Should you require detailled information regarding the investment of some adversaries coastline in order to reduce his (or her) Geo-Political structure to an historical footnote I heartily recommend "Big Gun Monitors", a 1978 publication of Author/Naval Architect Ian L. Buxton. The ISBN of this work is 0-87201-104-8. Most of these class of vessels were constructed to the specification of Charles Lillicrap during the First World War. Lillicrap stuck around the Admiralty during the inter-war period, rising to the position of Director of Naval Construction for the Second international slugfest.

Buxton opens his text with a mention of the Ericsson Monitor, stating that the March 9 1862 action between the U.S.S. Monitor and the Virginia produced, "no serious damage owing to the protective value of their iron plates." Sometimes I wish I had a time machine in order to send Authors back to the scene of some of their statements. See account of George Sinclair, charge of the Norfolk Drydock, for actual battle damage inflicted apon the C.S.S. Virginia and ORN accounts of Monitor's dents and dings, as well as the damge done to the pilot house and its occupants.

Much valuable detail of this class of vessel in "Big Gun Monitors".

Regards