IRONCLAD LEGACY

FORT MEADE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

03.16.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Carson Davis 

All Hands Magazine

Following the duel of CSS Virginia and USS Monitor,
innovation sky-rocketed in Naval technologies. These two
ironclads, imperfect and untested, shook the world and
showed that the future of war was to be fought with steam-propelled metal ships. The debut of Virginia shook the Union
Fleet as the Confederate achievement decimated their
inferior and outdated wooden ships. Systematically tore
through the North’s fleet, scuttling USS Cumberland with its
iron ram and burning USS Congress until its powder kegs
exploded, decimating the ship. After these two successful
battles, the Confederate ironclad had only sustained damage
to two guns. Though the damage was immense and the guns
rendered ineffective, the ironclad was still operational. A feat
such as this was unheard of during the era of wooden hulls,
and the seaworthy Virginia fought on uncontested until the
North built a response.
Monitor was the Union’s answer to Virginia. The
armored exterior of these two ships outclassed the weapons
that assaulted them. Virginia was likely to claim her third
victory, as USS Minnesota was stranded and grounded in
Chesapeake Bay. Monitor proved herself that day as a vessel
of true Union grit, saving the lives of the crew aboard the
Minnesota and deterring the previously unparalleled enemy.
As they dueled in the Chesapeake Bay, it was clear that
conventional cannons were not enough to destroy these
innovative warships.
This stalemate of Industrial-Age combat demonstrated
the need for these ironclads and their usefulness. The
defense provided by the ship’s iron hull more effectively
protected the crew and all vital parts of the ship.
The Battle of Hampton Roads laid the groundwork
for United States Naval dominance. Just 45 years later, in
1907, the Great White Fleet launched. Four decades after
Americans traded blows in the Civil War, 16 steam-powered
ships traversed the world: a global demonstration of
American Naval strength.
The legacy of the two ironclad ships ripples through
the Navy of today. Ripples through the seas of time can
be seen in today’s Navy. Advancements have culminated
into the pinnacles of Naval achievement comprising the
modern fleet from nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to
littoral combat ships. Ships like Virginia and Monitor set the
stage for the modern era, making what was once considered
to be impossible, the standard on which a modern, global
warfighting fleet could be built.

• Date Taken: 03.16.2022
• Date Posted: 12.28.2022 12:44
• Story ID: 435982
• Location: FORT MEADE, MARYLAND, US