The list of

ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

s includes all steam-propelled

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

(supplemented with sails in various cases) and protected by

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

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 is arranged alphabetically by country. The initial dates of the boats correspond to the launch time, followed by a separation that indicates their retirement or final date. The list includes ironclads of two different categories or roles, oceanic and coastal (the latter may be floating batteries,

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...

s and

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

s). The various ironclads design such as the

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * ...

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

, central battery (or

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

and

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

will be mentioned. Some of these ocean ironclads can be classified as

armored frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s, armored corvettes, or others based on their displacement. 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 Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, prote ...

' is less obvious, as the characteristics of the pre-dreadnought evolved from 1875 to 1895. For the sake of this article, a line is drawn around 1890, differing from country to country.

Americas

Argentina

; Monitors * ** (1874) - retired in 1927 ** (1875) - retired in 1928 ; Central battery ironclad * (1880) - retired in 1932 ; Coastal defence ships * ** (1891) - retired in 1946 ** (1892) - retired in 1946

Brazil

; Central battery ironclads (or casemate) * (1864) - retired in 1879 * (1865) - retired in 1879 * (1865) - retired in 1882 * (1866) - sunk by floating mines ( 'torpedoes') in the

River Paraguay The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

in 1866, during

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

* ** (1865) - stricken in 1897 ** (1865) - stricken in 1885 * ** (1866) - stricken in 1885 ** (1866) - stricken in 1885 * (1874) - sunk after fire, during Fleet Revolt of 1893–94 ; Monitors * (1865) - struck in 1894 * ** (1867) - discarded in 1884 ** (1867) - scrapped in 1907 ** (1867) - scrapped in 1900 ** (1868) - scrapped in 1893 ** (1868) - scrapped in 1884 ** (1868) - sank in 1882 at her moorings due to the poor condition of her hull * ** (1874) - sunk in Battle on 22 November 1893, during Fleet Revolt of 1893–94 ** (1875) - it was wrecked in 1892 near the Cabo Polonio lighthouse in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

; Ironclads turret ship * (1865) - struck in 1894 * (1865) - struck in 1880 * (1883) - retired in 1910 * (1885) - sank after an explosion during a routine cruise in 1906

Chile

; Central battery armored frigates * ** (1874) - alienated in 1933 ** (1875) - sunk in 1891 in the

Battle of Caldera Bay The Battle of Caldera Bay, or the Sinking of ''Blanco Encalada'', was a naval engagement fought in the Caldera Bay during the 1891 Chilean Civil War between Balmacedist and Congressional naval forces on 23 April 1891. It involved two Balmaced ...

, during

Chilean Civil War of 1891 The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The war ...

; Ironclad turret ship * * (1865, ex Peruvian ship) - captured in the

Battle of Angamos The Battle of Angamos ( es, Combate de Angamos) was a naval encounter of the War of the Pacific fought between the navies of Chile and Perú at Punta Angamos, on 8 October 1879. The battle was the culminating point of a naval campaign that las ...

in 1879 during

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...

, retired in 1896 and turned into a historical relic in 1934

Haiti

; Casemate ironclad * ''Triumph'' (1861, ex British merchant ''Fingal'' and then ) - lost at sea in 1869 shortly after the purchase

Peru

; Monitors * (1864) - unknown ending * ** ''Atahualpa'' (1864, ex ) - acquired in 1868 and sunk in the

Blockade of Callao The Blockade of Callao was a military operation that occurred during the War of the Pacific or the Salitre War and that consisted of the Chilean squadron preventing the entry of ships to the port of Callao and the neighboring coves between 10 A ...

in 1881, during War of the Pacific ** ''Manco Cápac'' (1864, ex ) - acquired in 1868 and sunk in the

Battle of Arica The Battle of Arica, also known as ''Assault and Capture of Cape Arica'', was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru. After the Battle of Tacna and the following Bolivian withdra ...

in 1880, during War of the Pacific ; Broadside armored frigate * (1865) -

ran aground Ship grounding or ship stranding is the impact of a ship on seabed or waterway side. It may be intentional, as in beaching to land crew or cargo, and careening, for maintenance or repair, or unintentional, as in a marine accident. In accidenta ...

in the

Battle of Punta Gruesa The Battle of Punta Gruesa was a naval action that took place on May 21, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources ...

in 1879, during War of the Pacific ; Ironclad turret ship * ''Huáscar'' * (1865) - captured by the Chileans at the Battle of Angamos in 1879, during War of the Pacific ; Casemate ironclad * (1854/1865) - sunk in the Blockade of Callao in 1881, during War of the Pacific

United States

Asia

China

; Coastal defence ships * (after 1875) - unknown * (1890) - captured by the Japanese in 1895 after

Battle of Weihaiwei The Battle of Weihaiwei (Japanese: was a battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895, in Weihai, Shandong Province, China, between the forces of Japan and Qing China. In early January 1895, the ...

, during

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

; Ironclads turret ship * ** (1881) - sunk in 1895 in the Battle of Weihaiwei, during First Sino-Japanese War ** (1882) - captured by the Japanese in 1895 after the Battle of Weihaiwei, during First Sino-Japanese War

Japan

; Ironclad ram * ''Kōtetsu'' * (1864, as CSS ''Stonewall'') - acquired from the United States in 1869 and retired in 1888 ; Armoured corvettes * (1869) - retired in 1906 * ** (1877) - retired in 1909 ** (1877) - retired in 1911 ; Central battery ironclad * (1877) - sold for scrap in 1909 ; Ironclad turret ship * (1882, ex Chinese ship ''Zhenyuan'') - captured in 1895 during First Sino-Japanese War and retired in 1911 ; Coastal defence ship * (1890, ex Chinese ship ''Pingyuan'') - captured in 1895 during First Sino-Japanese War and sunk by adverse weather causes during

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

Ottoman Empire

Siam

; Floating battery * ''Siam Mongkut'' (1870) - probably discarded 1912

Europe

Austria-Hungary

Denmark

; Broadside armored frigates * (1864) - scrapped 1907 * (1850/1864) - retired in 1897 * (1864) - scrapped 1897 ; Ironclad turret ship * (1863) - scrapped 1907 ; Ironclad ram * ''Stærkodder'' (1864, as CSS ''Stonewall'') - the Danish purchase in 1864 of this ship failed and ended up being sold to Japan in 1867 and renamed * ; Monitors * (1868) - retired in 1907 * (1870) - retired in 1912 ; Casemate ironclad * (1872) - retired in 1912 ; Barbette ironclads * (1878) - retired in 1907 * (1880) - retired in 1908 * (1886) - retired in 1919

France

Germany

Greece

; Central battery armored corvette * (1867) - scrapped in 1915 ; Broadside armored corvette * (1869) - scrapped in 1925 ; Barbette ironclads * ** (1889) - retired in 1919 ** (1889) - retired in 1929 ** (1890) - sold for scrap in 1932

Italy

Netherlands

; Casemate ironclad * (1853/1863) - unknown ; Ironclads turret ship * (1866) - scrapped after 1905 * (1874) - scuttled in 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

; Monitors * ** (1868) - retired in 1973 and converted into a museum ship in 1974 ** (1870) - sold for scrap in 1897 * ** (1868) - converted into a museum ship in 1982 ** (1868) - struck in 1908 * ** (1868) - sold for scrapping in 1910 ** (1868) - unknown ** (1868) - unknown * ** (1869) - unknown ** (1869) - unknown * ** (1870) - unknown ** (1870) - unknown ** (1871) - unknown ** (1871) - unknown ** (1871) - unknown ** (1876) - unknown * (1877) - unknown * (1878) - unknown * (1891) - unknown

Norway

; Monitors * ** (1866) - scrapped in 1908 ** (1869) - scrapped in 1918 * ** (1868) - scrapped in 1909 * (1872) - wrecked in 1919

Portugal

; Central battery ironclad * (1876) - broken up in 1935

Russia

Spain

; Broadside armored frigates * (1863) - sunk by accident or sabotage in the siege of Cartagena in 1873, during

Cantonal rebellion The Cantonal rebellion was a cantonalist insurrection that took place during the First Spanish Republic between July 1873 and January 1874. Its protagonists were the "intransigent" federal Republicans, who wanted to establish immediately the F ...

* (1863) - retired in 1912 * (1864) - scrapped in 1883 * (1865) - retired in 1911 ; Central battery armored frigates * (1867) - stricken in 1896 * (1869) - retired in 1896 * (1861/1870) - scrapped in 1896 ; Floating battery * (1874) - retired in 1900 ; Monitor * (1874) - retired in 1900 ; Barbette ironclad * (1887) - scrapped in 1925

Swedish

; Monitors * ** (1865) - sold in 1919 ** (1865) - sold in 1922 ** (1866) - sold for

scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...

in 1922 ** (1869) - scrapped in 1908 * (1867) - sold for scrap in 1893 * (1868) - sunk as a target in 1907 * (1872) - retired in 1903 * ** (1872) - sold in 1919 ** (1872) - retired in 1919 ** (1873) - sold in 1919 ** (1874) - sold in 1919 ** (1874) - sold in 1919 ** (1875) - sold in 1919 ** (1875) - decommissioned in 1919 ; Coastal defence ships * ** (1885) - retired in 1941 ** (1889) - retired in 1923 ** (1893) - retired in 1923

United Kingdom

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{Cite book , title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905 , editor = Gardiner, Robert , location = London, UK , publisher = Conway Maritime Press , year = 1979 , url-access = registration , url = https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2 , isbn = 0-85177-133-5 , ref = {{sfnRef, Gardiner 1979 *

ironclads An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. Th ...