The Sinking of the Cumberland, 1862
March 8, 1862, the Cumberland was at anchor off Newport News when its former sister ship, the Merrimack (ironclad and rechristened the Virginia) went straight for the Cumberland. The Cumberland attacked with broadsides, but the Virginia ran full speed and buried its iron ram into the wooden ship's starboard side. The Virginia backed away, leaving the ram buried in the Cumberland. The Virginia gunners destroyed what was left of the wooden ship, leaving its decks awash in blood. The Cumberland's crew continued firing on the iron adversary until its guns were under water. The Cumberland's fate was to be the first victim of a new era of naval warfare, a clear demonstration of the superiority of steam-powered ironclad ships.
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