From the Dec. 14, 2012, US News & World Report "Scientists Unlock Secrets of Civil War-Ear Shipwreck" by Kira Zalan.
Some of the sailors aboard the USS Monitor had been on the ship since the March 9, 1862 battle with the CSS Virginia and had become celebrities. Even the president had visited the ship, but these 20-foot waves they were encountering off North Carolina in the last days of the year were something else.
Around 5 PM, December 30th, the crew had had their dinner, but come 11 PM, they hoisted a red lantern, signalling the ship was in distress. Boats were sent from the USS Rhode Island to rescue the crew. Some of the Monitor's sailors were swept off the deck and drowned. Others climbed into the rescue boats, but 12 sailors and four officers died when the ship went down around 1 AM, December 31st.
The exact location of the shipwreck was unknown for more than a century.
Getting That Old Sinking Feeling (Must Be Bear Fans.) --Old B-Runner
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