Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Naval Warfare
Caption: CSS Virginia also known as the Merrimack was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War (built using the remains of the scuttled USS Merrimack ). Participant in the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862 opposite the USS Monitor - the first battle between two powered ironclad warships
The Civil War was not only fought on land. There were also some battles at sea. Early in the war, the Union used its ships to block ports in the South. This is called a blockade. At first, small Southern ships could sneak through the blockade and bring goods back to the South. As the war went on, the Union blockade became more effective. Supplies brought in by ships to the South were almost completely stopped.
The South needed a way to break the blockade. One thing that it tried was the ironclad ship. The U.S.S. Merrimack had been a Union ship. It was in Virginia when that state seceded. To keep the Confederates from using it, the ship was burned.
The Confederates salvaged the ship and rebuilt it. Instead of using only wood, the sides of the ship were covered with metal plates. The Confederates renamed it the Virginia. Today, most historians refer to it by its earlier name.
The ship's hull was covered with tons of iron. Even though the ship weighed a lot, it was faster than it looked. In March 1862, the ship attacked the blockade. It was successful in the beginning. Several ships were destroyed and others were run aground. Unfortunately for the South, the North had learned about its weapon. The North also built an ironclad called the Monitor. The ship arrived the next day. The two ships met in battle in the waters near Virginia.
