30
December 1862 A.D. USS
MONITOR Sinks in Storms Off Cape Hatteras, NC (NC Seas are Generally
Inhospitable During the Winter Months)
Editors.
“U.S.S. Monitor sinks.” History.com. N.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/uss-monitor-sinks. Accessed 29 Dec 2014.
On this day in 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sinks
in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Just nine months earlier, the
ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to
a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads,
Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles in American history--the
first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement.
After the famous duel, the Monitor provided gun
support on the James River for George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. By
December 1862, it was clear the Monitor was no longer needed in Virginia, so
she was sent to Beaufort, North Carolina, to join a fleet being assembled for
an attack on Charleston, South Carolina. The Monitor served well in the
sheltered waters of Chesapeake Bay, but the heavy, low-slung ship was a poor
craft for the open sea. The U.S.S. Rhode Island towed the ironclad around the
rough waters of Cape Hatteras. Since December is a treacherous time for any
ship off North Carolina, the decision to move the Monitor could be considered
questionable. As the Monitor pitched and swayed in the rough seas, the caulking
around the gun turret loosened and water began to leak into the hull. More leaks
developed as the journey continued. High seas tossed the craft, causing the
ship's flat armor bottom to slap the water. Each roll opened more seams, and by
nightfall on December 30, the Monitor was in dire straits.
The Monitor's commander, J.P. Bankhead,
signaled the Rhode Island that he wished to abandon ship. The wooden
side-wheeler pulled as close as safety allowed to the stricken ironclad, and
two lifeboats were lowered to retrieve the crew. Many of the sailors were
rescued, but some men were terrified to venture onto the deck in such rough
seas. The ironclad's pumps stopped working and the ship sank before 16 crew
members could be rescued.
Although the Monitor's service was brief, it
signaled a new era in naval combat. The Virginia's arrival off Hampton Roads
terrified the U.S. Navy, but the Monitor leveled the playing field. Both sides
had ironclads, and the advantage would go to the side that could build more of
them. Northern industry would win that battle for the Union.
No comments:
Post a Comment