Ironclads Trivia

Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson apparently preferred his drawing board to his wife. Amelia Byam Ericsson followed her husband to New York, but she returned to London and, though John provided for her livelihood and corresponded with her for the rest of her life, the two never saw one another again.

The contract issued to Ericsson by the US Navy for the building of the USS Monitor stipulated that the ironclad should be equipped with masts and sails. Ericsson conveniently 'forgot' that requirement.