CBNNews.com -- It was the shot heard around the world.
Unlike the sound made by a minuteman's musket on the Lexington green some 87 years before, this was an ear-piercing roar.
Those who heard it said it was like thunder. The thunder of heavy artillery at close range followed by the clanking-thud as a discharged projectile hit its target, but then abruptly stopped and dropped into the water.
Naval warfare technology was changed forever on March 9, 1862, when two iron monsters met at Hampton Roads.
The C.S.S.
Virginia and the U.S.S.
Monitor battled for more than four hours, only for the fight to end in a draw.
As the sound of the battle faded, it continued to echo around the world. It signaled that the days of wooden naval vessels were over.
The battle of the Monitor and the Virginia has been enshrined forever in American history. And now, not far from the actual site of the famous duel, The Mariner's Museum has opened its brand new $30 million U.S.
S. Monitor Center dedicated to the memory of the men who fought in the first battle of the ironclads. The museum, located in in Newport News, Va.
, serves as the official repository of all Monitor artifacts.
Partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Mariner's Museum is heading the effort to restore the U.S.
S. Monitor. on December 30, 1862.
Sixteen men lost their lives. When the Monitor sank, the last thing witnesses say they saw was a red signal lantern still aglow in the water.
In 1974, the ship was located and the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was created in order to protect and preserve the wreck.
Research dives were conducted by NOAA in cooperation with the United States Navy to see if the entire structure of the Monitor or any portion of her was worth saving. One of the first artifacts brought up from a depth of more than 240 feet was a signal lantern. The same lantern greets museum visitors as they enter the exhibit.
The recovery efforts culiminated on August 9, 2002, when the turret of the Monitor broke the surface of the Atlantic after more than 140 years
The museum's displays not only tell the story of the creation of the Monitor, but also . Visitors have the unique opportunity to walk around the deck of a full-size replica of the ironclad and to visit the recreated officers quarters.
Highlights of the U.
S.S. Monitor Center:
-- The story behind the creation of the Monitor and how inventor John Ericcson had to deliver the completed ironclad to the United States government in 100 days at a cost of no more than $275,000.
Ericsson was angered when the government delivered 11-inch cannons to be housed in the turret, instead of the 12-inch bore cannons he had requested. He believed his original design would have sank the C.S.
S. Virginia. Tests conducted later proved Ericsson's assumptions had been correct.
-- A recreation of the dock at the Gosport Naval Yards in Norfolk as the raised hull of the U.S.S.
Merrimac is being refitted as the C.S.S.
Virginia. Visitors can view artifacts from the Virginia as well as walk inside the recreation of the front part of the Confederacy's new weapon. The actual ship's wheel is also on display.
-- A full-size casting of the Monitor turret as it appeared when recovered. When one looks through a porthole of the turret, artifacts can be seen scattered around inside, including human bones. The actual turret and cannon are currently undergoing preservation treatment.
Visitors can also view these artifacts in their respective tanks.
-- Interactive displays, which includes a computer program that allows you to design your own ironclad. Then put your vessel to the test to see if it could actually float.
-- The propulsion system of the Monitor and its revolutionary turret moved. Get a detailed-look at the propeller and the engines that powered the ironclad. Models show how the turret moved the vessel's guns to target an enemy ship.
For more information, visit the website of the
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