USS Monitor
The USS Monitor was an ironclad United States Civil War ship. It is most famous for its participation in the first ever naval battle between two ironclad ships, the Battle of Hampton Roads in March, 1862. During that clash, it encountered another ironclad, the CSS Virginia, which is chiefly significant in naval history as the first battle between two powered ironclad warships, which came to be known as ironclads.
Prior to then, warships were made primarily of wood. Afterwards, the ships and naval warfare changed dramatically.
Unique Design By John Ericsson
Engineered by John Ericsson, the ship's appearance was described as a "cheesebox on a raft", consisting of a heavy, round iron turret on the deck housing two large cannons. The armored deck was barely above the water line. Aside from a smoke stack and a few fittings, the bulk of the ship was below the water line to prevent damage from cannon fire; torpedoes, that is, anchored naval mines, were a concern, though self-propelled torpedoes would not be a worry for another 50 years. The hull of the Monitor was constructed at the Continental Iron Works in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, and the ship was launched there on January 30, 1862.
Monitor was one of the most innovative naval vessels of all time. It was the first ship made almost entirely out of iron. Parts were forged in nine foundries and brought together to build the ship. The entire process took less than 120 days. Other innovations included the "cheesebox", the first rotating turret; it was the first naval vessel fitted with Ericsson's marine screw and it even anticipated some aspects of submarine design by placing all facilities except the pilot station and turret under water, making it the first semi-submersible watercraft. In contrast, Virginia, was a conventional wooden vessel covered with iron plates and with fixed weapons.
Prototype for monitor warships and river monitors
USS Monitor became the prototype for the monitor warship type. Many more were built, including river monitors, and they played key roles in civil war battles on the Mississippi and James rivers.
Already three months after the famous battle the design was offered to Sweden and in 1865 the first Swedish monitor was being built at Motala Warf in Norrköping. The first one was named John Ericsson in honour of the constructor. It was followed by 14 more monitors. One of them, Sölve, is preserved at the marine museum in Gothenburg.
USS Monitor Lost at Sea
While the design of the USS Monitor proved exceptionally well-suited for river combat, the low-profile and heavy turret caused questionable seaworthiness in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early demise of the original Monitor when it foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves, it sank on December 30, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Rediscovery of USS Monitor
In 1973, the wreck of Monitor was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The wreck site was designated as the United States' first marine sanctuary. The Monitor Sanctuary is the only one of the thirteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource, rather than a natural resource.
See also
External links
- Monitor in the news – "Monitor turret raised from ocean" (http://www.HavenWorks.com/military/uss-monitor)
- Online exhibition of the Monitor (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/monitor/)
- The Monitor Center (http://www.monitorcenter.org/) at the Mariners' Museum (http://www.mariner.org/), Newport News, Virginia
- Hampton Roads Visitor Guide (http://www.hamptonroadsvisitor.com)
- Hampton Roads Naval Museum (http://www.hrnm.navy.mil/)
- Civil War Naval History (http://www.multied.com/Navy/cwnavalhistory/)
- Fort Wool History (http://www.geocities.com/hrforts/Fort_Wool/history.htm)
- Roads to the Future – I664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel (http://www.roadstothefuture.com/I664_VA_MMMBT.html)
nl:USS Monitor pl:USS Monitor sv:Monitor (fartyg)