Saturday, March 2, 2013

USS Montauk-- Part 1: Ericsson and Worden

From Wikipedia.

This ship and others sank the blockade-runner Rattlesnake (formerly the CSS Nashville) in Georgia's Ogeechee River off Fort McAllister on Feb. 28, 1863.  I wrote about it yesterday so did a follow-up on the ship.

The monitor USS Montauk was commissioned December 14, 1862, and was one of the last monitors afloat until 1904, although out of commission most of the time and serving during the Spanish-American War. 

It  weighed 750 tons, was 200 feet long and was a single-turret monitor mounting an 11-inch and a 15-inch smoothbore cannons.  It saw action throughout the war and played a part with the Lincoln assassination conspirators.

It was built by "Mr. Monitor" himself, John Ericsson at the Continental Ironworks at Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York (the same place as the Monitor if I recall)  And its commander was none other than the Monitor's commander in its fight with the CSS Virginia, John Worden, who had recovered from injuries he received in that fight by the time of the Montauk's launching..

An Iron Beast.  --Old B-Runner

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