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Hampton Roads Research Paper

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Although short and non-eventful, the battle of Hampton roads, during the Civil war, showed the world the future of warship construction, forever changing Naval Warfare. After visiting the past through the museums exhibits, I believe in order to understand this battle in its entirety, one must not only look at the battle itself but the events leading up to it.
The union had a plan to block the confederacy by placing union ships around it. This particular battle was a small, taking place in Hampton roads, but the size of the battle has no effect on its significance. The battle is fought between the CSS (confederate states ship) Virginia, formerly called the Merrimack, and USS (union states ship) monitor. Each of these ships were carefully designed war weapons, each made of iron. Beforehand war ships were made of wooden material. “while ironclads
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This weapon was quite important throughout the battle. While the turret did in fact turn well, it was difficult for it to stop turning once in motion. Eventually, the crew let it revolve and started “firing on the fly” when the target was in sight. Both the Monitor and the Virginia served as prototypes for future war ship what would be used for their innovative designs. However, the monitors design continued as the principal coastal and riverine warship. The clash of armor takes place March 9th, 1862, however it is essential that I go back a few days to the critical events leading up to the battle. March 6th,1862 was went the las gunpowder shipment arrived for the CSS Virginia, nonetheless, the Virginia still did not have a full crew. The crew cam to under Captain Thomas Kevill and thirty-one members of the United Artillery (company E, 41st Virginia infantry) . These men were volunteers from Norfolk. That day flag officer Franklin Buchanan had intended on moving the CSS Virginia down the Elizabeth River but an emergent storm had delayed their
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