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. Revolutionizing marine warfare at the time, the Brooklyn built Monitor became renowned when it fought the C. S. S. Virginia to a standstill on March 9, 1862 at Hampton Roads, Virginia in one of history's most significant naval battles. (The Confederates re-fitted the U. S. S. Merrimack, a captured Union ship, and re-named it the C. S. S. Virginia.) This artifact was donated to the Society by the builder.

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.

ClassificationsSHIP MODELS

Collections