#The Minnesota Wrecking Crew II | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

quakerjoe · 4 years ago

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“VIOLENCE WILL NOT BRING CHANGE.”

That’s what Biden said in his latest advert.

Are we kidding ourselves here? Seriously? It’s the AMERICAN WAY! Let’s review a little history...

1619: SLAVERY BEGINS in AMERICA

American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)

Cherokee–American wars (1776–1795) USA v. Native Americans

Northwest Indian War (1785–1793) USA v. Native Americans

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787) USA v. Citizens During Debt Crisis

Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794) USA v. Citizens over TAXES

Quasi-War (1798–1800) Naval Pissing Match- USA v. France

Fries Rebellion (1799–1800) USA . PA Dutch Farmers over TAXES

First Barbary War (1801–1805) USA & Sweden v. N. Africa (Pirates)

German Coast Uprising (1811) Slave Rebellion in New Orleans v. USA

Tecumseh's War (1811) Native Annihilation.

War of 1812 (1812–1815) USA v. Britain over UK’s seizure of ships and men

Creek War (1813–1814) USA v. Alabama Native Americans

Second Barbary War (1815) Again.

First Seminole War (1817–1818) USA v. Florida Native Americans

Texas–Indian Wars (1820–1875) USA v. Texas Natives & Spain/Mexico

Arikara War (1823) USA v. Sioux Native Americans

Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States (1825–1828)

Winnebago War (1827) USA v. Wisconsin Native Americans

First Sumatran expedition (1832) USA v. Indonesia

Black Hawk War (1832) USA v. Ill & Mich Native Americans

Texas Revolution (1835–1836) USA v. Mexico to steal Tex-ass

Second Seminole War (1835–1842) USA v. Native Americans in Florida

Second Sumatran expedition (1838)

Aroostook War (1838) USA v. Britain over N. Brunswick & Maine Border

Ivory Coast expedition (1842) USA v. Bereby, W. Africa against Slavers

Mexican–American War (1846–1848) USA v. Mexico to seize TX, NM & CA

Cayuse War (1847–1855) USA v. Oregon Native Americans (Annihilation)

Apache Wars (1851–1900) USA v. Apache Native Americans in s.west

Bleeding Kansas (1854–1861) USA v. USA Kansas & Missouri Conservative PRO-Slavery versus Abolitionist/Progressive ANTI-Slavery in new territories.

Puget Sound War (1855–1856) USA v. coastal Wash. State Native Americans

First Fiji expedition (1855) USA v. Fiji over the islanders not wanting rich American fucks there anymore. We did away with that by force, by Harry!

Rogue River Wars (1855–1856) USA v. Oregon Native Americans

Third Seminole War (1855–1858) USA purges last of Florida Natives

Yakima War (1855–1858) USA v. Washington Native Americans

Second Opium War (1856–1859) USA, Britain & France v. China over forcing the Chinese to buy opium to keep them compliant

Utah War (1857–1858) USA v. The F’n MORMONS This was the Waco Tex-Ass of its time.

Navajo Wars USA v. New Mexico Native Americans (Long Walk)

Second Fiji expedition (1859) USA v. Fiji. We told them once...

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) USA v. USA, Prelude to Civil War

First and Second Cortina War (1859–1861) USA (Then CSA) v. Mexico in TX

Paiute War (1860) USA v. Nevada Native Americans

American Civil War (1861–1865) USA v. CSA

Yavapai Wars (1861–1875) USA v. AZ Native Americans

Dakota War of 1862 (1862) USA v. Minnesota & Dakota Native Americans

Colorado War (1863–1865) USA v. Colorado, Wyoming & Nebraska Natives

Shimonoseki War (1863–1864) UK, USA, France, Dutch v. Japan over straight between Japan’s own islands.

Snake War (1864–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho & California

Powder River War (1865) USA v. Native Americans in Montana & Dakota

Red Cloud's War (1866–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Wyoming & Montana

Formosa expedition (1867) USA v. Taiwan Natives in response to massacre of crew of wrecked USS Rover, a small bark.

Comanche Campaign (1867–1875) USA v. Native Americans in western states/territories

Korea expedition (1871) USA v. Korea in retaliation for being shot at because they hated us.

Modoc War (1872–1873) USA v. Native Americans in N. Cali & Oregon.

Red River War (1874–1875) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.

Las Cuevas War (1875) USA/TX v. Mexican Raiders

Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.

Buffalo Hunters' War (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in TX & OK

Nez Perce War (1877) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming & Montana

Bannock War (1878) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho & Wyoming

Cheyenne War (1878–1879) USA v. Native Americans in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, S. Dakota and Montana

Sheepeater Indian War (1879) USA v. Native Americans in Idaho

Victorio's War (1879–1881) USA/Mexico v. Apache in Mexico

White River War (1879–1880) USA v. Native Americans in Colorado

Pine Ridge Campaign (1890–1891) USA v. Native Americans in S. Dakota

Garza Revolution (1891–1893) USA & Mexico v. Mexican Revolutionaries

Yaqui Wars (1896–1918) USA/Mexico v. Native Americans in Mexico & AZ

Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899) USA v. Germany over Samoa Control because screw the natives already living there.

Spanish–American War (1898) USA v. Spain- when the US wanted to bugger Spain and used the likely accidental destruction of the USS Maine (”Remember the Maine!”) in Havana Harbor as an excuse for war.

Philippine–American War (1899–1902) USA v. Philippines because we won you from Spain in the last war; screw you if you’re a native on the island.

Moro Rebellion (1899–1913) USA v. Philippines because while we’re here, we’ll meddle in your politics too.

Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) USA v. China because they wanted those douchebag imperialists, foreigners and goddamn Christians to simply fuck the hell off back to where they came from because they suck.

Crazy Snake Rebellion (1909) USA v. OK Native Americans because Americans just LOVE betraying treaties and killing the native population.

Border War (1910–1919) USA v. Mexico & Germany because it’s more fun to play with guns and kill one another rather than sit at a table with a map and come to an amicable agreement.

Negro Rebellion (1912) USA v. Cuba (under US control from war with Spain) where we literally went in and slaughtered Afro-Cubans for wanting freedom. (Part of the Banana Wars)

Occupation of Nicaragua (1912–1933) USA v. Nicaragua where the US seized land and occupied it because a canal was going to be built and never was. Oops. (Part of the Banana Wars)

Bluff War (1914–1915) USA v. Native Americans in Utah and Colorado. Again. Why should the last generation have all the fun, right?

Occupation of Veracruz (1914) USA v. Mexico. Because fuck those Mexicans, right?

Occupation of Haiti (1915–1934) USA v. Haiti because why not? We own you now. (Part of the Banana Wars)

Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924) USA v. D.R. because we may as well own you too while we’re in the area.

World War I (1917–1918)

USA arriving very late in the “War to End All Wars”. “Thanks for nothing,” said the allies, “But please; take all the credit.”

Russian Civil War (1918–1920) USA & Europe v. Bolshevik Russia which didn’t end well for the USA & allies. We totally lost that one.

Last Indian Uprising (1923) USA v. Native Americans in Utah because we’d rather have Mormons than the Ute and the Paiute tribes.

World War II (1939–1945)

USA fights Japan covertly in the Pacific, aiding China against Japanese aggression. USA assists Britain and occupied Europe against the FASCIST regimes of Hitler’s Nazis and Mussolini in Italy and fucks off until the Attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941. “Oh, THIS shit again?” asks Europe. “Showing up late YET AGAIN, but sure; hey, USA, take all the credit yet again. Seriously, fuck you guys. Thanks for the assist, but we could have saved millions of lives of you’d gotten of your fat asses YEARS ago!”

Korean War (1950–1953) USA v. N. Korea in a proxy war with the USSR and China because fuck those commies, right? We won, even though they kicked our asses and a formal treaty was NEVER signed so technically the war is actually STILL ON.

Laotian Civil War (1953–1975) USA v. Laos and those commie scumbags. Yep. We don’t talk about this one because we LOST.

Lebanon Crisis (1958) USA v. Lebanon, Beirut, because we like Christians and fuck those Muslim twats, right? (God, we’re not a good people in the US...)

Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) USA & Cuban Revolutionaries v. Cuban Government because fuck the commies. Maybe if we help, we’ll own Cuba again... Oops. Nope. Totally fucked that up.

Simba rebellion, Operation Dragon Rouge (1964) USA and EU Allies v. S.E. Asia in amounted to a total clusterfuck that dissolved Vietnam and was a precursor there as well as other areas. It helped the rise of dictators all throughout the region. Khmer Rouge anyone?

Vietnam War (1955–1975) USA, S. Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand etc. v. China-backed, USSR backed N. Vietnam. The Imperialist WEST v. the Communist EAST. That ended in a shit-show for the West like all proxy wars in southeast Asia do.

Communist insurgency in Thailand (1965–1983) USA/Local allies v. China/ally backed communist rebels. Pretty much a draw that petered out and Communism didn’t really stick... sort of.

Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–1969) USA v. N. Korea because they attempted to convince the S. Koreans to rise up and join the North, throwing out the WEST. No dice for them.

Dominican Civil War (1965–1966) USA v. Dom. Republic insurgents to restore Dem elected government. It worked so well that we would decide never to really do that sort of thing again when doing it the opposite way gets us more money.

Insurgency in Bolivia (1966–1967) USA (CIA) & Bolivia stomp out Che Guevara because we’ll have none of this uprising shit.

Cambodian Civil War (1967–1975) USA v. Cambodian communists, because we were in the area anyway... “THE KILLING FIELDS” happened.

War in South Zaire (1978) USA & Allies v. USSR & Allies in Africa. Yes, another Cold War proxy war. Finally, the US wins one. Yay.

Gulf of Sidra encounter (1981) USA v. Libya- a pissing contest over a line in the water. Libyan fighters fire upon US fighters and get their asses handed to them. USA! USA! USA!

Multinational Intervention in Lebanon (1982–1984) USA joins the U/N to shaft the P.L.O. and Muslims in Lebanon because fuck them and we love Israel.

Invasion of Grenada (1983) USA v. Cuban-backed commie bastards who overthrew the democratically elected government. I know we said we wouldn’t do that again, but we hate Cuba more than these guys.

Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) USA v. Libya because fuck you, Qaddafi, and that bullshit line in the water. We’re sending a carrier group in to show YOU where the REAL line is.

Bombing of Libya (1986) USA v. Libya because they keep bombing shit around Europe and they make us keep coming back. France still likes Libya and wouldn’t let US fighters through their airspace as they left German air bases. US pilots were a bit fatigued having to go around the long way and ‘accidentally’ bombed the French Embassy in Libya...

Tanker War (1987–1988) USA v. Iran because fuck them, that’s why. Iran & Iraq were duking it out and Iran thought shooting at US and allied shipping would be good fun. USS Vincennes then shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 passengers; 66 of which were children. Yeah, we totally fucked that up hard-core.

Tobruk encounter (1989) USA v. Libya. Again. That line. US F-14′s splash their MIGs. Now, stay. Good Libya.

Invasion of Panama (1989–1990) USA v. Panama dictator Manuel Noriega because he’s an evil cunt. No, not really. It was because he wouldn’t play ball with the US and the CIA. He was a drug lord anyway so fuck him.

Gulf War (1990–1991) USA & Allies v. Iraq because Saddam Hussein needed his dick slapped the fuck back out of Kuwait, a US & EU ally.

Iraqi No-Fly Zone Enforcement Operations (1991–2003) USA v. Iraq, because every now and then we had to go blow up some of their shit and keep them in their place.

First U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (1992–1995) USA & Allies v. Somalia because why not? Lots of shooting, lots of dead, and nothing accomplished. The war is STILL going on.

Bosnian War (1992–1995) USA v. Bosnian, post USSR dictators because the US/NATO won’t act until AFTER the genocides...

Intervention in Haiti (1994–1995) USA v. Haiti, because damn it, we’ll restore your democratically elected government and put down that coup... for a price...

Kosovo War (1998–1999) USA and a fuck ton of allies v. Russia-backed Yugoslavia because human rights violations are for US southern CSA states only, fuckers. We sort of won this ‘contest’.

Operation Infinite Reach (1998) USA v. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, because fuck those ‘towelheads’ we helped push out the Russians! How dare they turn on us imperialists when we treat them like peasants and shit on them? What nerve! How will Big Pharma keep up their poppy fields now? This means war...

THE 21st CENTURY

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

2003 invasion of Iraq (2003) & Iraq War (2003–2011)

War in North-West Pakistan (2004–present)

Second U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (2007–present)

Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016) USA v. Somali pirates

International intervention in Libya (2011) Because enough, Qaddafi.

Operation Observant Compass (2011–2017) USA v. Uganda because of terrorist camps

American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Iraq. Thanks, Obama; right?

American-led intervention in Syria (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Syria where we rounded up lots of ‘terrorist’ fighters.

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)

American intervention in Libya (2015–present) USA v/ ISIS/ISIL in Libya. It’s as if the war in Iraq pissed off a ton of people in the region along with Israel’s expansion into Palestine territory over the years... Go figure.

THE TRUMP YEARS

Despite fucking over our allies in Syria and being far too cozy with Putin and Kim Jong Un and other dictators, sympathizing with Nazis in the US and having the KKK in his blood, trumplefuckstick hasn’t actually pushed any “NEW” wars upon the US so far. Sure, we’re in a state of chaos and about to collapse into a failed nation-state into that “shithole country” everyone thinks can’t happen here.

The point is:

“HEY JOE FUCKIN’ BIDEN! I DON’T MEAN TO THROW YOU OFF YOUR GAME HERE BUT WHILE I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE, IT SEEMS THAT AS AMERICANS, IT’S THE ONLY WAY WE DO THINGS HERE TO GET SHIT DONE!”

Still don’t believe me? How about some non-war stuff...

How about EVERY act of white supremacist, KKK driven TERROR on non-whites since the Civil War ended or of the slave owners before them?

How about how our first real “police” in the US were bounty hunters looking for runaway slaves?

How about the Tulsa race massacre when white mobs attacked the black residents and business of the Greenwood District in Tulsa because the good people of Oklahoma didn’t want them “uppity niggers” to be doing as well or better than the white racist fucks were doing. That learned ‘em, didn’t it?

Let’s not forget the anti-union suppression! How about the Herrin Massacre? During a United Mineworkers of America nationwide strike union miners shot at strikebreakers working at the mine. The mine's guards killed three union miners on June 21, and the miners killed 20 strikebreakers and guards on June 22.

What about the Hanapepe Massacre? During a strike of Filipino sugar workers, in an attempt to rescue two hostage strikebreakers police killed 16 strikers, while strikers killed four law enforcement members.

Kent State shootings: During a protest of the bombing of Cambodia at the University, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire, killing four and injuring nine people.

Jackson State University shooting: After responding to the University due to a growing unrest, officers opened fire on a dorm building and two students (one from a local high school) were killed and twelve were injured.

There are more, to be sure, but Mr. Biden, you ARE correct in one particular field here- gun violence. Look at this list HERE. So many acts of mass shootings going WAY back before Columbine. What’s been done about this by you, the Democrats or Republicans of the piece-of-shit NRA? Fuck-all NOTHING.

Your truth, Mr. Biden- in this instance, gun violence literally achieves NOTHING.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States#1920s

#JoeBiden #FuckTrump #FuckTheGOP #LearnHistory

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racingtoaredlight · 8 years ago

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On This Day...

On this day in 1862, the first naval battle between armored warships took place at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The CSS Virginia (more commonly known as the Merrimack, the name of the former Union frigate it was built from) fought the USS Monitor; the two ironclads fired away at each other for hours, but their shells exploded harmlessly against the armored metal plate covering both ships. Though tactically indecisive, the battle signified a fundamental revolution in naval warship design, giving rise to an entirely new type of naval vessel; the Monitor. With their emphasis on armor plate, big guns, and the Monitor’s use of a rotating gun turret, the indecisive gun duel at Hampton Roads in 1862 evolved over time into the massive, powerful battleships that dominated the oceans for the first half of the 20th century.

The construction of the Virginia was born out of the search for a solution to the blockade by the Union navy on all major ports of the Confederacy. The blockade was ordered by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861 and by early 1862 it was already wreaking havoc on the southern economy. With the inability to trade with the wealthy nations of Europe--especially Britain, which had a vast market for cotton from the American south--the Confederacy experienced a stagnant economy with a shortage of goods and rising inflation. Moreover, the blockade was made possible by the fact that the U.S. Navy was numerically superior to the Confederate States Navy, making the likelihood of breaking the blockade through pitched battle, unlikely.

Stephen Mallory, the Confederate States Navy Secretary, recognized that the blockade would eventually undermine the Confederacy’s war effort and knew that the Confederacy did not have the time, capital, logistical ability, and industrial capacity to undertake a large-scale ship building program; indeed some of the Confederacy’s most successful ships, such as the CSS Alabama, were built in Europe and then purchased by Confederate diplomats and agents. Mallory’s solution was to embrace the emerging trend of warships covered with armored metal plate.

Though the Virginia and the Monitor were the first two armored ships to engage each other in combat, they were not the first ever constructed. The French Navy commissioned Gloire, the first ever purpose-built armored worship three years earlier in 1859. Other navies, including the British Royal Navy, responded by affixing armor plate to their wooden, wind-powered ships of the line. But France and Britain remained at peace and Gloire never engaged any of the modified British sailing warships.

The advantages of a warship completely covered in armor and powered by steam--and thus with no sail-carrying masts and yardarms which can be shot away or damaged in battle--were instantly obvious to several naval officers. Mallory was one of the instant converts and surrounded himself in the Confederacy’s Navy Department with like-minded officers and officials. Without the means to build a ship from scratch, as the French did with Gloire, it was necessary find a suitable existing warship that could be modified.

As the Civil War unfolded in April 1861, forts and dockyards belonging to the U.S. military, but within the territory of the new Confederate States, were seized. Officers and enlisted men who remained loyal to the Union often tried to destroy as many supplies and arms as they could before evacuating, but these efforts were often improvised on the fly with no detailed plan of action. As a result, the Confederacy’s new military took possession of vast amounts of weapons, supplies, and facilities. The U.S. Navy’s largest shipyard in 1861 was the Gosport Navy Yard (now called the Norfolk Naval Shipyard) in Norfolk, Virginia. After Virginia seceded from the Union, the Lincoln administration ordered the evacuation and destruction of Gosport to prevent its use by the Confederacy. The loyalties of the officers at Gosport were divided however and, in the confused situation, very little destruction took place; the graving docks and repair facilities remained intact.

The USS Merrimack, docked at Gosport, was torched by departing Union sailors, but only burned to the waterline and its hull remained intact. The Merrimack was therefore a perfect platform for modification. After basic repairs, a new deck was constructed and a large, armored gun house was installed on top. Rechristened the CSS Virginia, Mallory assigned this formidable warship--which some observers compared to a floating barn--to the James River Squadron. On March 8, with the Virginia leading the way, the James River Squadron slipped its moorings and headed straight for the Union blockade squadron at Hampton Roads.

The Union squadron anchored at the roadstead that day was, by the standards of the time, a powerful conventional naval force. It consisted of several modern steam-engine and sail equipped ships-of-the-line, each armed with large broadsides of modern guns. At the core of this squadron were the frigates USS Roanoke, USS St. Lawrence, USS Minnesota, USS Cumberland, and USS Congress; each carrying between 40 and 50 guns.

The Roanoke and St. Lawrence were the first ships of the squadron to notice the incoming Confederate warships. They both quickly pulled up their anchors with the nearby Minnesota following suit. As the Virginia came into view, after briefly skirmishing with a small gunboat, all three ships ran aground and were unable to take part in the ensuing fight. Cumberland and Congress also pulled up their anchors and then opened fire on the Virginia, but their shot bounced harmlessly off of its armor. Virginia opened fire and caused heavy damage to the Cumberland, but she remained afloat. Wooden sailing ships were, unbeknownst to many people today, incredibly difficult to sink outright. More often, a warship was damaged to a degree that it could no longer fight back effectively, at which point it was usually boarded and taken as a prize by the enemy ship. If it was possible to repair it, the captured vessel was often commissioned into the navy of its captors; the many French names in the British Royal Navy and English names in the French Navy in the 18th and early 19th centuries are testament to the frequency of this outcome.

However, March 8, 1862 signified a fundamental change in warfare; destruction of the enemy warship, rather than its capture, took on greater importance. The Virginia, after reducing the Cumberland to a wreck, then rammed it. This created a large hole in the Cumberland’s hull and it sank quickly, taking dozens of sailors with it. Next, the Virginia turned to the Congress. Seeking to avoid Cumberland’s fate, the commander of the Congress ordered his ship to ground in shallow water. Once there it continued to fire upon Virginia and the other ships in the James River Squadron, but it was an unequal fight and eventually the remaining crew of the Congress surrendered. The ship subsequently caught fire and burned well into the night.

Virginia then turned towards the grounded Minnesota. But navigation was becoming difficult as the sun set and Virginia’s captain feared himself becoming grounded. Instead Virginia turned back up the James River and took shelter in a small anchorage to make repairs and replenish its shot and gunpowder stores, with every intention of returning to Hampton Roads the next day to finish off Minnesota.

Word of the battle spread quickly. The Confederacy hailed a great naval victory and the Virginia seemed like potentially war-winning weapon; it could single-handedly break the Union blockade. That evening during an emergency meeting of the cabinet at the White House, U.S. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles reported on the worst defeat of the U.S. Navy would experience until World War II. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton feared that the Virginia could leave the James, sail up the Potomac, and shelled Washington D.C. Welles quelled this fear, declaring that the Virginia was not able to reach the Potomac. Welles then revealed that the U.S. Navy had an ironclad of its own that had just been completed in New York City. The USS Monitor, designed by Swedish immigrant John Ericsson, was already steaming south to Hampton Roads and would on station to defend the Minnesota by the morning.

Unlike the Virginia, which was essentially large, floating, steam-propelled gun battery, the Monitor was smaller, carrying only two guns. But these two guns were housed in a rotating, armored turret. Unlike the Virginia--and all previous sailing ships-of-the-line--which had to maneuver the entire vessel in order to aim its guns, the Monitor’s turret could fire on an enemy ship regardless of its own position and bearing; it only needed to be within firing range.

As the Virginia returned to Hampton Roads the morning of March 9 to destroy the Minnesota, it sighted what one of its sailors described as “a metal circle of cheese floating on the water.” The two ironclads opened fire and pounded away at each other for hours, with no real damage inflicted. The Virginia was loaded only with high explosive shells, not armor piercing shot, which the Monitor’s armor was able to shrug off. Monitor’s guns, however, loaded only with 15 pounds of gunpowder for each shot, proved insufficient to penetrate Virginia’s armor*.

After firing, the Monitor’s captain turned its turret to face away from the Virginia, thus protecting its own guns and pilot house from damage. Towards the end of the battle, the turret was not turned quickly enough and a shot from Virginia hit the turret’s opening. The hit inflicted superficial damage, but caused wood and metal splinters to fly through the deckhouse, injuring several officers including the captain, who was temporarily blinded.

With Monitor temporarily disabled, the Minnesota was suddenly vulnerable again. By this point, however, it was late in the day and the tide was beginning to recede; Virginia could not get close enough to open fire on Minnesota. Assuming that the Monitor had been defeated, Virginia’s captain returned to Gosport Navy Yard for repairs.

Virginia’s attack against the Union blockade squadron was certainly a tactical victory; two ships destroyed and three others forced to run aground, but the presence of the Monitor meant that the blockade remained in place. Seizing on the experiences of March 8 and 9, both navies began crash building and conversion programs of ironclads. Within months, steam-powered ironclad warships formed the core of every naval squadron on the coasts and on the Mississippi River. The qualitative advantage provided by the Virginia was almost immediately lost.

The two ships shadowed each other for several months afterwards, but never engaged in battle again. Two months later, Union troops were closing in on the Gosport Navy Yard. The Virginia was deemed insufficiently seaworthy to escape on the open ocean while its draught was too deep to make a run up the James River. Rather than let it fall into Union hands, the departing Confederate sailors destroyed the ship by setting fire to its powder magazine. Monitor did not last much longer in service. Never a good seat boat due to its complete lack of freeboard, the Monitor was swamped by waves and sunk during a storm off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina December 31, 1862.

Despite these ignominious endings, Virginia and Monitor laid the foundation for a fundamental shift in how warships were built and used in battle.

*Later tests showed that the model of gun on the Monitor could handle up to 30 pounds of powder per shot. If the Monitor’s gun crews knew that on March 9, 1862, the battle may not have ended in a draw.

#On This Day #RTARLAD #history #Civil War #naval warfare #CSS Virginia #USS Monitor #U.S. Navy #Confederate States Navy #Hampton Roads #ironclads #warships #warship design

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