The battle on March 9, 1862, between the USS Monitor and the 
CSS Merrimack, officially the CSS Virginia, 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 the starboard and port sides, and one on the bow 
and stern sides. 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 (DesJardien 2)" 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 ". . . a craft such as the eyes 
of a seaman never looked upon before, an immense shingle floating on 
the water with a giant cheese box rising from its center" (Ward 101). 
The "cheese box" was a nine by twenty foot revolving turret with two 
massive guns inside. "The USS Monitor used two of the eleven inch 
Dahlgran guns . . ." (Lavy 2). These Dahlgran 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. Like the CSS Merrimack, the USS Monitor was expected to sink, it 
was referred to as "Ericsson's Folly" (DesJardien 2). 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 1862. There was a total of five 
ships engaged in the battle. From the US Navy, there were four ships, 
the USS Congress, USS Minnesota, USS Cumberland, and the USS Monitor. 
The CS Navy had one ship, the CSS Merrimack. On March 8, 1862, the CSS
Merrimack steamed into Hampton Roads. She proceeded to sink the USS 
Cumberland and then ran the USS Congress aground. Captain Buchanan 
then set his sights on the already handicapped USS Minnesota. The USS 
Minnesota was run aground on one of the shores. Capt. Buchanan did not 
know, but the USS Monitor was lying in wait, ordered to protect the
wounded USS Minnesota. Lt. Worden steamed out into the middle of the 
bay to meet the CSS Merrimack. The USS Monitor fired first in a drawn 
out battle that lasted about four and a half hours. "They fired shot, 
shell, grape, canister, musket and rifle balls doing no damage to each 
other" (Lavy 3). 

        After four and a half hours, the CSS Merrimack withdrew due to 
falling tides. The USS Monitor did not make chase because of a crack 
in the turret. The results of the battle were inconclusive, neither 
side could claim victory. The estimated casualties resulting from the 
battle were extensive. The Union lost about 409 sailors and the 
Confederacy lost about 24 sailors. The battle was so impressive to
the leaders of both the Union and the Confederacy, that they 
contracted their Naval yards to have more ironclad ships built.
Additions to the Confederate fleet included the CSS Tennessee, a 209 
foot long blockade runner with four broadside cannons and pivoted 
cannons at the bow and stern. Additions to the Union Navy included the 
USS Carondelet. Armed with thirteen guns and stationed on the 
Mississippi, she was a formidable opponent. Prior to the building of 
the USS Monitor, the USS New Ironsides was built. "It was the 
strongest ship ever built by the Northern Navy" (Lavy 4). Wooden ships 
were now obsolete. Ironclad ships began to roll out of ship yards more 
often than their wooden counterparts. "The invention of ironclads in 
the Civil War set examples for the future of ship building in the 
United States" (Lavy 5).

        The ironclads were at an advantage over the wooden ships of 
the two Navies because of their superior technology. Ironclads could 
withstand hours of battering by artillery, and they could be used to 
cut traffic lanes through mine fields. Their armor could resist the 
blast from a mine considerably better than any wooden ship could. They 
could also carry more powerful guns. Due to their increased stability 
in the water these massive ships could easily endure the recoil of a 
huge cannon. Another useful characteristic of the ironclads was their 
ability to be used in ramming missions. The hull of the ship would not 
be compromised by a hit associated with ramming a wooden vessel. 

        Because of Civil War technology, the United States has never 
built another wooden battleship since the introduction of the 
ironclads. Every armed conflict since then has seen more and more 
improvements in the way ironclad ships were built. The introduction of 
multiple massive turrets in the late 1800s improved the firepower 
dramatically. Later renovations included improved power plants and 
more devastating weapons. Perhaps the greatest renovation came in the 
pre-World War I era with the introduction of the aircraft carrier. 
Today, ironclad ships are so advanced that they are scarcely bigger 
than the ironclads used in the Civil War, but they are hundreds if not 
thousands times more powerful.

        Although the wooden ship has proved extremely effective in 
naval battles throughout history, the advent of the ironclad totally
revolutionized the way in which naval forces around the world approach 
warfare. "From the moment the two ships opened fire that Sunday 
morning, every other navy on earth was obsolete" (Ward 102).

---
Works Cited

DesJardien, Matt. "The Ironclads." www.shorelin.wednet.edu/Echo 
Lake/Civil War/Matt D*Ironclads.html.

Lavy, Gabe. "A Comparison of the Role and Importance of the Northern 
and Southern Navies to the Fighting of the Civil War."
www.geocities.com/Athens/2391/Final.htm.

"Monitor v. Merrimack," Microsoft Encarta 1996 Encyclopedia. Microsoft 
Corp., Funk and Wagnalls Corp. 1993-95.

Ward, Geoffrey C. The Civil War: An Illustrated History. New York: 
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1990.