350-03 CSS 'VIRGINIA'/USS 'MONITOR' - 09-03-1862

USS Monitor was an American monitor-type armored ship from the Civil War period (1861-1865). The keel for this unit was laid in 1861, the launch took place in January 1862, and the entry into service with the US Navy took place in March of the same year. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 52.4 meters and a width of 12.6 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 950-1000 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 6-8 knots. The armament at the time of launching consisted of two 280 mm frontloader guns. The USS Monitor was the first armored ship in the history of the US Navy with a main weapon mounted in a rotating turret. It also had solid - for those times - armor, but very poor sea performance, which made it a de facto unit dedicated to coastal operations. It was also the first monitor ship in the history of the US Navy, giving the name to this type. It was designed and built to counter the threat created by CSS Virginia. With this ship, on March 9, 1862, he fought the first battle between armored ships in the history of naval wars. In December 1862, the USS Monitor sank in a storm off the coast of North Carolina.The CSS Virginia is an armored ship belonging to the Confederated States of America (CSA) during the Civil War (1861-1865). The keel for this vessel was laid in 1861, and the launch took place in March 1862. The full displacement of the ship at the time of launching was about 4,000-4,100 tons, length - 83.8 meters, and 15.6 meters wide. The maximum speed was only 5-6 knots. The on-board armament consisted of 10 cannons ranging in caliber from 160 to 229 mm. The CSS Virginia was built from the hull part of the burned USS Merrimack steam frigate. The unit had powerful, for those times, armor up to 102 mm thick. It can be described as a casemate armored-deck unit because all its armament has been consolidated into a single, large casemate. On March 8-9, 1862, CSS Virginia took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, where she faced, among others, a Union armored ship called the USS Monitor. It was the first battle of two armored ships in the history of naval wars. However, CSS Virginia did not survive the Civil War and was self-sunk by the crew in May 1862.