December 31, 1862 - The ironclad USS Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, NC (right). Ordered in October 1861, Monitor was a revolutionary warship that utilized a variety of new technology including an iron hull and a rotating turret. Rushed to completion, Monitor sailed for Hampton Roads, VA under the command of Lt. John L. Worden. Arriving on March 8, 1862, Monitor found that the Union squadron there had been attacked by the new Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, with the loss of USS Cumberland and USS Congress. Moving into position to protect the remaining ships, Monitor engaged the Confederate ironclad the following day. In the first battle between ironclad ships, Monitor and Virginia fought for approximately four hours with neither inflicting significant damage on the other. With the battle a stalemate, both sides withdrew. Monitor participated in operations around the Peninsula for the remainder of the year until being ordered south for operations against Wilmington, NC in December. On the night of December 31, 1862, Monitor foundered in a storm off Cape Hatteras, while under tow by USS Rhode Island, with the loss of sixteen men. The wreck was discovered in 1973.
Warships of the Civil War:
Photograph Courtesy of the US Navy History & Heritage Command
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