On March 8th and 9th of 1862, ironclad warships would emerge onto the pages of history. The USS Monitor and Merrimack (or CSS Virginia) weren’t the first ironclads, nor even the first into battle. Yet the legendary Battle of Hampton Roads would overturn centuries of naval doctrine in a matter of hours. Success and failure, calamity and courage, and a few remarkably coincidences would combine to reshape both the war and the world. Listen now to the story of the men, the material, and the moment.
Link to map of showing the ships’ movements in the channel: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/hampton-roads-mar-9-1862
Episode 79: Crash of the Titans