The First Battle of Ironclad Ships, 1862

On March 8, 1862, CSS Virginia steamed past this point to a battle that forever changed naval warfare. The ship had previously been the Union steam frigate USS Merrimack, which had been destroyed near the Gosport Navy Yard. Confederate forces found its hull sound and built a superstructure with iron plates to create a new kind of warship. Virginia entered Hampton Roads, sank USS Cumberland, and severely damaged USS Congress. The next day she returned to destroy the Union fleet and open the port, but USS Monitor, another ironclad, had slipped into Hampton Roads undetected by the Confederates. A major naval battle followed, but neither ironclad did significant damage to the other. Virginia attempted to ram Monitor, failed to sink her, and tore a gash in her own hull. She returned to Gosport and never fought again, and on May 11, 1862, she was scuttled and burned to prevent capture by Union forces.

Norfolk, Virginia · United States