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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.12.10 19:15l 53 Lines 2346 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 25439_N0KFQ
Read: VE7HFY GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Dec 30
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Sent: 101230/1641Z @:N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA #:25439 [Branson] FBB7.00i $:25439_N
From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@WW
Dec 30, 1862:
U.S.S. Monitor sinks
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
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. 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 seems highly
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.
At 8:00 p.m., 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 Road
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.
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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