USS Monitor

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/uss-monitor

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered USS Monitor?1973
2. What is the ship type?Ironclad warship (Monitor-class)
3. What is the designer?John Ericsson (overall design), Theodore Timby (revolving turret)
4. What was the USS Monitor and why was it special?The USS Monitor was a tiny ironclad warship built during the American Civil War. It had a rotating turret that could turn all the way around, making it very different from earlier wooden ships. Its design helped change how navies built ships forever.
5. How did the USS Monitor fight the CSS Virginia?On March 9, 1862, the Monitor met the Confederate ship CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads. Both ships fired big guns for four hours, but neither could win. The Monitor's iron armor stopped Virginia's shots, and the battle showed that wooden ships were no longer safe.

Ironclad: A warship constructed with armored plating, designed to resist projectile impacts and revolutionize naval combat.
Revolving Turret: An armored, rotating gun platform that allows for 360-degree coverage, a critical innovation pioneered by the Monitor.
CSS Virginia: The Confederate ironclad warship, built on the hull of the USS Merrimack, which fought the Monitor to a stalemate.
Naval Blockade: The use of naval power to prevent ships from entering or leaving a port or coastline.