Not Funny At ALL...

Y'know, not everything I do is comical in nature...You wanted another paper, so here it is, but I warn you, it's not very funny. Or is it?

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The Monitor vs. The Merrimac


One of the greatest, and most historic naval battles in the history of mankind, would have to be the famous duel between the Monitor and the Merrimac. This is an important battle, because it was the first time there had been a continuous head to head battle between two opposing ironclad warships. This sparked a new era in naval technology, when it was discovered that ironclad ships were more effective in battle. Although they were not built for speed, and they were not very sea-worthy (most often being towed by a tugboat), they were virtually invincible against the old wooden ships. This battle was the main naval battle in the Civil War. It marked one of the greatest northern victories of the war, attracting much foreign attention.

The Merrimac’s plans were first drawn up by Lieut. John M. Brooke and naval ship constructor John L. Porter, in 1861. The iron plates that were used to protect the ships sides, were prepared at Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, VA. Like most new ships in that period of history, the Merrimac was powered by steam, not sail. However, most of the warships of the day were still completely made of wood. This now gave the South a distinct advantage over the ships in the far greater navy of the Union.

When word of this breakthrough reached Washington, even though the South was trying to keep the ship a secret, plans were immediately drawn up to build an ironclad vessel of their own, to aid in the defense of the Northern navy. When the contract was made in October of 1861, to construct the ship in New York City, the Union Navy Department intended the ship to be sea-worthy in 100 days. It was supposed to, after reaching Hampton Roads, proceed up the Elizabeth River to the Navy Yard at Norfolk. When there, it was to destroy the dry-dock and the unbuilt Merrimac. But, as history tells us, nothing is ever built on time when your dealing with the Federal Government. The ship did not meet it’s completion deadline, weeks passed on, and still the Monitor was not ready.

The designer of this ship, John Ericsson, made it raft-like in appearance. From bow to stern, it was 172 feet long. From port to starboard, it was 41 feet wide. It drew approximately 10 feet of water. All the machinery, equipment, and the 58 man crew, were below the waterline. The hull was sharp at both ends, which allowed for easier maneuverability. In the center of the deck, was a large gun turret, 20 feet in diameter, and ten feet high. The turret was a revolving, bomb-proof fort. A spur wheel moved by a double cylinder engine, turns the turret. It mounts two 11 inch guns, which are turned with the turret. The turret was reinforced by 8 inch thick iron walls. At the front of the ship, was a small pilothouse. It rose 4 feet above the deck, and was made of heavy iron logs that were bolted together. There was only a narrow slit for visibility. Towards the rear of the ship, twin smoke-stacks rose above the afterdeck. Because the stacks were retractable, they offered no target during combat.

On the contrast, the Merrimac, was about 90 feet longer, had room in it’s hull, which drew 22 feet of water. It held a 320 man crew, in addition to the machinery and supplies. In appearance, above the water, it looked like a giant turtle with a large round chimney protruding from it’s shell. The ironclad shield was pierced by ten gun ports the largest guns being designed for 9 inch shells. It had a cast iron bow, weighing 1500 pounds, used for the sole purpose of ramming an enemy ship. The Southern strategy, was to involve the destruction of all ships, and ports in the area.

After wiping a path of destruction through the Union defenses, the Merrimac directed itself towards one ship inparticular, The Minnesota. The Monitor, after a long voyage, pressed on towards the battle, had a goal which was to engage the Merrimac as far away from the Minnesota as possible. No one knew what the outcome of the impending battle between these two ironclad monsters would be. Even the crew of the Monitor was skeptical of the outcome. The crew was very tired from the long and strenuous voyage, hardly getting any sleep, the ship was almost wrecked twice because of treacherous seas, and the Monitor’s efficiency in combat was yet to be proven. Nevertheless, the Monitor engaged the Merrimac in battle. The crew members of the Merrimac were amazed how effectively the Monitor’s defenses were warding off all shots brought upon it by them. In a desperation attempt, the Merrimac turned towards the Monitor, and shot forward directly at it. The Monitor had no time to completely move from the path of the oncoming ironclad monster. Because of the Merrimac’s poor steering capabilities, it only took a glancing blow off the stern or the Monitor, having no effect on it what-so-ever. As the Merrimac continued in that direction, the Monitor could not follow because the river was to shallow in that area. Soon after, the Merrimac was back for more, and the fight continued. Because of a mishap that occurred, involving the commander, the Monitor was ordered to “sheer off”. The commander thought the pilot house was damaged or destroyed. He was in the pilot house at the time, and was blinded by a bright light, and gun powder. After the crew realized the mistake, they quickly resumed the battle. Now, the fight was in deeper waters, the Merrimac was severely leaking because of the attempt to ram the Monitor, the crew was tired from two days of continuous fighting, and the waves were threatening to ground the vessel, and prevent it from taking off. The Merrimac was in desperate need of repairs, and discontinued the battle. When the commander of the Monitor was sure the Merrimac was not to return, he told the crew to go up to the deck. It was cluttered with ash, soot, and powder. the crew began to cheer on account of the Union victory. It was now official, Commodore Franklin Buchannan of the Merrimac, has lost to Lieutenant John L. Worden of the Monitor.

News of this victory reached all over the world, and sparked a new interest in naval technology. Britain began building ironclad warships, as well as France, Spain, and Germany. This battle effected the war greatly, at the very least, it served as a morale boost for the North. However, it could also be a morale booster for the South, because they took out so many ships of the far superior navy of the Union. What do you think?


*makes fart noise* "Excuse me."