Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article is about the first USS Monitor, a Civil War ironclad. For the World War II vehicle landing ship, see USS Monitor (LSV-5).
USS Monitor
USS Monitor
Career United States Navy ensign
Ordered: 4 October 1861
Laid down: 1861
Launched: 30 January 1862
Commissioned: 25 February 1862
Fate: Lost at sea, 31 December 1862
General characteristics
Displacement: 987 tons (1,003 metric tons)
Length: 172 ft (52 m)
Beam: 41 ft 6 in (12. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday 6 m)
Draught: 10 ft 6 in (3. 2 m)
Speed: 8 knots (15 km/h)
Complement: 59 officers and men
Armament: 2 × 11 in (279 mm) Dahlgren smoothbores
Armor: iron

USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy. Dahlgren guns were Muzzle loading naval Artillery designed by John A An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates A warship is a Ship that is built and primarily intended for Combat. She is most famous for her participation in the first-ever naval battle between two ironclad warships, the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 during the American Civil War, in which Monitor fought the ironclad CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy. The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, was a Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South USS Merrimack becomes CSS Virginia When the Commonwealth of Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861 one of the important federal military bases threatened The Confederate States Navy ( CSN) was the naval branch of the Confederate States Armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress ‘‘Monitor’’ was the first in a long line of Monitor-class U. A monitor was a type of relatively small Warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns and was used by some navies S. warships and the term "monitor" describes a broad class of European harbor defense craft.

Ironclads were only a recent innovation, started with the 1859 French battleship La Gloire. A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were See also French ship ''Gloire'' for eponymous ships Afterwards, the design of ships and the nature of naval warfare changed dramatically.

Contents

Design

Monitor was one of three ironclad warships ordered by the U. S. Navy, after Galena and New Ironsides.

Statue of John Ericsson in Battery Park, NYC, holding a model of Monitor in his hand
Statue of John Ericsson in Battery Park, NYC, holding a model of Monitor in his hand

Designed by the Swedish engineer John Ericsson, Monitor was described as a "cheesebox on a raft," consisting of a heavy round revolving iron gun turret on the deck, housing two large (11 inch) Dahlgren guns, paired side by side. This article is about John Ericsson the Swedish-American inventor A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions Dahlgren guns were Muzzle loading naval Artillery designed by John A The original design of the ship used a system of heavy metal shutters to protect the gun ports while reloading. However, the operation of the shutters proved to be so cumbersome that the crews operating the guns adopted the procedure of simply rotating the turret away from potential hostile fire to reload the guns. Further, the inertia of the rotating turret proved to be so great, that a system for stopping the turret to fire the guns was only implemented on later models of ships in the Monitor class. The crew of Monitor solved the turret inertia problem by firing the guns on the fly while the turret rotated past the target. While this procedure resulted in a substantial loss of accuracy, given the close range at which Monitor operated, the loss of accuracy was not critical.

The armored deck was barely above the waterline. Aside from a small boxy pilothouse, a detachable smokestack and a few fittings, the bulk of the ship was below the waterline to prevent damage from cannon fire. A pilothouse is a glass-enclosed room on top of the texas (the deckhouse from which a Ship is controlled A flue gas stack is a type of Chimney, a vertical pipe channel or similar structure through which Combustion product gases called Flue gases are exhausted Waterline refers to an imaginary line marking the level at which Ship or Boat floats in the Water. The turret comprised 8 bolted together layers of 1" plate with an additional ninth plate inside to act as a sound shield. A steam donkey engine turned the turret. Steam donkey, or "donkey engine" is the common nickname for a steam-powered 'hoist' widely used in past Logging operations though not limited to logging The heavily armored deck extended beyond the waterproof hull which was only 5/8" thick. Thus the vulnerable parts of the ship were completely protected. Monitor's hull was built at the Continental Iron Works in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, and the ship was launched there on January 30, 1862. Greenpoint is the northernmost Neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday There is a statue in Monsignor McGolrick park in Greenpoint, facing Monitor Street, commemorating the ship.

Monitor was innovative in construction technique as well as design. Parts were forged in nine foundries and brought together to build the ship; the whole process took less than 120 days. In addition to the "cheesebox", its rotating turret, Monitor was also fitted with Ericsson's novel marine screw, whose efficiency and reliability allowed the warship to be one of the first to rely exclusively upon steam propulsion. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an Ericsson anticipated some aspects of modern submarine design by placing all of Monitor's features except the turret and pilothouse underwater, making it the first semi-submersible ship. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability A semi-submersible or semisubmersible is a Watercraft that can put much of its bulk underwater In contrast, Virginia was a conventional wooden vessel covered with iron plates and bearing fixed weapons.

Battle of Hampton Roads

See main article Battle of Hampton Roads

At the Battle of Hampton Roads Virginia attacked the Union blockading squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 8, 1862, destroying USS Cumberland and Congress and forcing Minnesota aground before withdrawing. The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, was a The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, was a Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the USA. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday First Mediterranean Cruise She was launched 24 May 1842 by Boston Navy Yard. Built in New Hampshire in 1841 The frigate was launched at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, 16 August 1841, and placed in commission under Captain That night, Monitor, under command of Lt. John L. Worden, arrived under tow from Brooklyn. John Lorimer Worden ( 12 March 1818 &ndash 19 October 1897) was a U When Virginia returned the next day, March 9, 1862, to finish off Minnesota and the rest of the U. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday S. fleet, Monitor sailed forth to stop her. The ironclads fought for about four hours, neither one sinking or seriously damaging the other. Tactically, the battle was a draw—neither ironclad did significant damage to the other. However, it was a strategic victory for Monitor. Virginia's mission was to break the Union blockade; that mission failed. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force Monitor's mission was to defend the U. S. fleet, which it did. Virginia did however occupy the 'battlefield' following the strategic retreat of Monitor, after the captain was hit in the eyes with gunpowder. The two ironclads never again fought each other, although Virginia occasionally steamed out to Hampton Roads in an unanswered challenge to Monitor.

The Monitor-class warship

Monitor became the prototype for the monitor class of warship. A monitor was a type of relatively small Warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns and was used by some navies Many more were built, including river monitors and deep-sea monitors, and they played key roles in Civil War battles on the Mississippi and James rivers. River monitors were the strongest class of riverine Warships The name originally came from the USS Monitor (they appeared first during the American Civil Some had two or even three turrets, and later monitors had improved seaworthiness.

Just three months after the famous Battle of Hampton Roads, the design was offered to Sweden, and in 1865 the first Swedish monitor was being built at Motala Wharf in Norrköping; she was named John Ericsson in honor of the engineer. The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, was a "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland She was followed by 14 more monitors. One of them, Sölve, is still preserved at the marine museum in Gothenburg. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden.

The last U. S. Navy monitor-class warship was struck from the Navy List in 1937; however, the term remains in use as a generic term to describe an armored river patrol vessel.

Loss at sea

Engraving of the Monitor sinking
Engraving of the Monitor sinking

While the design of Monitor was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the original Monitor, which foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves while under tow by Rhode Island, she sank on December 31, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. See also See USS ''Rhode Island'' for other ships named for the state of Rhode Island. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the furthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States 16 of 62 crewmen were lost in the storm.

The name Monitor was given to the troop carrier USS Monitor (LSV-5), commissioned late in World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including She served primarily in the Pacific theater, and was later scrapped. The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major naval theatres of war of the Second World War that pitted forces of the Japan against those of the United

Rediscovery

USS Monitor Historical Marker outside the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Hatteras, NC, June 2007
USS Monitor Historical Marker outside the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Hatteras, NC, June 2007

In 1973, the wreck of the ironclad Monitor was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean about 16 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the furthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The wreck site was designated as the United States' first marine sanctuary. Monitor Sanctuary is the only one of the thirteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource, rather than a natural resource.

In 1998 the warship's propellor was raised to the surface. On 16 July 2001, divers from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary brought to the surface the 30-tonne steam engine. In 2002, after 41 days of work, the revolutionary revolving gun turret was recovered by the U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a team of U. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the S. Navy divers. Before removing the turret, divers discovered the remains of two trapped crew members. The remains of these sailors, who died while on duty, are at the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, awaiting positive identification.

The site is now under the supervision of NOAA. Many artifacts from Monitor, including her turret, propeller, anchor, engine and some personal effects of the crew, have been conserved and are on display at the Mariners' Museum of Newport News, Virginia. The Mariners' Museum is located in Newport News Virginia. It is one of the largest Maritime museums in the world Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Artifact recovery from the site has become paramount, as the wreck has become unstable and will decay over the next several decades; this fate also awaits many other commonly-dove wrecks of iron and steel ships, such as Titanic. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland

In 1986, Monitor was designated a National Historic Landmark. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the It is one of only three accessible monitor wrecks in the world, the others being the Australian vessel HMVS Cerberus, and the Norwegian KNM Thor, which lies at about 25 feet off Verdens Ende in Vestfold county, Norway. Design and construction Cerberus was a steam-powered Ironclad of revolutionary design mounting four Guns in two large turrets to the fore Details Thor was armed with two heavy rifled muzzleloaders in a revolving turret Verdens ende (World's End is located at the southernmost tip of the island of Tjøme in Vestfold, Norway. is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional

Campaign to honor Monitor

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable is mounting a grassroots campaign to persuade the United States Congress and the Navy to name a Virginia class submarine after Monitor. The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable is a nonprofit Historical society and social group dedicated to the study and discussion of the Civil War ( 1861 &ndash The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Innovations The Virginia s incorporate several innovations Instead of Periscopes the subs have a pair of extendable " Photonics masts quot outside Despite the enduring fame of the original, innovative ironclad, there has not been a warship named Monitor listed in the Naval Vessel Register since 1961. The Naval Vessel Register ( NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy.

References

Publications

See also

External links

USS Merrimack becomes CSS Virginia When the Commonwealth of Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861 one of the important federal military bases threatened The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, was a Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic