 |
Catesby ap Roger Jones, the Executive Officer of the Virginia who was in command during the battle with the Monitor |
f
USS Merrimack becomes CSS Virginia.
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, one of the first federal military bases threatened by Confederate forces was the Gosport Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. Orders were sent to Union commanders to destroy the base rather than let it fall into Confederate hands. The orders were never followed. The steam frigate USS Merrimack sank before she completely burned. May, 1861
Merrimack became the Virginia. Sometimes Merrimack is spelled Merrimac. Merrimac is actually an incorrect spelling, but is commonly used by historians in writings. The name Merrimack comes from the name of a river.
NOTICE:
On May of 1861, the Commonwealth of Virginia officially transferred the Gosport Navy Yard to the Confederacy. B & I Baker Wrecking Company raised the burned hull of the USS Merrimack from the Elizabeth River that same day and moved her into Gosport’s Dry Dock #1. Flag Officer French Forrest, the Confederate commander of the Navy Yard, reported to General Robert E. Lee, “We have raised the Merrimack up and just pulling her in the drydock.” Forrest then issued contracts for raising the Germantown and Plymouth as well – also victims of the Union’s flight from Gosport in April.
The Confederates would raise the hull of the Merrimack and decided to use its hull and engines to build an ironclad ram. Captain French Forrest was in charge of the process of rebuilding the Merrimack. The new ship would be named the CSS Virginia.
She had four inch (102 mm)-thick iron deck with sloped sides, and casement and ten guns, one 7 inch rifle on the bow and the stern each and four on each beam, 3 of which are Dahlgren cannons. Further, Virginia’s designers had heard of plans by the North to build an ironclad. Figuring her guns would be unable to harm such a ship, they equipped her with a ram— at that time an anachronism in a warship. Merrimac's engines, now part of Virginia, had not been in good working order, and the salty Elizabeth River water and addition of tons of iron did not improve the situation.
 |
The USS Merrimack before (left) and after (right) |
 |
On March 9, 1862, the world's first battle between ironclads took place. The smaller, nimbler Monitor was able to outmaneuver Virginia, but neither ship proved able to do significant damage, despite numerous hits. Monitor was much closer to the water, and thus much harder to hit by the Virginia's guns, but vulnerable to ramming and boarding. Finally, Monitor retreated. This was due to the fact that the captain of the Monitor was hit by gunpowder in his eyes while looking through the pilothouse's peepholes, which caused Monitor to haul off, but she soon returned, and the captain of Virginia, Catesby ap Roger Jones, thought it best to do the same to tend to any damages. It has been marked in history that the Virginia retreated, but the battle was a draw. The Union blockade remained.
During the next two months, Virginia made several sorties to Hampton Roads hoping to draw Monitor into battle. Monitor, however, was under orders not to engage. Neither ironclad was ever to fight again.
Finally on May 10, 1862, advancing Union troops occupied Norfolk. Virginia was unable to retreat further up the James River due to her deep draft, nor was she seaworthy enough to enter the ocean. Without a home port, Virginia was ordered blown up to keep her from being captured. This task fell to ap Roger Jones, the last man to leave CSS Virginia after all of her guns had been safely removed and carried to Drewy's Bluff to fight again. Early on the morning of May 11, 1862, off of Craney Island, fire reached her magazine and she was destroyed by a great explosion.