After the civil war, the government of the United States lost all interest in armadillos, and this area of ​ ​ shipbuilding was forgotten for many years. Only for the conservation of the monitor fleet continued to allocate money. As a result, many veterans of the Civil War rose to war with Spain. Having defeated the southerners and united again, the Americans began to develop western territories and bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. But in order to capture new territories in the sea, and most importantly, for their subsequent preservation, it was necessary to build a powerful fleet.