1862 — Dec 31, Ironclad USS Monitor sinks in storm off Cape Hatteras, NC                —     16

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-15-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 33  Snow, Edward Rowe. Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. 1943, p. 276.

— 20  The Mariners’ Museum. USS Monitor Center. “Chronology of the USS Monitor…”

— 16  Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy Ships Lost in Selected Storm Weather…

— 16  NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. USS Monitor (website).

— 16  US Dept. Navy. Casualties: US Navy…Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured…

Narrative Information

Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy Ships Lost in Selected Storm/Weather…:

“Ironclad USS Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras. 16 died. 31 Dec. 1862. “

NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. USS Monitor (website):

“Dive 230 feet below the Atlantic Ocean off the North Carolina coast on one of our nation’s most historic shipwrecks, USS Monitor. This Civil War ironclad sank in 1862, and in 1975, it became the first national marine sanctuary – Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Transformed from a weapon of war to an island of marine life, Monitor continues to serve as habitat for a wealth of marine life. Dive in to see sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and more!….

“Ship Stats

Location: 35°0’7.02″N, 75°24’22.79W (35.00195 -75.40633)

Depth: 240 feet

Vessel Type: Ironclad

Length: 173 feet Breadth: 41 feet 6 inches

Built: 1862, John Ericsson at Continental Ironworks in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Port of Registry: USA Owner: U.S. Navy

Date Lost: December 31, 1862

Sunk: In a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C. Survivors: 46 of 62 survived (16 dead)

….

Significance: Union’s first ironclad; fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads; became our nation’s first national marine sanctuary….”

The Mariners’ Museum: “December  31 — The Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in a severe storm with the loss of four officers and sixteen crewmen.” (Mariners’ Museum. USS Monitor Center. “Chronology of the USS Monitor…”)

United States Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. “Casualties…”:

“Ironclad USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras. 16 drowned. 31 Dec. 1862.”

Sources

Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy Ships Lost in Selected Storm/Weather Related Incidents (website). Accessed 9-15-2024 at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-navy-ships-lost-in-selected-storm-weather-related-incidents.html

NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. USS Monitor (website). Accessed 9-15-2024 at: https://monitor.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/uss_monitor.html

Snow, Edward Rowe. Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. Boston: Yankee Publishing Company, 1943.

The Mariners’ Museum.  USS Monitor Center. “Chronology of the USS Monitor From Inception to Sinking.” At: http://www.monitorcenter.org/history/chronology/chronology2.php

United States Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. See “Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action.” Washington, DC: Washington Navy Yard, 2008. Accessed 9-15-2024 at:  http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/accidents.htm