Emergencies and World Disasters
Eighteen Inches from Doom: How the USS Monitor Defied the Sea
24 min•24 juli 2026
Om avsnittet
Eighteen Inches from Doom: How the USS Monitor Defied the Sea
Eighteen inches separated the deck of the USS Monitor from the Atlantic - a revolutionary iron warship with a 179-foot hull, a 20-foot revolving turret, and just 18 inches of freeboard that crossed the ocean in 1862; could such a machine survive its first real test? What pushed the Navy to build a ship designed in 101 days and sailed by 49 men into history?
In this episode, we follow the Monitor from keel-laying to Hampton Roads and trace the decisions, people, and risks that brought iron to sea, closing on the moment when it met the CSS Virginia - how did days, not months, change naval warfare?
Person: John Ericsson
Date: January 30, 1862
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
Event: Battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia
Crew: 49 men
- The ship’s turret was 20 feet in diameter and 9 feet high, armored with 8-inch plates and 11-inch plates at the gun ports.
- The two Dahlgren cannons inside the turret were 11-inch smoothbores, each weighing 16,000 pounds.
- Congress appropriated $1,500,000 for armored ships on August 3, 1861, after which 17 designs were submitted and 3 were accepted.
- The Monitor’s keel was laid on October 25, 1861, and she was launched into the water on January 30, 1862 - 101 days after construction began.
- Mary Louvestre carried the CSS Virginia’s plans from Norfolk to Secretary Gideon Welles in late February 1862, accelerating the Monitor’s completion.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Eighteen inches separated the deck of the USS Monitor from the Atlantic - a revolutionary iron warship with a 179-foot hull, a 20-foot revolving turret, and just 18 inches of freeboard that crossed the ocean in 1862; could such a machine survive its first real test? What pushed the Navy to build a ship designed in 101 days and sailed by 49 men into history?
In this episode, we follow the Monitor from keel-laying to Hampton Roads and trace the decisions, people, and risks that brought iron to sea, closing on the moment when it met the CSS Virginia - how did days, not months, change naval warfare?
Person: John Ericsson
Date: January 30, 1862
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
Event: Battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia
Crew: 49 men
- The ship’s turret was 20 feet in diameter and 9 feet high, armored with 8-inch plates and 11-inch plates at the gun ports.
- The two Dahlgren cannons inside the turret were 11-inch smoothbores, each weighing 16,000 pounds.
- Congress appropriated $1,500,000 for armored ships on August 3, 1861, after which 17 designs were submitted and 3 were accepted.
- The Monitor’s keel was laid on October 25, 1861, and she was launched into the water on January 30, 1862 - 101 days after construction began.
- Mary Louvestre carried the CSS Virginia’s plans from Norfolk to Secretary Gideon Welles in late February 1862, accelerating the Monitor’s completion.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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