 1988

A comprehensive,yet concise history of the C.S.A.'s naval development of the ironclad warship.Still covers the construction,deployment,and fate of these fascinating vessels.I was amazed at the difficulties faced by the builders re.materiel,and the problems of getting the ships from their construction sites into action. Further ,he explores the manpower issues regarding manning the vessels vs.the army's needs and their refusal to share manpower with the navy. Well researched,reads quite easily.I wished for more illustration work re. the ships themselves,even if just artist's conceptions.Highly recommended to both serious and casual students of the war of Northern Agression.

A lot is know about the Union ironclads, but this is the only book that delves closely into that phase of the Confederate Navy. The biggest surprise was the fate of the Atlanta, which was built on the hull of a British packet the Fingal used for blockade running. There are pictures of it taken after it was captured by two Union monitors, and it's lines and rakish apperance are impressive. It ironically wound up in the Union navy to patrol the James River and to be used against Confederate ships and shore installations.

The story of the Confederate Ironclad ships is sadly not one that is covered by a huge number of books. Luckily this niche of history has been well served by William Still's book "Iron Afloat". It's a fascinating story, that of a new nation with very limited resources using the very latest technology (and huge amounts of skill and effort) to stave off the military and economic behemoth that was the United States for 4 whole years. Highly recommended !!!

Excellent book on Confederate Iron Clads and I have severalIts nice this book focuses on ONLY the Confederate Ships which suffered from terrible resource shortages but were in some regards some of the better designs of that war.

There actually was a water born element to the Civil War despite what fans of Grant and Lee might think. I highly recommend this a piece to fill in a blank hole in the puzzle.

Mr. Still has created a wonderful telling of the Confederate States Navy story regarding the construction of the ironclad navy. he really details how and why the Confederate States of America lost the war.

Received book in a timely manner. Am very happy with purchase.

Dr. William N. Still, Jr’s “Iron Afloat: The Story of the Confederate Armorclads” presents the history of the Confederacy’s construction and operation of ironclad warships during the Civil War. During its brief existence, the Confederate States of America laid down fifty ironclad warships of which twenty-two became operational. Construction of ironclads was a matter of policy made at the cabinet level. The decision was taken as a means to overcome the dominance of the U.S. Navy in all waters and, hopefully, to break the crippling blockade of southern ports. The completion of twenty-two ironclad warships was a considerable accomplishment in view of the industrial backwardness of the South.All the Confederate ironclads followed the design of an armored casemate built upon a wooden hull. This pattern was first used with the CSS VIRGINIA (ex-USS MERRIMACK). The Confederate Navy never attempted to build a turreted ironclad such as the U.S. Navy’s MONITORs. At the outset of the war, no rolling mill in the Confederacy was capable of producing two inch iron plate. By late 1862, only the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond and the Scofield & Markham Works in Atlanta could do so, therefore most subsequent Confederate ironclads were forced to use railroad T-rails as armor. The majority of operational vessels were completed despite an acute scarcity of all shipbuilding materials -- except for timber (most of which was green). Ordinary items, such as nails, were unavailable in the South by late 1862. Cotton was used as caulking due to the lack of oakum. The steam machinery produced in the Confederacy was so inefficient and unreliable as to constitute a crucial weakness in the operational effectiveness of all the ironclad vessels. The Confederate Navy ironclads were slow – often too slow to permit satisfactory steering or to make way against strong river currents or tides. The sluggish and deep-draft ironclads had little success against the U.S. Navy – although they sought battle on many occasions in valiant engagements such as CSS VIRGINIA at Hampton Roads, CSS ARKANSAS on the Mississippi and CSS TENNESSEE at Mobile Bay. All the vessels ended their short lives scuttled, burnt to the water line or captured.Still’s “Iron Afloat: The Story of the Confederate Armorclads” is not only well-researched and scholarly, but highly readable by the average Civil War history enthusiast. It concludes with an excellent bibliographic essay which provides information on primary and secondary sources on the Confederate Navy. I endorse it with Four Stars.