Overview

"Built in Birkenhead, England, from 1862-1865, the ""Laird rams"" were two innovative armored warships intended for service with the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. The vessels represented a substantial threat to Union naval power and offered the Confederacy potential means to break the Union blockade of Southern coastline. During 1863, the critical year of the Confederacy's last, slim hope of recognition by the British and French, President Lincoln threatened war with the British if the ships ever sailed under Confederate colors. Built in some secrecy, then floated on the River Mersey under the gaze of intense international scrutiny, the ships were suddenly purchased by Britain to avoid a war with the U.S., then were largely forgotten. Historians rarely mention these sister warships—if referred at all, they are given short shrift. This book provides the first complete history of these once famous ironclads that never fired a shot in anger yet served at distant stations as defenders of the British Empire."

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9781476682761

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Reviews

"""Provides an impressively written and convincing narrative with a refreshing take on how politics and diplomacy impacted Confederate naval construction in Britain, while simultaneously exploring the influence of these two warships in the progression of ironclad design and their significant impact on Royal Navy power projection in the latter half of the 19th century.""--Civil War Navy ""The most detailed account of the Laird rams.""--Journal of Southern History"

Author Information

Andrew R. English earned his PhD in history from the University of Exeter. He is a retired U.S. Air Force officer with a service history around the globe in Oceania, Japan, Europe, and the Middle East, including Iraq, where he received the Bronze Star. He is currently a consultant in Washington DC.

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