Battle on march 9th
Battle on march 9thThe battle on March 9, 1862, between the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack is one of the most revolutionary naval battles in world history. Up until that point, all battles had been waged between wooden ships. This was the first battle in maritime history that two ironclad ships waged war.
The USS Merrimack was a Union frigate throughout most of its existence, up until the Union Navy abandoned the Norfolk Naval Yard. To prevent the Confederate Navy from using her against them, the Union Navy scuttled her. The Confederates, however, raised the ship from the shallow floor of the ocean and began making some major modifications. Confederate engineers cut the hull down to the water line and built a slanted top on it. Then, they bolted four layers of iron sheets, each two inches thick, to the entire structure. Also added was a huge battering ram to the bow of the ship to be used in ramming maneuvers. The ship was then fitted with ten twelve-pound cannons. There were four guns placed on each side, and one in the front and rear of the vessel. Due to its massive nature the ship's draft was enormous, it stretched twenty-two feet to the bottom. The ship was so slow and long, that it required a turning radius of about one mile. Likened to a "floating barn roof " and not predicted to float, the only individual willing to take command of the ship was Captain Franklin Buchanan. After all the modifications were complete, the ship was rechristened the CSS Virginia, but the original name the CSS Merrimack is the preferred name.
The USS Monitor was the creation of Swedish-American engineer, John Ericsson. The ship was considered small for a warship, only 172 feet long and 42 feet wide. Confederate sailors were baffled by the ship. One was quoted describing her as "an immense shingle floating on the water with a giant cheese box rising from its center." The "giant cheese bx" described by the sailer was a nine by twenty foot revolving turret with two massive guns inside. The Monitor used two of the eleven inch guns. These guns were massive rifled cannons that were capable of firing a variety of shot. The armor of this ship was a two inch thick layer of steel that shielded the ship. The deck was so low to the water line, about one foot, that waves frequently washed over the deck causing the ship to lose its balance in the water. Due to the low profile, the entire crew was located below the water line, so one armor piercing hit would kill the entire crew. The only individual willing to take command of the ship was Lieutenant John Worden.
The battle at Hampton Roads was part of the Peninsula Campaign that lasted from March to August of...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.