USS Merrimack; Engraving by L.H. Bradford & Co., after a drawing by G.G. Pook.
Career
Ordered:	6 April 1854
Laid down:
Launched:	15 June 1855
Commissioned:	20 February 1856
Decommissioned:	16 February 1860
Fate:	Burned and sunk in dock, 20 April 1861 Raised and converted into ironclad CSS Virginia
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	3200 tons
Length:	275 feet
Beam:	38 feet 6 inches
Draft:	24 feet
Propulsion:	sail, steam engine
Speed:	12 knots
Complement:
Armament:	14 × 8-inch guns, 2 × 10-inch guns, 24 × 9-inch guns

USS Merrimack was a screw frigate of the United States Navy, best known as the hulk upon which CSS Virginia was built during the American Civil War and then took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads (often called "the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack"). Image File history File links USS_Merrimack;h46248. ... Image File history File links US_Naval_Jack_34_stars. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War (built using the remains of the scuttled USS Merrimack). ... For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War (built using the remains of the scuttled USS Merrimack). ... This article is becoming very long. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders John L. Worden Franklin Buchanan Catesby R. Jones Strength 1 ironclad, 3 wooden warships 1 ironclad, 2 wooden warships, 1 gunboat, 2 tenders Casualties 2 wooden warships sunk, 1 wooden warship damaged 261 killed 108 wounded 1 ironclad damaged 7...

Merrimack was launched by the Boston Navy Yard 15 June 1855; sponsored by Miss Mary E. Simmons; and commissioned 20 February 1856, Captain Garrett J. Pendergrast in command. She was the second ship of the Navy to be named for the Merrimack River, which is formed by the junction of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers at Franklin, New Hampshire. The Merrimack flows south across New Hampshire, and then eastward across northeastern Massachusetts before emptying in the Atlantic at Newburyport, Massachusetts. The Boston Navy Yard, originally Charlestown Navy Yard and after 1945 Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities of the United States Navy. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Merrimack River, formed by the confluence of the Pemigewasset River (left) and Winnipesaukee River (right) is shown on a map of the northeastern United States The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an earlier spelling that is sometimes still used) is a 110-mile-long (177-kilometer-long) river in... The Pemigewasset River is a river in the State of New Hampshire, USA. It is approximately 70 miles or 113 kilometers in length. ... Winnipesaukee River in 1907, Franklin, New Hampshire The Winnipesaukee River is a 10. ... Franklin is a city located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, at the merging of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers to form the Merrimack River. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,359 sq mi (24,239 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 3. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... “Atlantic” redirects here. ... Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Boston. ...

Shakedown took the new screw frigate to the Caribbean and to western Europe. Merrimack visited Southampton, Brest, Lisbon, and Toulon before returning to Boston and decommissioning 22 April 1857 for repairs. Recommissioning 1 September 1857, Merrimack got underway from Boston Harbor 17 October as flagship for the Pacific Squadron. She rounded Cape Horn and cruised the Pacific coast of South and Central America until heading for home 14 November 1859. Upon returning to Norfolk, she decommissioned 16 February 1860. Map of Central America and the Caribbean Caribbean Sea from space (top left). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Southampton is a city, unitary authority and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Brest (lol) is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne région, north-west France, sous-préfecture of the Finistère département. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... Panorama of Toulon area Satellite view Coat of Arms of Toulon view of Toulon harbour around 1750, by Joseph Vernet. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: Stub | Massachusetts geography | Boston ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the largest body of water on Earth – at 165. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Aerial View of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navys ships. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

USS Merrimack aflame during the burning of the Norfolk Navy Yard, 20 April 1861.

Merrimack was still in ordinary during the crisis preceding Lincoln's inauguration. Soon after becoming Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles took action to prepare the frigate for sea, planning to move her to Philadelphia. The day before the firing on Fort Sumter, Welles directed that "great vigilance be exercised in guarding and protecting"; Norfolk Navy Yard and her ships. On the afternoon of 17 April, the day Virginia seceded, Engineer in Chief B. F. Isherwood managed to get the frigate's engines lit off; but the previous night secessionists had sunk lightboats in the channel between Craney Island and Sewell's Point, blocking Merrimack. On the 20th, before evacuating the Navy Yard, the U.S. Navy burned Merrimack to the waterline and sank her to preclude capture. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x645, 146 KB) USS_Merrimack; http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x645, 146 KB) USS_Merrimack; http://www. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802–February 11, 1878) was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, including the entire duration of the American Civil War: his dedication to naval blockades was one of the key reasons for the Norths victory over the South. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina, was named after General Thomas Sumter. ... Aerial View of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navys ships. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Craney Island is a point of land in the independent city of Portsmouth in the South Hampton Roads region of eastern Virginia in the United States. ... Hampton Roads, Virginia 1858 Sewells Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. ... (Redirected from 20 April) April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ...

The Confederates, in desperate need of ships, raised Merrimack and rebuilt her as an ironclad ram, according to a design prepared by Lt. J. M. Brooke, CSN. Commissioned as CSS Virginia 17 February 1862, the ironclad was the hope of the Confederacy to destroy the wooden ships in Hampton Roads and to end the Union blockade which had already seriously "crippled" the South. Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (traditional) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Republic President... Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... USS General Price, a Union ram and gunboat, near Baton Rouge, LA, 18 January 1864 A ram was a naval ship class in the 1860s. ... CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War (built using the remains of the scuttled USS Merrimack). ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This view from space in July 1996 shows portions of each of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which generally surround the harbor area of Hampton Roads, which framed by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel visible to the east (right), the Virginia Peninsula subregion to the north (top), and the...

References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...

External links

• history.navy.mil/danfs: USS Merrimack
• history.navy.mil/photos: USS Merrimack