Wednesday - March 09, 2016

Today In History: The End Of An Era

March 9, 1862: Civil War Battle of the Ironclads

In which one small, purpose-built steam powered iron battle-barge in the Union Navy fights to a draw with the Confederate Navy’s steam powered armored ship, a built on the fly, jury rigged, re-floated burned hulk covered in scrap iron and bacon fat. At the end of the day both drove away and into history. The era of wooden ships was over.

On March 9, 1862, Catesby Jones assumed command of the Merrimack and set sail down the river to attack more of the Union ships. What he didn’t know was that during the night, the Union ironclad USS Monitor had slipped in to join the Union ships at the area known as Hampton Road.

Jones saw the USS Minnesota and took aim on the wooden-hulled frigate. As the ships neared each other, they opened fire. It was then that Jones saw an odd low profile almost raft looking boat alongside the Minnesota. The Monitor steamed toward the Merrimack and the two ironclads began firing upon each other. Jones tried to ram the Monitor, but being smaller, faster and more maneuverable, the Monitor managed to avoid most of the ramming.

By nightfall, the battle was a draw. The Monitor headed to the safety of shallower water where the Merrimack could not follow. Fearing being caught by the receding tide and being low on ammunition, the Merrimack headed back to the navel yard.

A couple months later, Union troops advanced on the Norfolk Naval Shipyard where the Merrimack had been docked. The crew of the Confederate Merrimack blew up the ship rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Union.

As 1862 drew to a close, the Monitor encountered bad weather off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and sank.

The Battle of the Ironclads, the first of its kind, ended. The battle may have been over but it changed the face of naval warfare for all time.

This was always one of my favorite war stories growing up. The dour Monitor, under powered, it’s poor hull design barely seaworthy. It’s mighty guns probably capable of piercing Virginia’s armor, but the gunners afraid to use the full specified powder charge would have destroyed lesser cannons. The first turret, a 100 ton iron cheesebox that must have rung, deafening, like Hell’s own bells when struck by cannonballs. The plucky Virginia, an emergency effort. The USS Merrimack had been burned to the waterline, so they took the underwater part of the hull and built a steamship on top of it. The frantic search for iron; their inability to roll or weld iron plate. All the battle damage as the shells struck, smashing the wood beneath the iron to splinters while the railroad track armor held together.

Neat stuff. Follow my link, or look up any of the hundreds or thousands more out there.

Posted by Drew458     on 03/09/2016 at 11:11 PM   
Filed Under: • Military •  
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