USS Merrimack/CSS Virginia

The USS Merrimack

In 1854, after years of experimentation with various forms of steam propulsion, the United States Navy committed itself to the development of capital ships driven by screw propellers. That year congressional appropriations to build a new class of steam frigates marked the transitional point in American naval propulsion from steam-driven paddlewheels to modern propellers. Measuring 275 feet in length and 38 feet in the beam, the wooden vessel presented an impressive silhouette. For all her promise as the most modern of warships, the Merrimack proved somewhat disappointing. During her initial trials along the East Coast, mechanical failures cropped up that plagued her throughout her career. Read more about this ship - and her role in one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War.

The CSS Virginia

In late June of 1861, Williamson and Brooke went to the Gosport Yard to search for engines that would be adequate to drive the ironclad. Finding no engines available, Brooke suggested salvaging the machinery from the wreck of the USS Merrimack. Though the former U.S. frigate had been partially burned and sunk by the U.S. Navy, her lower hull and power plant had been salvaged by the Confederates. Read more about this ship and the decisions that determined her place in history.