Korea's Technological Connections to the Rest of the World: Iron Clad Ships

Iron Clad Ships of Korea, United States, and Confederate States:

In an age where technology was strictly limited due to the existence of electricity and other major factors that allow us to have what we have in the modern age, past civilizations had surprisingly advanced weaponry at their arsenal which allowed them to defend and conquer.

Before the invention of a use for electricity, pre-modern civilizations only had fire as a tool for forging and developing. But with fire alone, metals were able to be smelted, and with that metal, sturdy, nearly impenetrable warships arose.

Choson, Korea and United States were one of the first nations who developed iron clad ship and paved a path for floating impenetrable fortresses.

Choson created their fist iron clad ships during the Imjin War against ancient Japan (1592-1598). It was mainly built to withstand the heavy assault form the Japanese Navy. The ship was able to carry 80 oarsmen, 50 soldiers and 26 cannons. The ship mostly relied on oars for transportation due to it mainly fought in rough, narrow channels among the peninsula's minuscule islands. It's main features included an arched ceiling made of iron to prevent enemies from boarding in situation of close encounters.

Today, the remakes of the turtle ship features hundreds of metal pikes erecting from its arched ceiling. Creators say that the iron pikes were there to prevent ship boarding, but according to historical index, the ached back without the pikes were enough to prevent enemies from boarding due to the rough nature of the Korean seas.

Even though this ship proved to be impenetrable and very efficient for combat out at sea, the turtle ship never went through mass production. Records indicate that Choson never had more than a half dozen ships at a time; and after the Imjin War, the turtle ship production was permanently halted due to a lack of need for defense at sea.

300 Years later, the western side of the world saw its own iron clad ships in the 1800 during the Civil War. In fact, two iron clad ships emerged from two countries, which ultimately paved a path for the modern ship, capable of carrying more, traveling further and longer, and most importantly, invulnerable to oceanic storms.

Technically, the Confederate States of America was the first country in the west to create the iron clad ship on February 1862. The CSS Merrimack (Virginia) mainly one purpose: to break the Atlantic blockade at sea created by the Union to reopen the trade routes between themselves and Europe.

The Merrimack was capable of carrying 320 officers and men, had an underwater battering ram at the bow of the ship, carried one seven inch pivot mounted rifle, two six inch cannons, six nice inch cannons, and two twelve pound howitzers, and was powered by steam engines and boilers.

While the Confederates thought to have obtained water superiority, the Union responded with their own warship made of iron. The USS Monitor was commissioned on February 1862, was capable of carrying 59 officers and men, had a steam engine propulsion system, and  carried 2 by 11 280mm guns.

The two ships became a revolutionary icon for naval architects in the 1800's and in the battle of the Merrimack and Monitor on March 8, 1862, the Merrimack made its first appearance and sank two Union ships before the Monitor engaged its iron rival at the Hampton Roads. The battle lasted for two days, but in the end, the fierce fighting resulted in a draw and the two ships never met the day of full utilization.

In the end, we can agree that the first iron clad ships were among its first and proved its usefulness to the world. Today, unlike the irony of the service time of the indestructible ships of the past, iron ships run and defend the world with massive cargo ships hauling thousands of carts of goods across the Atlantic and Pacific while battleships and aircraft carriers guard and defend the world from pirates and other sea-born threats.