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John Ericsson: America's First Ironclad Designers

351 Words2 Pages
John Ericsson was the designer of the USS Monitor, the United States’ first ironclad. He was a very stubborn man, who never backed down from what he thought was true. Ericsson was truly an “iron-headed” man. He was told that his ideas would never work, yet he was not the type to be intimidated by anyone. Although he first proposed an ironclad ship in 1853, to the French, he was turned down, and left his model and plans on the shelf for 8 years. In 1861, Abraham Lincoln authorized what was known as Bill 36. This let designers bring in ironclad designs, because it was well known that the Confederates had developed an ironclad of their own. Ericsson, with the help of Cornelius Bushnell, brought his design to the Navy and was approved. He told
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