The USS Monitor, designed by Swedish inventor John Ericsson, was 172 feet long with a 41 foot 6 inch beam.  Two 12 inch guns were housed in a revolving turret.  The innovative ship had a flat deck with only 18 inches of free board and a draft of 10 feet 6 inches.  This would allow her to operate in shallow inland waters that are common throughout the South.

Most of the vessel was manufactured by various New York establishments such as Holdane & Company, the Albany Iron Works, and the Rensselaer Iron Works who provided tons of flat plates, and angle iron.  The turret and machinery were fabricated by the Novelty Iron Works. On January 30, 1862, the USS Monitor slid down the ways at the Continental Iron Works and into the East River.

On March 9, 1862, the USS Monitor fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia in an epic battle that resulted in a standoff. However, the results of the battle forever changed the future of naval warfare. The Monitor was lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras while under tow by the USS Rhode Island on New Years Eve, 1862.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE USS MONITOR, CHECK OUT THE LEGACY OF THE USS MONITOR WEBSITE!