Cribbed from Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905:
The first Virginia set the pattern for Confederate armoured ships, with the forward and after parts of the hull awash except for a low coaming at the bows, and a castmate with inclined sides rising amidships. The lower edge of the casemate was only 6in below water, a foot less than intended, and after the fight with Monitor the hull below was increased to 3in for 160ft from below the bows for a depth of 3 1/2ft. The 7in guns were fore and aft in the casemate, each with three ports, the other guns at the sides and the howitzers fore and aft on the casemate roof, where the 3in or 4in pilot-house was also located forward. The famous drawn battle with the monitor was fought on 9.3.1862 but when the Virginia reappeared on 11.4.1862 the Monitor declined to engage her. On the abandonment of Norfolk, the Confederates burnt Virginia as her draught was too deep to ascend the James River.
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