Why was the battle of the Monitor and Merrimack important?

Answer 1

They were the first heavily armoured warships. After news of the battle reached Britain we immediately made plans to rebuild the navy in the new armoured form.

They were not the first ironclads actually. Britain and France already had multiple ironclads in their navy. The real significance was that it was the first actual engagement of an ironclad in battle. It brought about the age of iron ships because it made wood obselete. It also kept the Union Blockade standing.

Answer 2

The Merrimac was a union vessel scuttled when the union abandoned Gosport- it was rebuilt by the Confederates and re-christened the CSS Virginia. It was rebuilt as an "ironclad" a new type of gunship that was Steam powered and entirely covered in Iron plates above the waterline. She was built to break the Union blockade of Southern ports that hampered Confederate trade with Europe and other parts of the world. The Monitor was a new Union Ironclad, and was innovative in that it had only two guns, but those gun were mounted in an armored turret. The first use of a turret on a warship. The monitor was also odd in that it was almost entirely below water, only a very thin deck and the turret stuck above the waterline, offering little to target for enemy gunners. The Monitor and Virginia faced each other In the battle of Hampton Roads on Mar 8 1862- and after hours of fighting, neither ship had gained advantage, however, the Monitor had successfully prevented the Virginia from further attacks on the more vulnerable Union blockade ships. Thus the Virginia and other ironclads were essentially nullified by Union deployment of Ironclads in response. The blockade held.

Answer 3

it was the first battle between iron clad warships in the civil war.