Artist/Maker Thomas Fitch Rowland 1831 - 1907

Builder's half-model of the USS "Monitor"

1862

Place madeNew York, United States, North America

Wood, metal

Overall: 14 1/2 x 98 x 12 in. ( 36.8 x 248.9 x 30.5 cm )

Gift of Thomas Fitch Rowland

1862.9

Models like the one shown here were developed by ironclad warship builders to show the curvature of the iron armor designed to protect a ship's wooden hull. This artifact was donated to the Society by the builder. The U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Monitor, its first ironclad warship, during the American Civil War in response to the news that the Confederate Navy was converting the captured USS Merrimack (renamed the CSS Virginia) to an ironclad. Designed by the Swedish engineer John Ericsson (1803-1889), the Monitor was built by Continental Iron Works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and outfitted at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard. The ship took 101 days to build and was completed on January 30, 1862. A steam powered ship, it was designed to present the smallest possible target area and was the first ship with a revolving gun turret. On March 8, 1862, the CSS Virginia began its assault on the Union’s Hampton Roads blockade. The Monitor was immediately dispatched to defend the Union blockade. The naval battle between the USS Monito and CSS Virginia, which was the first battle between ironclad warships, ended in a draw.

Depicts

ClassificationsSHIP MODELS

DescriptionBuilder's plating half-model of the U.S.S. Monitor, mounted on backboard; scribing lines indicate placement and curvature of iron plates, nails show areas of riveting.

Used For