The Civil War at Sea

Anaconda at Sea Directly after shells were first fired at Fort Sumpter, President Lincoln ordered the navy to blockade southern ports

Civil War Naval Strength - North The United States Navy had approximately 90 ships By the end of the war the North had approximately 600 ships in service

Civil War Naval Strength - South The Confederates knew they could never match the north in terms of numbers of ships Lack of industry & manpower At the start of the war the Confederacy had approximately 12 sea going vessels C.S.S. Governor Moore

Civil War Naval Strength - South Confederates secretly order “fast cruisers” from English shipyards The South decided to plate some of their ships with iron Up to that time almost all ships were made of wood Shipyard in Liverpool, England. C.S.S. Galena

Naval Technology Up until the Civil War, ironclad ships had not been tested in battle All navies of the world still used predominantly wooden ships Wooden ships were fast and easy to float, but they were also fragile, and flammable C.S.S. Richmond

CSS Virginia A Union ship named Merrimack was sunk near Norfolk, Virginia The Confederates raised the ship out of the water, and covered her with iron plating On each side of the roof were holes for five powerful guns The Confederate Navy renames the Merrimac the C.S.S. Virginia

CSS Virginia On March 8,1862, the Virginia slid into the water On that same day, the Virginia fought and sunk the U.S.S Cumberland and Minnesota

Battle of Hampton Roads Three Union ships had attempted to save their two ships But, with shells bouncing harmlessly off the Virginia’s side, the captains chose to flee When the news of the battle reached Washington, people were in a panic. The South had unleashed a new super weapon. U.S. Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton said the Virginia cold sink every vessel in the North, and it could steam up the Potomac River to Washington and “disperse Congress, destroy the Capitol and public buildings.”

Battle of Hampton Roads

Monitor Long before the launching, spies had informed the U.S. Navy that the Virginia was being built The U.S. Navy decided to secretly build its own ironclad vessel

A “shingle” with a “chees box” on top

Monitor Inside the pilot house of the Monitor, which revolved around, were two powerful guns The Virginia’s guns were stationary The Monitor was smaller than the Virginia (Merrimack) and easier to maneuver

Monitor vs. Merrimack Sunday, March 9, 1862 The shores of Hampton Roads were lined with people eager to see the battle

Scenes from the Battle Neither ship is able to sink the other Cannon-fire bounces harmlessly off of the sides of the new ironclads

Monitor vs. Merrimack The two fought to a tactical draw, but again the Virginia had to withdraw to deeper waters giving the Monitor a strategic victory The Virginia remained a threat, but fears that she would single-handedly destroy the Federal fleet were now abated

Monitor vs. Merrimack On May 3 the Confederates began to evacuate Yorktown and withdraw up the York-James Peninsula This opened up the York and James River to Federal gunboats It also forced the abandonment of Gosport Naval Yard and scuttling of the Virginia which opened up the James River to the Federals Currier and Ives print of the destruction of the Virginia

Legacy of the Battle The battle was a draw, although both sides claimed victory Actually, it was iron ships that won, that battle finished wooden warships Charles F. Adams, U.S. minister to England, wrote from England that the battle “has been the main talk of the town even in Parliament, …The impression is that it dates the commencement of a new era in warfare.” Harpers Weekly

Legacy of the Battle