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A Battle of the Ironclads Ditti Traditional Geocache

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offline.cacher: No cache, no CO. If someone could pick up the geolitter, that would be great.
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Hidden : 5/28/2006
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This is a SPECIAL Ditti, full of history, and a little extra special souvenir!




The Battle of the Ironclads!
Boy, what a battle these two ships had!
When the four and a half hour battle was done,
it was soon discovered, that neither side won!



A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON:

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One of the most revolutionary naval battles in world history,was the battle on March 9,1862, between the USS Monitor, and the CSS Merrimack.

Up to that point, all battles at sea were between wooden ships. This was the first time in maritime history, that two ironclad ships waged war.

This battle was waged at Hampton Roads, and was part of the Peninsula Campaign, that lasted from March to August, of 1862. There was 5 ships engaged in the battle. There was 4 ships from the US Navy; the USS Congress, USS Minnesota, USS Cumberland and the USS Monitor. The CS Navy had only 1 ship; the CSS Merrimack.

On March 8,1862, the CSS Merrimack steamed into Hampton Roads, where it sank the USS Cumberland and then ran the USS Congress aground. The USS Minnesota, which was already handicapped, was run aground on one of the shores.

The Captain of the CSS Merrimack didn't know that the USS Monitor had been ordered to protect the already damaged USS Minnesota, and was lying in wait.

The USS Monitor steamed out into the middle of the bay, where it met the CSS Merrimack. The USS Monitor fired first, in a long battle, that lasted about four and a half hours. The CSS Merrimack withdrew, because of falling tides. The USS Monitor didn't make chase, because of a crack in it's turret.

The results of the battle showed that neither side could claim a victory. It was estimated that the Union lost about 409 sailors, and the Confederacy lost about 24 sailors in this battle.

The leaders of both the Union and the Confederacy were so impressed with the battle, that they contracted their Naval yards to have more ironclad ships built.


This geocache has been placed near the area where the turret from the USS Monitor is being housed. Visit the exhibit, to learn more about this battle.


There will be 50 of the "Civil War Series" geocoins, depicting the "Battle of the Ironclads", released into this geocache, 5 at a time, for the first 50 finders to adopt, to have as souvenirs. PLEASE ONLY TAKE ONE, so the next finders may claim a souvenir also! Above all, enjoy the rich history of this area!
ALL 50 coins have been distributed. THANKS prntr1 for your generosity! We hope everyone who found a coin enjoys them!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

N fznyy obk vafvqr, ubyqf gur "fbhirave" lbh frrx!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)