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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.12.15 16:43l 52 Lines 2362 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 80242_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Dec 30
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 151230/1541Z 80242@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1862
U.S.S. Monitor sinks
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.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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