- After its historic battle against the CSS Virginia, the USS Monitor was heavily damaged and in need of repairs.
- Under command of Lieutenant William Nicholson Jeffers, the Monitor left Hampton Roads on December 29, 1862, bound for Beaufort, North Carolina.
- Unfortunately, the ship encountered a severe storm en route and lost much of its propulsion capacity.
- To add to its woes, heavy seas battered the Monitor, causing serious structural damage.
- Despite the crew's efforts to salvage the ship, it eventually sank in the early morning hours of December 31.
Merrimack:
- Renamed CSS Virginia, the ship served the Confederate cause until it was scuttled in May 1862 to prevent its capture when the Union army closed in on Norfolk, Virginia.
- In an attempt to save any usable assets, the Confederate Navy tried to refloat and repair the ship.
- However, before these efforts could be fully completed, Norfolk was evacuated and the Virginia could not be salvaged.
- Consequently, she was ultimately destroyed to keep her from falling into Union hands.