Water-line — L. Dahlgren Gun — M. Harper's Weekly , March 29, , page Lieutenant Jeffers and Chief EngineerStimers; 2. Captain's Cabin; 3. Engine-room; 4. Berth Deck; 5. Interior of the Tower; 6. Turret Machinery; 7. Ready for Action; 8. Wheel House; 9. Harper's Weekly, March 22, , page New York Illustrated News, March 29, , page []. The first naval battle in Hampton Roads, between the Rebel iron-plated steamers Merrimac , Yorktown and Jamestown , and the United States wooden sailing frigates Cumberland and Congress.
Leslie's Illustrated News , March 22, , pages Without the industrial or shipbuilding capabilities of the north, however, there was no way they could beat the Union Navy with sheer numbers. She only served a few years on active service before being decommissioned and put in reserve at the Norfolk Naval Base in early When Virginia seceded on April 17th of , the US sailors evacuating tried to sail the ship out of the Chesapeake.
She burned to the waterline and sank. By the end of May, however, the Confederate navy had salvaged and raised the wreck of the Merrimack. With most of her keel and underside intact, as well her steam engine and propellers, the remains of the ship could be repurposed. Several engineers working for Mallory suggested the hulk be used as the basis for his proposed ironclad and he approved.
The hull was repaired and armored, the tent-like superstructure was built, and a ram was added to the bow. Her armament consisted of ten guns, including six 9 inch cannons. Her armor plating was two inches thick.
Under that was two solid feet of iron-reinforced pine. The Union Navy was by no means idle in its own strides towards naval innovation during these months. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles learned that the Confederates were working on an ironclad ship shortly after construction began and wanted to meet them in kind.
Once he received Congressional approval to begin constructing an ironclad of his own he put together a commission of three senior officers to do just that. The so-called Ironclad Board assembled in August of and accepted seventeen different design proposals before selecting a final three to fully support. Of those, the one was a particularly strange looking craft designed by Swedish-born engineer John Ericsson. The whole vessel was based around a large revolving turret designed by another inventor named Theodore Timby.
The ship floated so low in the water that the only real targets an enemy ship could even hit were that thickly armored turret and the also-armored pilot box from where she was steered. And, perhaps most importantly, she was built fast. Ericsson promised he could build her in days if given approval. The Battle of Hampton Roads began on the morning of March 8th, That first day, as mentioned above, did not go well for the Union Navy.
But three of his five warships ran aground as they moved to attack, two of which remained stuck for the remainder of the battle. The first actual shots were exchanged between a Union tugboat and one of several Confederate gunboats supporting the Virginia. The battle heated up quickly from there. In short order the Virginia rammed the frigate Cumberland , sinking her along with men of her crew. She then turned on the Congress , another frigate. The captain of the vessel, Lieutenant Joseph Smith, had purposefully run her aground to prevent her being rammed and sunk like the Cumberland.
After an hour of pummeling from the Virginia and her support ships Smith surrendered his vessel. As the survivors were escaping the ship, a Union shore battery fired on the Virginia. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U. Enter your search terms:. Monitor and Merrimack, two American warships that fought the first engagement between ironclad ships. She was subsequently raised by the Confederates, converted into an ironclad, and renamed the Virginia.
On Mar. Franklin Buchanan , sallied forth into Hampton Roads against the wooden ships of the Union blockading squadron. She rammed and sank the Cumberland, destroyed the Congress after running her aground, and scattered the remaining ships, all the while sustaining practically no damage to herself. FEN Learning is part of Sandbox Networks, a digital learning company that operates education services and products for the 21st century.
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