I had some time so I stopped at the Mariners Museum in Newport News. They have allot of models of ships, very detailed. One display I found interesting was the Catamaran that won America’s Cup in 2013. Seen these boats on TV, but seeing it in person and reading about how the crew has to work the boat, which was interesting. They had a separate building just for small boats, also cool.
There main draw is the Monitor. Ok, maybe a little history. Back in the civil war there was this famous battle between the USS Monitor and Merrimack. They were ironclad boats. Basically made of wood, about 2 feet thick covered with about 8 inches iron plate. The USS Monitor was the northern boat and Confederate ironclad Virginia (formerly Merrimack). When I was young it was always the Merrimack, I believe either name is correct. So March 8-9, 1862, both of these ships battled, basically it was a draw, but both sides declared victory. Anyway, the USS Monitor sank in a storm on December 31, 1862, while being towed off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The biggest significance of the battle was the ironclad’s would profoundly change ship design in the future.
The parts of Monitor, the metal, was recovered and are located at the museum. Some of the items, including the turret is in a tank that is stabilizing the metal. I did not understand how long this would take since some items like the propeller are already on display.
