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Chronology of the USS Monitor
From Inception to Sinking
1862
January 11
Lieutenant John L. Worden is appointed
to command the new ironclad.
January 12
The original deadline for completing
the battery comes and goes.
January 20
In a letter to Assistant Secretary of
the Navy Gustavus Fox, Ericsson proposes "to name the new
battery Monitor."
January 30
The USS Monitor is launched at
Greenpoint, New York.
February 19
Final adjustments and alterations are
made to the steam engines and ventilation systems.
February 25
The Monitor is commissioned into
the United States Navy as a 3rd-rate steamer and transferred
to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
February 28
Under way in the East River, the Monitor
is found to steer "like a drunken man on a side walk."
March 3
Ericsson completes repairs to the Monitor's
rudder. The ship performs "in all respects satisfactory."
But the ironclad does not make the 9 knots that Ericsson had
claimed she would. The contract requires the ship to be capable
of reaching 8 knots, but her best speed is 7 knots.
March 4
Heavy seas prevent the Monitor
from leaving New York.
March 6
The Monitor leaves the Brooklyn
Navy Yard at 4:00 P.M. in a snowstorm. Worden has orders to
proceed to Hampton Roads. To ensure maximum speed, the ship
is towed by the navy tug Seth Low.
March 7
Just after dawn, the Monitor
faces her first trial at sea. Stormy seas begin to roll over
the Monitor's deck and pour in under the turret, flooding
the interior of the ship. Many of the crew, including Worden,
suffer from serious bouts of seasickness and are already unfit
for duty. As waves crash over the Monitor's 6-foot smokestacks,
the leather belts that drive the ventilation system stretch
and begin slipping. The blowers fail and with no draft, the
fires "burned with a sickly blaze." Toxic gases soon
fill the engine room, threatening all inside with suffocation.
Those who are overcome by the fumes are helped up to the top
of the turret to be revived in the fresh air. Water continues
to rush into the ship and, with the engines waning, the pumps
also fail. Hand pumps are then put to work. Lieutenant Samuel
Dana Greene, the Monitor's executive officer, signals
the Seth Low to pull the ironclad toward land, where
the seas will be calmer. After struggling for five hours, the
tug and the Monitor finally reach safer waters. At about
3:00 A.M. the seas begin to calm, and the Monitor, having
barely survived her first voyage, continues south.
March 8
Just after 3:00 P.M., the Monitor
nears the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Cape Henry. The crew
hear the sounds of cannon fire off toward Fort Monroe. As the
Monitor rounds the Cape, flashes of light and thick smoke
are visible on the horizon. Unknown to the crew of the Monitor,
the CSS Virginia is in the process of mauling the Union
blockading fleet at Hampton Roads. It is almost dark when a
pilot comes aboard to take the ship into the shallows. He tells
Worden of the terrific battle raging in Hampton Roads. The Monitor
is met by a host of sailing and steamships fleeing Hampton Roads.
Worden orders the decks cleared for action and the turret "keyed
up." The crew quickly removes the turret awning, stanchions,
and iron smoke and ventilator boxes, leaving only the turret
and the pilot house on the flat deck. A red glow greets the
ironclad as she nears Fort Monroe. The crews can see the mast
and spars of a warship engulfed in flames. A soldier in one
of the Union batteries notes the arrival of a "Yankee water
schooner." At 9:00 P.M., the Monitor anchors next
to the steam frigate USS Roanoke. Squadron Commander John Marston
informs Worden about what has taken place that day. Knowing
that the Confederate ironclad will return the next day, Marston
orders the Monitor to go to the assistance of the USS
Minnesota. The burning wreck of the USS Congress
is a somber beacon, showing Worden the way.
March 9
The Monitor anchors next to the
Minnesota at about 1:00 A.M. Lieutenant Greene notes, "An
atmosphere of gloom pervaded the fleet, and the pygmy aspect
of the newcomer did not inspire confidence among those who had
witnessed the day before." "Between 1 and 2 AM the
Congress blew up." "Near us too, at the bottom
of the river, lay the CumberlandSwhose colors were still
flying at the peak." While the men on board the Minnesota
are throwing tons of stores overboard in an effort to lighten
their ship, the Monitor's crew begin preparing their
ship for the coming day's action. At about 8:00 A.M., Worden
is advised that the Virginia is approaching. The Monitor
moves to intercept the Confederate ship and at about 8:45 A.M.,
the two ironclads begin exchanging fire at long range. A shot
from the Confederate ironclad slams into the Monitor's
turret. When asked if the shot came through, Lt. Greene replies,
"It didn't come through, but it made a big dent."
The two ironclads continue circling and firing at ranges varying
from 100 yards to a matter of feet. After the two ships have
been fighting for about four hours, Worden attempts to ram the
Virginia's stern in an effort to damage the rudder or
propeller. A well-placed shot from the Virginia's stern
pivot gun explodes on the Monitor's pilot house. The
explosion blinds Worden, and Lt. Greene assumes command. Uncertain
about Worden's wound and whether the Monitor's steering
has been damaged, he orders the ship into shallow water. Seeing
the Union ship withdraw, the officers on the Virginia
assume they have done the Monitor serious injury. The
Confederate ironclad again turns toward the Minnesota
but is again unable to approach within a mile of the frigate
due to the tide, which is receding again. After firing a few
shells, the Virginia returns to the Gosport Navy Yard
for a damage assessment. After surveying the pilot house, Lt.
Greene turns the Monitor around and prepares to resume
the battle. He sees the Virginia steaming for the Elizabeth
River and assumes that the Virginia has sustained serious
damage. His orders from Worden had been to save the Minnesota,
so instead of pursuing the Virginia, he takes the Monitor
back to the stranded frigate.
March 10
Lieutenant Thomas O. Selfridge is placed
in command of the Monitor.
March 13
Lieutenant William N. Jeffers assumes
command of the Monitor. The work of repairing the pilot
house begins.
March 25
An artist from Harper's Weekly spends
the day sketching the interior and exterior of the ship.
March 31
Vice President Hannibal Hamlin visits
the Monitor.
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Go to Main Category:
The Revolutionary Union Ironclad Monitor
Go to other documents in this category:
John Ericsson: Life Before the
Monitor
Report on Ironclad Vessels
Development of the Monitor
Description of the USS Monitor -
S.E.E. Edmonds
Naming of the Monitor
What Circumstances Dictated the
Monitor's Size and Peculiar Construction?
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