Such exaggerations struck Graham as ludicrous and irresponsible. “The Monitor is a very small vessel that is totally incapable of crossing any ocean, or, for that matter, going more than a few miles from shore in anything but the calmest of seas. She has virtually no freeboard; thus, any wave will swamp her. She is strictly built for harbor and river defense. Further, she has no sails and cannot possibly carry enough food and coal to take her far.”
“But the Americans will surely build others like her.”
“Of course, Prime Minister, and they will deny us access to their harbors, which are already fairly inaccessible because of their strong shore batteries. They will not, however, break our blockade. It will require us to be much more vigilant when the Monitors do come out. For instance, Captain Hawkes suggests avoiding combat with them if possible.”
“Understandable under the circumstances,” Palmerston said drily, causing Graham to chuckle. “I would expect nothing else from a man whose ship had been sunk by one.”
“Indeed. But he is currently the resident expert on fighting Monitors. He said the ironclad is slow, which means our ships should be able to avoid her fairly easily. Thus, we should be able to dance around her until she tires of the game.
“If battle cannot be avoided, Hawkes proposes we fight her with two ships at a time. One will engage with cannon, while the other attempts to ram.” “Can't the rebels help us? Weren't they building their own ironclad?”
“The Merrimack, yes. However, when we came into the war. the Confederacy understood that we would break the Union blockade, so they stopped work on her. They are chronically short of guns and armor, so they stripped her of same and shipped the guns and armor to the Mississippi, where they are not doing as well and where we are not there to protect them. It would now take many months to complete the Merrimack”
Again, Palmerston had to accept reality. While failing in the eastern theater, the Union was relatively successful along the Mississippi. The Confederacy had a very real fear of the Union gaining control of the great river. Union success in that arena would mean that the young Confederacy had been cut in two.
“Tell me, Sir James, what will be the long-term impact of the Monitor? What of those who say our ships are now all obsolete? But if the Monitor can't cross the seas, then what good is she?”
“Our ships, sir, are not obsolete. At least not yet, although they soon will be. The Americans have proven that they can take an old idea, a floating battery, and make it mobile and virtually impregnable. What is of primary import about the Monitor is not her armor but her revolving turret. As it is round, any shot striking her must hit at an angle and be subject to deflection. It is a devilishly clever idea and we are already looking at incorporating it on our ships. As the turret turns, it can fire in any direction; thus, fewer, but larger, guns could be put on future ships. I might add that turrets are damnably heavy, which would preclude putting them on smaller ships or even many existing vessels.
“Prime Minister,” Graham continued, “I would anticipate that the problem of Monitors crossing oceans will be solved shortly. It really only means giving the vessel a higher freeboard, which would make her a larger target that, in theory at least, would render her less invulnerable. Thicker armor would resolve that problem.”
“And how would you pierce that armor?” Palmerston asked. He did not like the direction Graham was going. “If the Gorgon and her sisters hadn't hurt the Monitor, then what could?”
“Sir, I do not believe that any of the guns currently on our ships could stop or hurt the Monitor, and that includes the Warrior's. We must design and build not only larger guns but those that fire shaped shells with greater velocity. Sir, you asked if our fleet was obsolete and I answered not yet. However, I predict that, within a couple of years, all nonarmored ships will be useless as a line of battleships.”
Palmerston was aghast. The implications were staggering. The numerical advantage English ships held over those of other nations had just disappeared in one afternoon off New York. Great Britain had to remain preeminent on the seas. Britannia had to rule the waves in order for her empire to exist.
“We will design and build the ships we need to protect our interests regardless of the cost,” Palmerston said glumly. “Other nations will do the same, and that includes both France and the United States. We will be in an arms race with them and we must not lose it.”
The war had suddenly taken a new and expensive turn. There would now be the need to raise funds to finance the new navy. Only two British ships, the Warrior and the Black Prince, were what could now be considered “modern.” The navy's problem had come as a complete and unpleasant surprise. Palmerston wondered how many more unpleasant surprises were in store for England.
“We must win and win soon. If victory is not in sight by the end of this year, I don't know what will happen,” Palmerston said.
“The navy will do its part,” said Graham confidently. “As to New York, the Agamemnon will head there and join the blockade when she is finished laying cable from Canada to Norfolk. That will be in a couple of weeks.”
“Excellent,” said Palmerston. The Agamemnon was an eighty-gun ship of the line when not laying telegraphic cable. “And I'm certain the Confederate army will handle the Union army when the North invades,” Graham added.
There was an irony that Graham didn't understand, thought Palmerston. McClellan's anticipated invasion of the South would be defeated unless Lee did something dreadfully wrong. If the reports of Lee's ability were only half correct, Lee would make no mistakes.
However, if McClellan were defeated, might he be replaced by someone with more skill and vigor? Was the Union winning along the Mississippi because the Confederacy had all its best leaders near Richmond, or was it because the Union had its best along the Mississippi? It was a conundrum. The Union with McClellan was defeatable; therefore, McClellan must stay in command long enough to ensure Confederate victory. If he lost too decisively, he might be replaced.
“And what of Mr. Hawkes?” Palmerston asked, thankful to have another topic to discuss.
Ordinarily, a captain who had his ship shot out from under him was disgraced, even court-martialed. However, this was different. Hawkes was the hero who had sunk the St. Lawrence; was it his fault that he had been the first to confront the new danger, the Monitor? There were those who said he should have broken off the engagement when he realized he couldn't harm the Monitor, but they weren't there at the battle. Besides, who would want as captain a man who runs from a ship so much smaller than his own? In hindsight, flight would be considered a prudent course of action, but then it would have been cowardice. It did not help that Hawkes was arrogant and had made many enemies. Graham was one of them.
“Captain Hawkes is being reassigned to serve as naval liaison to Russia,” Graham said. “He will depart for St. Petersburg as soon as possible.”
“And when will he get another ship?”
Graham smiled tightly. “When hell freezes over.”