Thomas W. Knox

“ Owing to the fact that the Royal Sovereign was not purposely built for use as a turret ship, the new principle was tried under disadvantages; in 1864 she was put out of commission and ordered to be placed among the reserved ships, although many officers contended that she was then the most powerful ship in the British navy. In 1866 Lord Derby's government ordered the construction of four iron-clad turret ships of 4,000 tons burthen each and corresponding steam power. The Monarch, the first of the British iron-clad turret-ships, was launched in 1868, and the Captain shortly after the Monarch. ”

“ Some wrought-iron shot were provided for the first encounter, but their use was forbidden for fear of their bursting the guns, by reason of their weight, being 15 lbs. greater than that of the shot used in proving the guns. The port-holes are circular openings, 3 feet above the deck, just large enough to admit the muzzle of the gun, and kept closed by a sliding shutter, managed on the inside, and removed only when the gun is run out to be fired. The gun-carriages are of wrought iron and run on slides very accurately constructed. ”

“ The intention was for the Merrimac to destroy the Minnesota and then attack the other ships near Fortress Monroe. She steamed in the direction of the Minnesota, and as she approached that vessel the Monitor came out from behind the Minnesota's great hull and offered battle. The "cheese-box on a raft" had such an insignificant appearance that it was thought she could be easily disposed of. But as soon as the battle began the Merrimac's commander found the novel craft a most formidable foe. The Monitor drew twelve feet of water and the Merrimac twenty-three ”

“ Ericsson, her designer, the new ship was named the Monitor. Until the very hour of her departure from New York the workmen were busy upon her, and several things remained unfinished or incomplete when she sailed. The government was aware of the changes that had been made in the Merrimac, and there was great anxiety to have the Monitor at Hampton Roads at the earliest possible date. She left New York in the forenoon of March 6th in tow of the tug-boat Seth Low and using her own engine. ”

“ The prominent object upon the deck in the middle of the boat is the turret or castle, a cylinder of 20 feet diameter within, and 9 feet high, built of 8 thicknesses of 1-inch plates, bolted securely one over another with overlapping joints, and lined with an additional layer of iron an inch thick, thus making 9 inches in all. The weight of the turret is about 100 tons, and its support is a circular bed plate of composition metal firmly secured to the deck. ”

“ The turret is caused to revolve to the right or left, by the movement of a small wheel which controls the action of the steam, and is turned by the gunner or his assistants, and a scale is provided by which the elevation of the guns is also adjusted. When ready for firing, the shutter is triced up by the gunner, the piece is run out, fired, and instantly returns by the recoil, a friction clamp upon the sides of the ways arresting it at any desired point. On this side of the turret is an additional thickness of iron plating of sbout 3 inches. ”

“ The Congress was then fired by red-hot shot from the Merrimac and was soon in flames. Commander Buchanan was wounded, and the command of the Merrimac fell upon Lieutenant Jones. The Merrimac had twenty men killed and wounded in the action; her smoke-stack and steam-pipes were carried away, and so were railings, boat-davits, and stanchions. But her machinery was not damaged, none of her guns was dismounted, and there were no serious injuries to her armor. ”

“ Its sharp and powerful iron prow will enable it to sink with ease any wooden vessel it can reach, and its light draught allows of its running into shoal waters either for offensive operations or to retire, if necessary, to a distance from more powerful vessels of deeper draught. Her complement of men consists of 60 in all, of whom 11 are officers. The battery is evidently designed for harbor and river operations, and not for encountering heavy seas. ”

“ Then she passed near the Congress and rammed the Cumberland, making a great hole in her side and admitting so much water that the ship sank in little more than half an hour, carrying down many of her crew. She continued to fight to the last, and some of her guns were fired at the Merrimac just as the water reached them. Her flag remained in its position after the hull reached the bottom, fifty-four feet below the surface of the water. ”

“ The deck is thus entirely free of all incumbrances, and the men who work the vessel and handle the guns are all entirely out of sight, beneath the invulnerable plating. All access into the interior is securely shut off, so that if the battery were boarded, the men could not be reached, and no harm could be done the vessel itself. ”

“ Upon this it is supported except in time of action, when the weight is taken by a vertical central shaft of iron, with which it is made to revolve as desired, the motive power being a steam-engine specially designed for this service, as also for working the blowers for the fires, and for ventilation. On the top, the turret is covered with iron beams and perforated iron, shell-proof. This, while it affords protection, admits the circulation of air necessary in working the guns. Small sliding iron hatchways are also provided, to afford an entrance for the men through this portion. ”