A Dwarf Ironclad on the waters of the Black Gulf off the coast of Tilea.
A Dwarf Ironclad is the pride of the Dwarf Navy, a great, smoke-belching paddle steamer covered in thick, steel-armoured plates.[1a]
Role[]
Each Dwarf Ironclad has numerous turrets containing enormous cannons which can swivel to come to bear on approaching targets. Each Ironclad is manned by Dwarfs from the same clan. Down the long years they repair and improve the ships, adding their own special modifications, tinkering with the controls and adding their own chapter to the Book of Armaments concerning their craft, its weapons and history. Each crew member is filled with pride in his ship and is convinced that it is the greatest fighting vessel afloat.[1a]
The design of Ironclads echoes that of the Dwarf Monitor. The success of these small ships in battle has led the more experimentally-inclined Dwarfs of the Engineers Guild to improve and update their designs.[1a]
The Ironclad is the result of many years of endless toil, the aim being the creation of a vessel that betters the ocean-going warships of other races. The Dwarf Admirals feel that as probably the toughest ship afloat, the Ironclad fulfills this criteria comfortably.[1a]
Human Attempts[]
The Anchor of Solidity was a steam-powered ship that the famed Tilean inventor, Leonardo da Miragliano, attempted to launch in the 21st century IC. The Anchor of Solidity represented Leonardo's early experimentation with steam-powered vehicles, eventually leading to the development of the innovative land-based vehicle called the Steam Tank.[2a]