The National Museum of the Royal Navy are hosting a special talk by Dr Jim Clipson on a little-known aspect of HMS Warrior’s history to be held on 19th October 11:00 – 12:00 in the Princess Royal Gallery, National Museum of the Royal Navy.
HMS Warrior never fired a shot in anger, nor entered United States’ territorial waters, but she exercised a profound influence on naval operations in the US Civil War. The existence of HMS Warrior with her armour-plating and Armstrong guns assumed a spectral prospect in the Union press and political circles, it also gave rise to the Monitor. It is difficult to see how the Monitor would have been born without the Warrior’s influence. The inventor of the Monitor, Ericsson was very clear that not only had he created the Monitor but that he had created her to combat both the Confederate Navy and any potential European threat to the Union. Listeners may be surprised to hear how close the US and Great Britain came to war in late 1861.
If you would like to attend, please can you confirm by 29th September at the latest. You will need to email Cecily.Headley@nmrn.org.uk to book your place at the talk.
Biography:
Dr Jim Clipson is a retired Royal Navy oceanographer who has been studying for an MA in Naval History at the University of Portsmouth and has been the HMS Warrior History Bursar 2016 – 17. He is also a volunteer on M33. Jim has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Bristol and obtained an MSc in oceanography at the US Navy Post Graduate School during his naval career. He gave a similar presentation to the North America Society for Oceanic History in Charleston, South Carolina earlier this year. Apart from naval history Jim has a Great War project where he is cycling various parts of the Western Front photographing the 200 or so graves of the men from his home town of Frome in Somerset, preparing for a Commemoration in November 2018.
Very interesting!