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The age of wooden, sail powered ships was ushered out by a new era of steam
powered iron warships. The two ironclads, the Monitor and the Marrimack,
only met once for a four hour battle with solid shot that could at best
be called a draw since damage to both ships was practically nill.
Neither ship survived the trials and tribulations of the
year 1862; the Merrimack was burned and scuttled in the Elizabeth River
on May 11, 1862 and the Monitor foundered in a gale off Cape Hatteras while
being towed to Beaufort, North Carolina. The final resting place of the
Monitor remained unknown for over a hundred years until an oceanographic
expedition from Duke University believed they located the site in 1973 about
17 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. Confirmation of the Monitor's identity
was made in 1974 and the Monitor was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places. On January 30, 1975, the Monitor was designated as the
first National Marine Sanctuary. |
