USS Monitor – America's First National Marine Sanctuary

USS Monitor – America's First National Marine Sanctuary. . , On March 9, 1862, iron met iron for the first time in naval history. During the Battle of Hampton Roads, USS Monitor fought a four-hour battle against the Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia. Ending in a draw, neither vessel inflicted serious damage to the other. Although the two vessels would never meet in battle again, their encounter had immediate effects on navies around the world. Construction of wooden-hulled ships was halted and ironclad hulls with rotating gun turrets became the standard., Launched on January 30, 1862, at the Continental Iron Worlds in Greenpoint, New York, USS Monitor made history as the Union Navy's first ironclad warship with a rotating gun turret. One hundred and thirteen years after its launch, Monitor made history again by becoming the nation's first national marine sanctuary. Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is part of a network of sites that protect our nation's underwater treasures managed by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Today the shipwreck of USS Monitor is both an important archaeological site as well as a vibrant artificial reef providing habitat for hundreds of species of fish and other marine animals., Monitor's Mastermind , Born in Sweden on July 31, 1803, John Ericsson joined the Swedish Army at age 17 and moved to England in 1826, where he gained a reputation as a talented young engineer. He relocated to New York City in 1839 and helped design the U.S. Navy's first screw-powered warship, but was unfairly blamed for an explosion aboard the ship in 1844. Nearly two decades later, he again went to work for the Navy, this time on an ironclad warship to battle the Confederacy. Ericsson' oversaw the design and construction of the Monitor in less than 100 days , one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in history., The Blueprints that Changed Naval Warfare , USS Monitor presented a new concept in ship design with a variety of new inventions and innovations. Two important features that revolutionized naval warfare were the iron hull plating and the rotating gun turret. Iron bull plating made ships less penetrable, therefore affording a higher level of protection. The rotating gun turret freed vessels from using only broadside tactics and allowed the guns to be turned instead of the entire ship. Both became standard features on all future naval ships.