Last week the United States buried two sailors who manned one of the most famous ironclads in our country’s history, the USS Monitor. On March 9, 1862, the Monitor engaged the confederate ironclad, the CSS Virginia (formerly the CSS Merrimac), in Hampton Roads off of the coast of Virginia. Neither vessel could claim a victory in that first clash of ironclads, but as multiple sources put it, the battle marked “a turning point in military history” and that “a new era of naval warfare had dawned.”

All of the Monitor’s 16 crew members perished when it sank in fierce seas off of the coast of North Carolina about eight months later. In 2002, the remains of two of those sailors were recovered when part of the ship was raised. And last week they were finally, appropriately, buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

While IRONCLAD wasn’t named after the ironclads, we strive to emulate many of their characteristics when serving clients – stalwart service, loyalty, strength and innovation.

The service and loyalty of those seamen, who endured cramped quarters under deck that filled with choking smoke during battle, cannot be questioned. The ironclads were,
by definition, strong; their hulls literally were clad with iron. As for innovation, the Monitor featured many advances – such as the rotating gun turret – that have been adapted and implemented into war machines, both land and water, over the ensuing 150 plus years.

So today we honor the original U.S. ironclad and the men who sailed it into history. We’re honored to share the name.

Dozens of news sources covered the burial of the Monitor’s two sailors at Arlington; for more, search “Monitor burial.” Interested in learning more about The Battle of the Ironclads?