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 Welcome
to the web page of the Committee to Honor the Monitor, a
part of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable. We hope you will join us in
our grassroots effort to persuade the President, Congress, and U.S. Navy
to name a new submarine after the famous ironclad, U.S.S. Monitor
We encourage you to send
a letter to your own U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, to the
President and Defense Department or U.S. Navy official, touching on the
points made in our August 27, 2004 press
release. Petitions are useful, if
your Civil War Roundtable, historical society or other group would like
to create one, but individual letters often have more influence on
policymakers.
Please also contact your
local media, and rally other history enthusiasts, veterans, and community
leaders to reach our goal. We can do it!
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RELATED
LINKS |
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Press Release - 08/04 (pdf)
The
USS Monitor Center
Monitor
National Marine Sanctuary
The Mariners' Museum
NavalShips.org
Nova - Lincoln's Secret Weapon
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WHO TO CONTACT |
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President
George W. Bush
The
White House
1600
Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington,
DC 20025
Dr.
Donald C. Winter
Secretary
of the Navy
1000
Navy Pentagon
Washington,
DC 20350-1000
Adm.
Michael G. Mullen
Chief
of Naval Operations
2000
Navy Pentagon
Washington,
DC 20350-2000
Hon.
Carl Levin
Chairman,
Senate Armed Services Committee
United
States Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
Hon.
John McCain
Ranking
Minority Member,
Senate Armed Services Committee
United
States Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
Hon.
Ike Skelton
Chairman,
House Armed Services Committee
U.S.
House of Representatives
Washington,
DC 20515
Hon.
Duncan Hunter
Ranking
Minority Member,
House Armed Services Committee
U.S.
House of Representatives
Washington,
DC 20515
Find
Your Congressman
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QUESTIONS? |
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Contact:
William F.B. Vodrey
Chairman,
Committee to Honor the Monitor
Cleveland Civil War Roundtable
(216) 664-3643 weekdays
Email |
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The USS Monitor - A Brief
History
 The USS
Monitor, a 987-ton armored turret
gunboat, was built at New York to the design of Swedish inventor John
Ericsson. She was the first of what became a large number of
"monitors" in the United States and other navies.
Commissioned on 25 February 1862, she
soon was underway for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Monitor arrived there on 9
March, and was immediately sent into action against the Confederate
ironclad Virginia, which had sunk two U.S. Navy ships the previous day.
The resulting battle, the first between iron-armored warships, was a
tactical draw. However, Monitor prevented the Virginia from gaining
control of Hampton Roads and thus preserved the Federal blockade of the
Norfolk area.
 Following this historic action, Monitor
remained in the Hampton Roads area and, in mid-1862 was actively employed
along the James River in support of the Army's Peninsular Campaign. In
late December 1862, Monitor was ordered south for further operations.
Caught in a storm off Cape Hatteras, she foundered on 31 December.
Her wreck was discovered in 1974 and is
now a marine sanctuary. Work is presently underway to recover major
components of her structure and machinery, to be followed by extensive
preservation efforts and ultimate museum exhibition.
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