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