The Merrimack was a steam frigate reinforced with iron. People called it “A floating barn roof.” The Merrimack decimated the Union fleet because they had no ironclads.
The Monitor arrived the same night. They called it “A Yankee Cheese Box on a Raft.” They had an armored rotating gun which gave an entirely new concept for ship building. The naval battle broke out on March 9. The gun on the Monitor could only fire every 8-10 minutes but could outrun the Merrimack.
The crew was ineffective at firing the gun so it took longer to reload and very inaccurate to fire but, the Monitor could out maneuver the Merrimack. During the battle the Monitor's pilothouse was hit disabling the helmsman and the ship went into shallow water. The battle ended
The Monitor arrived the same night. They called it “A Yankee Cheese Box on a Raft.” They had an armored rotating gun which gave an entirely new concept for ship building. The naval battle broke out on March 9. The gun on the Monitor could only fire every 8-10 minutes but could outrun the Merrimack.
The crew was ineffective at firing the gun so it took longer to reload and very inaccurate to fire but, the Monitor could out maneuver the Merrimack. During the battle the Monitor's pilothouse was hit disabling the helmsman and the ship went into shallow water. The battle ended