It is demonstrated that the day of war vessels propelled by sails is at an end.
- Philadelphia Inquirer, 03/11/1862
Transforming Naval Technology
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/8/7/13875251/1360647580.jpg)
USS Onondaga. Picture Courtesy of the Naval Historical Center
In the years following the confrontation the construction of wooden ships all but halted. Iron warships became commonplace, especially those of the Monitor design.
It was not merely the struggle of Loyalists and Rebels, it was a conflict of the old and the new and the new has won the day. It will stand out in history of naval battles as one of the signal battles of the world.
- Philadelphia Inquirer, 03/12/1862
The Battle had especially great repercussions in Europe. Overnight the large European navies became obsolete, giving young countries like Germany and Italy an equal footing to become naval powers.
Whereas we had available for immediate purposes one hundred and forty-nine first-class war-ships: we have now two, these two being the Warrior and her sister Ironside. There is not now a ship in the English navy apart from these two that it would not be madness to trust to an engagement with that little Monitor.
- The London Times. Regarding the British Fleet.
In the years that followed all major world powers began to modernize their navies in what would become the arms race leading to World War I. The style of warship changed from those used in the Civil War, but footprints of the two ships remained.