AVB
Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
On March 9, 1862, during the Civil War, the ironclads Monitor and Virginia (formerly Merrimac) clashed for five hours to a draw at Hampton Roads, Va. The naval confrontations spanned two days. The first day saw Virginia wreak havoc on the wooden Union ships. However, on the second day Monitor arrived and initiated the famous duel of the ironclads. The battle, though inconclusive, received worldwide publicity. After the battle, it was clear that ironclad ships were the future of naval warfare.
After undergoing repairs in the evening of March 8th, Virginia returned to finish off the grounded Minnesota. The way was blocked by the newly arrived Monitor, which the commander of the rebel ship later described as "little more than a cheesebox on a raft".
After fighting for hours, mostly at close range, neither could overcome the other. The smaller and nimbler Monitor had a revolving turret, and was able to outmaneuver the Virginia, but neither ship proved able to do significant damage to the other. Finally, Virginia retreated, leaving Monitor and the rest of the Union fleet in possession of the "battlefield". Both sides claimed victory. Strategically, Virginia was unable to dislodge the Union blockade, and so while the tactical battle was inconclusive, the strategic balance remained in the Union's favor.
Although the two ships both left the encounter fully functional, Monitor's guns were considerably more powerful than Virginia's and managed to crack Virginia's armor plate in several places whereas the Virginia only managed to dent the Monitor's armor. Significantly, Monitor's crew used primarily solid shot and aimed at Virginia's upper works. When he heard about this, designer Ericsson was furious, exclaiming that if the crew had used explosive shells and aimed for the waterline, they would have sunk Virginia with ease
After undergoing repairs in the evening of March 8th, Virginia returned to finish off the grounded Minnesota. The way was blocked by the newly arrived Monitor, which the commander of the rebel ship later described as "little more than a cheesebox on a raft".
After fighting for hours, mostly at close range, neither could overcome the other. The smaller and nimbler Monitor had a revolving turret, and was able to outmaneuver the Virginia, but neither ship proved able to do significant damage to the other. Finally, Virginia retreated, leaving Monitor and the rest of the Union fleet in possession of the "battlefield". Both sides claimed victory. Strategically, Virginia was unable to dislodge the Union blockade, and so while the tactical battle was inconclusive, the strategic balance remained in the Union's favor.
Although the two ships both left the encounter fully functional, Monitor's guns were considerably more powerful than Virginia's and managed to crack Virginia's armor plate in several places whereas the Virginia only managed to dent the Monitor's armor. Significantly, Monitor's crew used primarily solid shot and aimed at Virginia's upper works. When he heard about this, designer Ericsson was furious, exclaiming that if the crew had used explosive shells and aimed for the waterline, they would have sunk Virginia with ease
