What is the USS Monitor?
The USS Monitor was the Union Navy’s ironclad that fought the Battle of Hampton Roads (March 9, 1862) with the CSS Virginia (formerly call the Merrimac). It was the first ship to have a revolving turret; the first ship where the officers and crew had to live below the waterline; the first ship credited with having below waterline flushing toilets; and the first National Marine Sanctuary in the US. The USS Monitor was being towed by the USS Rhode Island from Hampton Roads, VA to Beaufort, NC eventually to go on to waters off South Carolina or Georgia. The trip commenced on December 29, 1862. The waters got extremely rough, and the USS Monitor sank on New Year’s Eve, losing four officers and 12 crewmen. The wreck of the USS Monitor remained undiscovered for over 110 years. A research operation in 1973 led by scientists from the Duke University Marine Lab discovered the remains of the Monitor in 233 feet of water!
