The Monitor began to encounter heavy weather as she labored down the coast from New York to Hampton Roads. Water rushed in where it should not be. The leather belts of the engine had grown sodden and stretched with the influx of sea water into the engineering spaces that with stretched belts, the ventilators were unable to blow. Noxious fumes began to fill the engine room. Most of the crew ended up on top of the turret that impossibly long night. Paymaster William Keeler wrote that “things for a time looked pretty blue, as though we might have to ‘give up the ship.” And yet they prevailed.
The log entries read so calmly – and yet – if you look in the column for “Breeze,” you will note that the numbers are going up. Force 8 on the Beaufort scale means winds in the 40s and 18 – 25 foot seas….
|
Hour |
K |
Courses |
Wind Direction |
Breeze |
Barom |
Remarks Friday March 7/62 |
|
1 |
5 |
SSW |
½ N.W |
5 |
Clear sky, cold weather, moderate sea 3 AM Absecon Light bore W by S Gun Boats Sachem & Currituck off port beam.-J. Webber | |
|
2 |
5 |
“ |
SW by W |
|||
|
3 |
5 |
“ |
6 |
|||
|
4 |
5 |
“ |
||||
|
5 |
5 |
“ |
||||
|
6 |
5 |
SW by S |
“ |
6 |
||
|
7 |
5 |
2.98 |
||||
|
8 |
5 |
“ |
||||
|
9 |
5 |
“ |
Gun Boats abeam-LNSAt 9,20 5 fathoms, light boat-bore SW by W1/2 W At 11,00, 5 fathoms, light bore N by W 6 miles-Geo. Frederickson | |||
|
11 |
5 |
S by W |
North |
5 |
||
|
12 |
5 |
|||||
|
1 |
4 |
SSW 1/2W |
5 |
Clear sky, cold weather, with a very heavy sea, ship making heavy weather. One Gun Boat on the Starboard beam, one far off on the starboard bow.-J. Webber | ||
|
2 |
4 |
6 |
||||
|
3 |
4 |
6 |
||||
|
4 |
4 |
SW by S |
8 |
|||
|
5 |
2 |
SW by W |
||||
|
6 |
2 |
W by S |
||||
|
7 |
2 |
W by S |
||||
|
8 |
2 |
WNW |
6 |
|||
|
9 |
4 |
WNW |
||||
|
10 |
4 |
S by W |
||||
|
11 |
5 |
|||||
|
12 |
5 |
SSW |
NW |
6 |
At4:30made Fenwick Old Light – distance 10 miles bearing W by S.4 to 6gale from N.W.-LNS.8,30 Fenwick Old Light dis 8 miles bearing N.W. by W.- Geo Frederickson
Clear sky & cold weather, rolling sea 11,15 Lost sight of Fenwick Old Light bearing N by E, Gunboats astern. |
Meanwhile…..
As the Monitor fought her way south, Commodore John Marston of the USS Roanoke and Union naval commander in Hampton Roads received a telegram from Gideon Welles. It read:
Send the St. Lawrence, Congress, and Cumberland into the Potomac River. Let the disposition of the remainder of the vessels at Hampton Roads be made according to your best judgment after consultation with General Wool. Use steam to tow them up. I will also try and send a couple of steamers from Baltimore to assist.
Let there be no delay.
Welles sent this message on the 7th. He then sent a second message telling Marston to await additional orders carried by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Vasa Fox who was traveling to Hampton Roads on the 8th. So Marston waited.
And the St. Lawrence, Cumberland and Congress stayed in Hampton Roads.
