The Merrimac and the Monitor

Here's a story I ran into yesterday.

For a little while, a bunch of Union warships that took parts in the blockade against the south had gone MIA (Missing In Action, a Military terms that also meant presumed dead yet cannot be confirmed).

Very soon, Union Intelligence found out that the cause of those warships had really been sunked by a Confederate Ironclad (And also one of the very first Battleships using steel for it's hull, the rest were made out of wood), known to all as the Merrimac.

As soon as it was known about, they shipped in another Ironclad that would be known as the Monitor (the first of it's type), that was a lot different, and while she didn't had as many cannons as the Merrimac, she did have a complete Turret with all it's cannons on it.

The clash between the Merrimac and the Monitor was the very first fight between warships made out of steel in history, and it lasted for a very long time, since none of their shells could go through the steel hulls, as soon as the fight was over due to both sides had exhausted their ammunitions and both were out of ammos, they both had to withdraw.

However, many more of battleships would soon be made out of steel in the future and those two made warships made out of wood completely obsolete.

Not to be picky... lol but it wasn't known to all as the Merrimac. It's official and Confederate name was C.S.S. Virginia.

However, the first name was the Merrimac, and that is the name that most people call it by.

Yes, the Merrimac was a Union warship constructed with notably durable wood, and the Confederates managed to salvage the hull after capturing the ship (the crew had attempted to fire the ship, but failed for numerous reasons). The Confederate Navy then armored this hull with steel plating, and thus, the war's first Ironclad.