![]() ![]() ![]() And the Merrimac? Though burned and sunk, the Confederates also recovered the Merrimac. The Confederates, however, salvaged much of the drydock and machinery, and recovered 4000 shells, 2000 barrels of powder, and 1000 loose guns. Ammunition was thrown overboard and the Merrimac was sunk. So Commodore McCauley ordered all the guns and vessels at the Gosport docks destroyed. On April 19, the Confederates made it appear that their troops were already in Norfolk. It wasn't to be.īecause the Union did not want to act aggressively lest Virginia secede, and because of sessionist sympathies at Norfolk, the Merrimac was not readied before the Confederates threatened the ship yard. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles wanted the Merrimac in condition to move to Philadelphia, and wired that instruction to the Superintendent of the Gosport Yard, Commodore Chas S. (Gosport was the original name for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.) After serving two and a half years in the Pacific, the Merrimac was sent to the Gosport Navy Yard for repairs, which were never made. Shortly thereafter, she was recommissioned as the flagship of the Pacific squadron. The Merrimac cruised the West Indies, but was taken out of active duty with barely a year of service, on April 22, 1857. ![]() At 256 feet long, it was one of the largest vessels in the U.S. The Merrimack (the vessel was christened with a K in its name, which was eventually dropped) was completed in February 1856. It was arguably a turning point for naval warfare, ending the era of wooden military vessels. The showdown between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (more commonly called the Merrimac) took place on the James River at the Battle of Hampton Roads. ![]()
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