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Ironclads....

A confederate ironclad on the Mississippi River.
(Image Source: Best Pictures of the Civil War)

Ironclads were seagoing vessels that were introduced during the Civil War.
They were either ships that were initially made of wood and then covered in thin sheets of metal in order to protect them from attack by cannon or guns, or they were ships specifically constructed of metal because of it could better withstand cannon and gunfire upon it.
These vessels also differed from earlier war ships in that they were not powered by the wind, but by steam engine, signifying the entrance of modern shipping.
The most well-known ironclads of the Civil war were the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack. However, there were many ironclads used during the war, most of which were built in order to attack or protect forts along the southern coastline.

this is the sinking of the ironclad Alabama on the Mississippi River.

(Image Source: Illustrated History of the Civil War)

Picture to the top right shows the Monitor with the dents and damage it sustained after its battle with the Merrimack. the Picture on the bottom right shows a converted wheelboat in the background that has been converted to an ironclad. This means that its wheel has been covered to protect it from being destroyed by enemy fire. The foreground boat contains members of the wheelboats crew.
(Picture Source: The Best Pictures of the Civil War)