The first aquatic tank
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| The CSS Virginia sometimes referred to as the Merrimack. |
It is hard to imagine that the vessel imaged to the left was made and used in the early parts of the 1860's. It looks more like a 20th century submarine, or maybe a strange hybrid between a tank and ship. In fact, the CSS Virginia was the first iron-clad ship of its time.
As the name suggests, an iron-clad warship is a vessel covered in iron or steel plates and powered via a steam engine. Wooden warships often get set on fire and cannot survive heavy artillery. These ships where used for naval battles, coastal attacks and as military cruisers.
When the Civil War was begun, one of the Union forts most in danger from a confederate attack was Gosport Navy Yard. Rather than have the fort be lost, confederate generals chose to destroy the base and burn the ships. One of these ships, the USS Merrimack was burnt and sunk, but the hull and engine where salvaged by the confederate army. It was decided that the intact hull and engine should be converted to an ironclad. A design was made by Lieutenants John Mercer Brooke and John L. Porter. The completed ship was not totally astounding. It had a turning radius of about one mile and it took forty-five minutes for it to turn one full circle. But she was well armed, with fourteen guns pointed in all directions and ten large naval rifles also.
Just as famous as the ship is the battle it was involved in. The Battle of Hampton Roads was a major naval offensive and the first naval conflict involving ironclads. The battle began on the 9th of March, 1862, and lasted two days. The CSS Virginia destroyed to Union ships and almost destroyed a third before it became too dark. The next day CSS Virginia fought a Union ironclad ship named the USS Monitor. Neither inflicted significant damage on the other and the battle was indecisive, however both sides claimed victory.
I enjoyed reading about this article on this ship because it introduces a technology that we have today, and shows its origins. It's interesting how the ships during the civil war were barely able to maneuver where as today, the ships are much more advanced and agile.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, as I am very interested in historical weaponry and technology. I liked how you elaborated on the background of the ship and how it was designed. I also surprised by how limited its mobility was, as I did not think it would be that difficult to maneuver. However, I want to point out that the first ironclad battleship, Gloire, was launched by the French Navy in November 1859. The British and French actually developed ironclad warships before the United States.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.britannica.com/technology/ironclad
I really enjoyed learning more about the technology that the confederate states used during the time of the civil war, I find it crazy that the turning radius was so large which is in contrast to all of the boats that are around today.
ReplyDeleteI thought that your post was interesting and I liked how it showed how war was enhancing technology. Although war and death is a truly terrible thing, a lot of important advancements also come out of it as well. I was surprised how wide the turning radius of this ship was though because I assumed that it would be going extremely slow and that it would be more like a stationary target.
ReplyDeleteI liked this blog post because I think it is important to learn about the technology that shaped the warfare of the era. Technology plays a vital role on the scope of a war. Understanding technology can help us understand the war itself.
ReplyDelete