CWRT Launches Campaign For The Navy To Name Submarine For U.S.S. Monitor
October 2004

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Civil War history fans, led by the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, seek to have the U.S. Navy honor the U.S.S. Monitor by bestowing the ironclad's name on a new submarine.

The first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines (NSSN) has been named the U.S.S. Virginia. "For the sake of history, tradition and symmetry," said roundtable president Mel Maurer, "it would be fitting for a submarine of the Virginia's class to be named the U.S.S. Monitor."

The first Monitor battled the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Virginia (formerly the U.S.S. Merrimack) to a draw in Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862. In this first battle of ironclads, the Monitor saved the Union blockading fleet from destruction. The Monitor was lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C., on Dec. 30, 1862.

William Vodrey, chair of the roundtable's Committee to Honor the Monitor, said, "The original Monitor was one of the most famous ships in American history, but there hasn't been a warship of that name on active duty in the U.S. Navy since a troop transport, LSV-5, launched late in World War II."

According to Vodrey, the Navy plans to build 30 Virginia-class submarines. The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable is leading the grassroots effort to name a submarine for the Monitor and urges other round tables and buffs to write to the President, members of Congress and the Navy leadership.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson of Princeton University supports the group's efforts. "It would be most fitting to name one of the new submarines of the Virginia class the U.S.S. Monitor, in honor of the original Monitor that battled the first Virginia to a standstill in the world's first clash between ironclad warships on March 9, 1862, and thereby ushered in a new era of naval history," he said.

Historian Harold Holzer said, "In her day, the Civil War ironclad U.S.S. Monitor revolutionized naval technology - and, ultimately, naval warfare itself. It would be a fitting tribute to her impact and her memory - as well as an apt acknowledgment of America's continuing quest to defend freedom throughout the world - if a new naval vessel could be named in the Monitor's honor. What better way to demonstrate respect for our nation's history, and confidence in our nation's future?"

Naval historical artist William R. McGrath also supports the effort. "The original Monitor, designed by John Ericsson, propelled the U.S. Navy into the modern era. No longer would wooden ships control the destiny of nations. This ship revolutionized the design of warships for the next 90 years. Clearly, we should honor the original Monitor and carry on our naval heritage by naming one of our newest submarines after her," he said.

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, founded in 1957, is one of the oldest such groups in the country. Maurer said its members range in age from 17 to 94 and are at every level of interest and historical expertise. The roundtable reflects the ethnic, racial and religious diversity of Greater Cleveland, but its common bond is the belief that the Civil War was the defining event of American history.

The roundtable honors those who fought, suffered and died to preserve the Union, uphold the Constitution, and destroy slavery. The Committee to Honor the Monitor was established in April.

The original U.S.S. Monitor was named by its brilliant, acerbic inventor, the Swedish-American engineer John Ericsson, who predicted that she would "prove a severe monitor" to the leaders of the Confederacy.

For more information, go to the committee's Website at www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/honor_the_monitor.htm