1/700 USS Galena

USS Galena was one of the first three ironclads, along with Monitor and New Ironsides, ordered by the Union Navy in response to the conversion of the former steam frigate Merrimack into CSS Virginia. Originally ordered as a wooden-hulled, three-masted corvette, the final design was a slightly larger vessel, with only two masts and a steam engine, protected by 2.5'' of side armour, plus a backing of rubber and the 18'' thick hull side. The nature of this armour is still somewhat debated, as it is not clear whether it was composed of railroad iron or actual armour plates put over rail tracks laid horizontally.
Galena was heavily armed for her size, with four 9'' smoothbore Dahlgrens on the broadside and two 100-pdr Parrot rifles with multiple firing ports. Her hull was characterized by a very pronounced tumblehome, and during sailing it was noted she rolled heavily.
Shortly after commissioning in April 1862, her spars removed, and the following month attacked a gun battery on the James river about 8 miles from the Confederate capital. There Galena stayed, in case enemy ironclads tried to break out, until the following year, when the ship was taken up for reconstruction. The 9'' smoothbores were increased to 8 pieces at the cost of one of the 100-pdr Parrots, and three masts fitted. Putting to sea again in April 1864, she took part in the battle of Mobile Bay and then repaired until March the following year. Galena spent the rest of the war patrolling the Atlantic coast and was quickly put in reserve, condemned in 1870 and broken up two years later.