| Best regards | | | | modern day submarine with her 172-foot |
| | | | longdeck topped by a revolving turret. Its |
| Hal Gieseking | | | | strange appearanceearned the Monitor the |
| | | | unflattering title, "Cheesebox on araft." |
| Civil War's USS Monitor returns to "active | | | | Now the stage was set for the Cheesebox on a |
| duty" at Mariners' Museum in Virginia | | | | raftto do battle with the Monster, forever |
| | | | changing navalhistory and overnight, making |
| The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA | | | | every wooden warship in theworld obsolete. |
| opens the USS | | | | |
| | | | On March 8, 1862 the CSS Virginia steamed |
| Monitor Exhibition March 9, 2007 ? exactly | | | | toward the Unionfleet blockading the Hampton |
| 145 years to theday of the battle of | | | | Roads, Virginia harbor. Theheavy frigate USS |
| ironclads that changed naval warfareforever. | | | | Cumberland was the first victim. Her |
| Here is the epic story this exhibition will | | | | crewfired volley after volley at this weirdly |
| tell. | | | | shaped shiprapidly approaching at 7 knots. |
| | | | The shells bouncedharmlessly off the |
| In 1973 divers discovered the wreckage of the | | | | Virginia's iron armor like tennisballs. The |
| ironclad USS | | | | Virginia rammed and sank the Cumberland. |
| | | | Anotherheavy Union frigate was next, the USS |
| Monitor strewn across the ocean floor 26 | | | | Congress. This shipcaught fire and later |
| miles from Cape | | | | exploded into a massive shower ofmetal and |
| | | | wood splinters. The day was a total disaster |
| Hatteras, North Carolina. The Civil War ship | | | | forthe Union navy. |
| had founderedin a heavy gale in December, | | | | |
| 1862 ? just months after the | | | | The next day the Virginia returned to the |
| | | | hunt, planning todestroy the remaining Union |
| "Battle of Hampton Roads." In this world | | | | ships. But almost as in a bad |
| famous 4-hournaval battle the afternoon of | | | | |
| March 9, 1862, the Monitorfought the | | | | Western movie, the Union's "hero" had arrived |
| Confederate CSS Virginia (Merrimack) to a | | | | during thenight. The Monitor now steamed |
| draw. | | | | right at the Virginia,firing two powerful |
| | | | Dahlgren cannons from her revolvingturret. |
| A number of artifacts have since been | | | | The enemies were evenly matched and protected |
| recovered from thewreck site, including the | | | | bytheir iron armor. After four hours, the |
| turret, propeller, anchor, andengine that | | | | no-win-win battlewas over, and the two ships |
| have become some of the featured | | | | sailed away from each other. |
| attractionsof the spectacular new | | | | |
| multi-media USS Monitor Exhibitionthat opens | | | | History records the battle as a "draw," but |
| March 9 at the Mariners' Museum in Newport | | | | the Monitor hadsaved the rest of the Union |
| News, | | | | fleet. The Virginia nee |
| | | | |
| VA. With these artifacts plus | | | | Merrimack was later sunk by its own crew to |
| inter-activedisplays, and new audio/video | | | | keep theapproaching Union from owning another |
| techniques, the Exhibitionbrings the USS | | | | ironclad. |
| Monitor and the CSS Virginia back to | | | | |
| activeduty to tell their story. And what a | | | | During the USS Monitor Exhibition that opens |
| story it is. | | | | March 9, 2007at the Mariners' Museum, |
| | | | visitors can step into a battletheater where |
| At the start of the Civil War, the Union had | | | | scenes of the ironclads clash are projectedon |
| abandoned the | | | | the walls with the sounds of cannon fire and |
| | | | windvibrating the floors. Other rooms show a |
| Norfolk Navy Base at Portsmouth, VA and | | | | life size CSS |
| burned one of theirmost powerful frigates, | | | | |
| the steam-powered USS Merrimack, toprevent | | | | Virginia under construction. You can walk on |
| her from falling into Confederate hands. The | | | | the deck of afull size Monitor model. |
| | | | Experience the fateful night theship sank in |
| Confederates raised the ship from the mud, | | | | a squall with readings of survivor |
| converting herto an ironclad vessel with a | | | | accountsheard above the howling winds. Then |
| wooden tent-shaped structureon top that was | | | | see the variousartifacts from the ocean |
| covered with iron bars. This armor slopedat a | | | | floor, some still being restoredin a viewable |
| 35 degree angle almost to the waterline. The | | | | conservation laboratory. |
| | | | |
| Confederates christened their new ironclad | | | | The Virginia Hospitality Suite has created a |
| the CSS | | | | special |
| | | | |
| Virginia. The Union quickly nicknamed this | | | | "Jamestown 2007 Web Feature" that features |
| new threat, the | | | | the full storyof the Battle of Hampton Roads |
| | | | with descriptions of all theexhibits |
| "Monster." | | | | illustrated by numerous drawings and |
| | | | photographs. |
| The Union went into panic mode, designing and | | | | |
| buildingtheir own ironclad warship, the USS | | | | The Mariners' Museum is located in Newport |
| Monitor in a fewfrantic months. The Monitor | | | | News, Virginiaat the intersection of J. Clyde |
| was another oddly-shaped ship,resembling a | | | | Morris and Warwick. |