I only drop in occasionally on the U.S.S. Monitor Center Blog, to see what’s new, and it’s usually rewarding. The August 8th entry shows Jeanne, “curator of scientific instruments and dairy products,” making breakfast topside. For the full flavor of the event, check out this 3-1/2 minute Eggsperiment at Youtube, on the deck of the hottest replica in town.
At one point in mid-June, 1862, sailors recorded temperatures as high as 165 degrees in the galley of the Monitor (and not much cooler where the sailors slept). There's no telling how hot the surface of the ironclad could get under the summer sun, but on August 8, 2007, the deck of the replica reached 165. By my calculations, that comes out to "hot as hell."
At one point in mid-June, 1862, sailors recorded temperatures as high as 165 degrees in the galley of the Monitor (and not much cooler where the sailors slept). There's no telling how hot the surface of the ironclad could get under the summer sun, but on August 8, 2007, the deck of the replica reached 165. By my calculations, that comes out to "hot as hell."
As an aside, on the video they note that on June 23 1862, according to the ship’s log, what wood there was in the galley of the iron vessel caught fire, forcing the men to cook up on the deck. The photo, top left, is dated July 9, 1862, and a cookstove is clearly discernible in the left of the image.
2 comments:
What a great post! I love reading about monitors. You proved that iron men must have served on board these iron ships, considering how difficult their living conditions were. I just did an article last week on my blog on the USS Onondaga, a famous twin-turreted monitor. It was an amazing looking ship and had an equally amazing career. If you want to check it out, go to navalwarfare.blogspot.com and do keep up the good work here! Your blog is great!
Remo,
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate that. I'll go to your site and check out the Onondaga entry. There are lots of good shots of the one
Dave
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