Description from original post (created 2012-06-09 15:11):
The U.S.S. Monitor was a ironclad vessel made by the Union, used from the Civil War on. It had a revolutionary revolving turret mounted on it to fight it's Confederate counterpart, the C.S.S. Virginia.
The Virginia had come into the Chesapeake Bay and destroyed ship after ship after ship. Half a year later, the Union launched the Monitor in the Chesapeake to retaliate.
The two ironclad ships fought for four hours before they retreated. Neither ship was destroyed, or even moderately damaged.
This fight put a permanent end to wooden warships; they weren't nearly as capable as ships made of metal.
Later on, the original Monitor was taken out to the ocean, but because of it being designed for rivers, it quickly sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. 16 men died.
In the 70's, the wreckage was discovered, and things were recovered from it ever since. Soon enough, the entire thing will deteriorate in water.
Among the things taken from the Monitor were the turret and engines.
Here is a picture of the Monitor:
On this skin, I took the distinctive cockpit from the deck and put it on the head. The back of the skin is equivalent to the hull. On the back you will also find the anchor and the rudder.
The Monitor was described as a "cheesebox on a raft."
And that may be all you need to know if anyone ever asks you about mid-19th century ironclad war-vessels!