CSS Virginia

Commissioned in 1862 for the Confederate Navy after they had recovered the scuttled hull of the Union Navy's steam frigate, USS Merrimack, she was converted into a casemate ironclad thereafter. Literally whilst still under construction, on 8 March 1862, the Virginia was commissioned to engage the blockading ships of the Union navy off Hampton Roads--all of which at the offset of the engagement were wooden. The first to be engaged was the frigate USS Cumberland, which sustained heavy damage to her rigging from Virginia's guns, rendering her crippled. Virginia's captain, Cmdre. Frankin Buchanan chose to ram the Cumberland to finish her off; however, in the process the ram itself was torn off the Virginia's hull causing leaks. Seeing the damage done to his ally, the captain of the USS Congress, chose to flee into shallower waters and ran his frigate aground in doing so. After a quick exchange of fire between the helpess frigate and the Virginia--who could not close the distance due to her draft--the Congress surrendered. However, whilst recovering the surrendered crew of the Congress, a Union shore battery opened fire on the Virginia--a breach of war conduct--prompting the now angry Cmdre. to open fire on the surrendered Congress using explosive shells--turning the entire ship into a blaze. Virginia then broke off the engagement to undergoe whatever repairs it could before resuming the attack the next morning. Unbeknownst to them, however, the USS Monitor had been dispatched to stop the 'the rebel monster' from causing anymore havoc. The Monitor herself was not entirely finished either as she approached the site of battle, within sight of the Congress' burning hulk. The proceeding battle on 9 March the first engagement of ironclads in naval history, and BOY was it an anticlimax if ever there was one. Both ships fired shell after shell to no effect. Eventually, the Monitor chose to retreat after reciev