As some of you are no doubt aware, I am fascinated with 19th century America, and one of the most significant developments in maritime history happened 150 years ago this week. For the first time ever, a battle was fought between ironclad warships in Hampton Roads, Virginia on March 9, 1862. The Confederates had recovered the sunken steam frigate U.S.S. Merrimack and rebuilt it, converting it to a casemate ironclad vessel that they renamed C.S.S. Virginia. The Union’s vessel, the U.S.S. Monitor, was a technological marvel, made almost entirely of iron and containing a revolving gun turret, as well as flush toilets, a forced air ventilation system, and a couple dozen other new inventions. I have found the ship fascinating ever since I was a kid. Perhaps one day I will get a chance to see the recovered parts of the ship at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News.
Continue reading “150 years of the U.S.S. Monitor”