_Merrimac_ was originally a steam-powered wooden warship of the original United States Navy. She was launched in 1855, the second of two frigates to be named after the Merrimack River, which separates Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, the federal navy scuttled _Merrimac_ to save her from capture by Confederate forces. The Confederates salvaged her and rebuilt her as an ironclad warship. The resulting ship was renamed _Virginia_.
_Virginia_, under the command of Franklin Buchanan, was launched on March 8, 1862. She was an extremely powerful warship for her time and the first of a new type of warship known as an ironclad. Ironclad warships were protected by thick layers of iron armor, which made them virtually invulnerable to the wooden hulls of traditional ships.
On March 8, 1862, _Virginia_ steamed into Hampton Roads, where she attacked the Union fleet anchored there. The Union ships had no way to penetrate her armor and were quickly defeated. The only Union ship that could resist _Virginia_'s attack was the ironclad USS _Monitor_, which arrived in Hampton Roads on March 9.
The Battle of Hampton Roads is considered to be the first battle between ironclad warships and is often seen as the beginning of a new era in naval warfare. _Virginia_, the first ironclad warship, was a symbol of the Confederacy's determination to fight for independence from the United States.