Ironclad warship
The first ironclad battleship, Gloire, was launched by the French Navy in November 1859. The term ironclad dropped out of use towards the end of the 1890s. New ships were increasingly constructed to a standard pattern and designated battleships or armored cruisers in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The first purpose-built steam battleship was the 90-gun Napoléon...