On March 8–9, 1862, the ironclad CSS Virginia attacked the
Union blockade squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia, changing the course of
naval warfare forever.
The CSS Virginia had formerly been the USS Merrimack, but
when the Federals had been forced to abandon Gosport Shipyard (the modern-day
Norfolk Naval Shipyard) in 1861, they had scuttled the steam frigate. However,
it had only burned to the waterline, preserving the hull and engines. The
Confederates refloated the hull and built a superstructure on top with sloping
wooden sides covered in iron. They planned to use the newly christened Virginia
to break the Union blockade.
Nearly simultaneously, the Union was building its own
ironclad vessel, but from scratch. The iron steamer, named the USS Monitor, was
nearly completely submerged in the water, except for its deck
and revolving gun turret.
On the Virginia’s maiden voyage, it decided to attack the
Federal ships in Hampton Roads, the Virginian waterway where three rivers
converged before entering Chesapeake Bay. On March 8, the Virginia (along with
the gunboats sailing with it) steamed into Hampton Roads and launched its
attack, decimating some of the Union ships while sustaining only superficial
damage itself, as its iron armor caused shots to more or less bounce off it.
Before it could take on the other Union ships, the tide
forced the Virginia to retire for the night, and when it returned the following
morning, it found that the USS Monitor had arrived in the night to protect the
remaining Union ships. The Monitor and the Virginia dueled for about four
hours, during which neither ship sustained serious damage, each protected by
their iron plates.
Finally, the Monitor pulled away to assess the vessel’s
damage, leading the Virginia to believe the other ship was leaving the battle.
After the Virginia likewise departed, the Monitor returned only to find the
Virginia gone. This confusion caused both sides to declare victory, though
historians typically agree the battle was a draw.
Though the Battle of Hampton Roads prevented the Virginia
from achieving its objective, the real significance of the battle was its
demonstration that wooden ships stood no chance against ironclads, almost
instantly outdating navies around the globe.
