Editing USS Monitor (section)

=== Final voyage ===
[[File:Frank Leslie's scenes and portraits of the Civil War (1894) (14576335338).jpg|thumb|alt=|Engraving of USS&nbsp;''Monitor'' sinking, with {{USS|Rhode Island|1860|6}} in the background]]

On 24 December 1862, orders were issued directing ''Monitor'' to [[Beaufort, North Carolina]] to join {{USS|Passaic|1862|6}} and {{USS|Montauk|1862|6}} for a joint Army-Navy expedition against Wilmington, North Carolina, where she would join the blockade off [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. The orders were received by the crew on Christmas Day, some of whom had been aboard ''Monitor'' on her harrowing journey from New York to Hampton Roads in March and were not pleased with the prospect of taking to the high seas once again. Dana Greene remarked, "I do not consider this steamer a sea going vessel".<ref>[[#Quarstein99|Quarstein, 1999]], p. 121</ref>

The crew celebrated Christmas aboard ''Monitor'' while berthed at Hampton Roads in what was described as a most merry fashion, while many other celebrations were occurring along the shore. The ship's cook was paid one dollar to prepare a meal for the crew befitting the day; it was received with mixed opinion. That day, ''Monitor'' was made ready for sea, her crew under strict orders not to discuss the impending voyage with anyone, but bad weather delayed her departure until 29 December.<ref name="Quarstein-p106">[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 106</ref>

While the design of ''Monitor'' was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. Under the command of [[John P. Bankhead]], ''Monitor'' put to sea on 31 December, under tow from the steamship {{USS|Rhode Island|1860|6}}, as a heavy storm developed off [[Cape Hatteras, North Carolina]]. Using chalk and a blackboard, Bankhead wrote messages alerting ''Rhode Island'' that if ''Monitor'' needed help she would signal with a red lantern.<ref name=Quarstein171>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 171</ref>

''Monitor'' was soon in trouble as the storm increased in ferocity. Large waves were splashing over and completely covering the deck and pilot house so the crew temporarily rigged the wheel atop the turret which was manned by helmsman Francis Butts.<ref>[[#Thulesius|Thulesius, 2007]], p. 136</ref> Water continued flooding into the vents and ports and the ship began rolling uncontrollably in the high seas. Sometimes she would drop into a wave with such force the entire hull would tremble. Leaks were beginning to appear everywhere. Bankhead ordered the engineers to start the [[Worthington pump]]s, which temporarily stemmed the rising waters, but soon ''Monitor'' was hit by a squall and a series of violent waves and water continued to work its way into the vessel. Right when the Worthington pump could no longer keep pace with the flooding, a call came from the engine room that water was gaining there. Realizing the ship was in serious trouble, Bankhead signaled ''Rhode Island'' for help and hoisted the red lantern next to ''Monitor''{{'}}s white running light atop the turret. He then ordered the anchor dropped to stop the ship's rolling and pitching with little effect, making it no easier for the rescue boats to get close enough to receive her crew. He then ordered the towline cut and called for volunteers,<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 172</ref> Stodder, along with crewmates John Stocking,<ref>His real name was Wells Wentz; see [https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2013/may/lost-men-monitor US Naval Institute Magazine 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116001912/https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2013/may/lost-men-monitor |date=16 November 2022 }}-thus he is listed under his real name in the USS Monitor Cenotaph memorial gravestone</ref> and James Fenwick volunteered and climbed down from the turret, but eyewitnesses said that as soon as they were on the deck Fenwick and Stocking were quickly swept overboard and drowned. Stodder managed to hang onto the safety lines around the deck and finally cut through the {{convert|13|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} towline with a hatchet.<ref>[[#Mariner30|Mariner's Museum, Article: The Last Voyage of the USS Monitor]]</ref> At 11:30&nbsp;pm. Bankhead ordered the engineers to stop engines and divert all available steam to the large Adams [[Centrifugal pump|centrifugal steam pump]];<ref name=Voyage>[[#Mariner24|Mariner's Museum, Article: Last Voyage]]</ref> but with reduced steam output from a boiler being fed wet coal, it too was unable to stem the rapidly rising water.<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], pp. 171–72;</ref><ref>[[#Broadwater|Broadwater, 2012]], p. 13</ref> After all of the steam pumps had failed, Bankhead ordered some of the crew to man the [[hand pump]]s and organized a [[bucket brigade]], but to no avail.<ref name=Quarstein149/>

Greene and Stodder were among the last men to abandon ship and remained with Bankhead who was the last surviving man to abandon the sinking ''Monitor''. In his official report of ''Monitor'' to the Navy Department, Bankhead praised Greene and Stodder for their heroic efforts and wrote, "I would beg leave to call the attention of the Admiral and of the Department of the particularly good conduct of Lieutenant Greene and Acting Master Louis N. Stodder, who remained with me until the last, and by their example did much toward inspiring confidence and obedience on the part of the others."<ref name="Still, 1988, p. 20"/>

After a frantic rescue effort, ''Monitor'' finally capsized and sank, stern first,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2013/may/lost-men-monitor | title=The Lost Men of the Monitor | date=May 2013 }}</ref> approximately {{convert|16|mi|km}} southeast off Cape Hatteras with the loss of sixteen men,<ref>{{cite web |title=USS Monitor |url=https://monitor.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/uss_monitor.html |website=monitor.noaa.gov |publisher=Monitor National Marine Sanctuary |access-date=3 July 2019 |language=en |quote=In the end, 16 of the brave men onboard the Monitor never met the year of 1863.}}</ref> including four officers, some of whom remained in the turret, which detached as the ship capsized. Forty-seven men were rescued by the life boats from ''Rhode Island''.<ref>[[#Broadwater|Broadwater, 2012]], p. 12</ref><ref>[[#Holloway|Holloway, 2013]], pp. 7–8</ref>{{efn|William Keeler in Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy, (Washington: D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1863)}} Bankhead, Greene and Stodder barely managed to get clear of the sinking vessel and survived the ordeal,<ref name=Voyage/> but suffered from exposure from the icy winter sea.<ref>[[#Mariner2013|Mariner's Museum, Article: John P. Bankhead, 2013]]</ref> After his initial recovery, Bankhead filed his official report, as did the commanding officers of the ''Rhode Island'', stating officers and men of both ''Monitor'' and ''Rhode Island'' did everything within their ability to keep ''Monitor'' from sinking. The Navy did not find it necessary to commission a board of inquiry to investigate the affair and took no action against Bankhead or any of his officers.<ref>[[#Broadwater|Broadwater, 2012]], p. 14</ref>

Some time later a controversy emerged over why ''Monitor'' sank. In the ''Army and Navy Journal'', Ericsson accused the crew of drunkenness during the storm, being consequently unable to prevent the vessel from sinking. Stodder vigorously defended the crew and rebuked Ericsson's characterization of the crew and events and wrote to Pierce that Ericsson "covers up defects by blaming those that are now dead", pointing out that there were a number of unavoidable events and circumstances that led to the ship's sinking, foremost being the overhang between the upper and lower hulls which came loose and partially separated during the storm from slamming into the violent waves. Stodder's account was corroborated by other shipmates.<ref>[[#Mindell|Mindell, 2000]], p. 140</ref>