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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TheNickelGuy, post: 8233842, member: 20201&quot;]<font size="6"><b>1974 Battle of the Ironclads</b></font></p><p><b>Franklin Mint</b></p><p><b>National Commemorative Society</b></p><p><b>Sterling Silver Medal 39mm</b></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448081[/ATTACH]</p><p>&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]1448082[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><b>The Battle of the Ironclads</b></font></p><p><br /></p><p>The Battle of the USS Monitor and CSS Merrimack ( in fact it had been renamed CSS Virginia long before the famous battle) or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. It was fought over two days, March 8–9, 1862, in Hampton Roads, a roadstead in Virginia where the Elizabeth and Nansemond rivers meet the James River just before it enters Chesapeake Bay adjacent to the city of Norfolk. The battle was a part of the effort of the Confederacy to break the Union blockade, which had cut off Virginia&#039;s largest cities and major industrial centers, Norfolk and Richmond from international trade.</p><p><br /></p><p>This event was taught to me in early grade school, probably 4th grade. I remember having to associate The Monitor with the North since both had the letter &quot;N&quot; in the name, and the Merrimac did not.</p><p>We were also taught that they had nicknames, the Monitor looked like a &quot;Cheesebox on a Raft&quot; and so it was called, that was definitely a question on the test. I believe that teacher and this study was the first time I learned some association memorization tricks. I can&#039;t say I was enthusiastic about the Civil War, I was probably struggling in American History so that I may have just passed that particular year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Merrimack originally was a USS frigate but was burned to the waterline. The South salvaged it and rebuilt it as an ironclad. It was then re-named &quot;Virginia&quot;. Virginia and Merrimack were used interchangeably by both sides, as attested to by various newspapers and correspondence of the day.</p><p>Navy reports and pre-1900 historians frequently misspelled the name as &quot;Merrimac&quot;, which was actually an unrelated ship. It sometimes was called &quot;The Rebel Monster&quot;.</p><p>This is new to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448080[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I do remember that neither ship sank in the long battle at close range. The noise from both firing and being struck by cannons and heat inside the ships was horrendous.</p><p>One gunner on the Merrimac quit firing at one point saying,</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;<i>&quot;It is quite a waste of ammunition to fire at her. Our powder is precious, sir, and I find I can do the Monitor as much damage by snapping my finger at her every five minutes.&quot; </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>The Merrimac hit the Monitor 23 times in four hours to no avail. The Monitor, hitting the Merrimac 20 times in the same period, was unsuccessful as well. (Both vessels were protected on top by iron plating, but below the water line, each had a wooden hull. Neither vessel hit the other below the water line, where both vessels were vulnerable.) </p><p><br /></p><p>The Merrimac even tried ramming the Monitor, but because her ram was damaged in her battle with the USS Cumberland the day before, and because Lt. Jones didn&#039;t go as fast, fearing getting stuck again as happened with the Cumberland, the Merrimac simply glanced off the sides of the Monitor without inflicting any damage. </p><p>Even the Monitor tried ramming the Merrimac. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lt. Worden ordered her turned around and aimed at the Merrimac&#039;s stern. At full speed they were on target when suddenly the Monitor&#039;s steering apparatus malfunctioned and she missed the Merrimac by a few feet.</p><p>Lt. Jones was convinced that he could not injure the Monitor, so his officers suggested attempting to board the Monitor with wedges and hammers, with the goal of freezing the revolving gun turret in place. It sounded like a good idea, but Jones didn&#039;t approve it, which was fortunate, because the Monitor&#039;s crew had already anticipated such action.</p><p>They were at the ready with hand grenades which could be tossed out onto the deck from the turret. The Monitor crew would be protected by the turret, but the Confederates would have no where to go to escape the explosions except by jumping in the water.</p><p>Though the battle was a draw, both sides claimed a victory, charging that the other had withdrawn in defeat.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448079[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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