From the Feb. 25th Rockbridge (Me) Weekly "Morrison to Speak on the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8th."
His talk will be athe Bath County Public Library.
As we approach the 150th anniversary of that fateful battle, that was actually a draw, but did really have an impact on Naval technology for the next sixty years.
It's sometimes called the Battle of Hampton Roads, or the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac (k), or the Battle of the Ironclads. On March 8th, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia had had a field day with the Union blockading fleet in Hampton Roads, destroying two Union ships before retiring to return the next day to destroy the USS Minnesota.
That evening, the Federal ironclad, USS Monitor, arrived and the stage was set for their encounter.
The two ships never met in combat again. And, both were gone by the start of 1863.
This encounter spelled the end of wooden ships. France, Britain and other countries halted construction of further wooden ships. The North began construction of a new class of ironclads based on the design of the Monitor. These ships featured a small number of heavy caliber guns in a turret which allowed them to be fired in any direction.
Confederate ironclads continued to be built along the lines of the Virginia.
Rams at the prow of ships were also incorporated in new ironclad warships.
Setting Naval technology On Its Ear. --Old B-Runner
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