Abraham Lincoln’s Ironclads #16

Crew of the USS Monitor, July 9, 1862. Siah Hulett Carter is the front, seated, right sailor. Photo credit: The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
CSS Virginia

⚓ LINCOLN’S IRONCLADS: THE BATTLE OF HAMPTON ROADS

THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF

  • President: Abraham Lincoln (16th)

  • The Innovation: Lincoln is the only President with a patent (Patent #6469) for a device to lift boats over sandbars. He was obsessed with naval technology.

  • The History: In 1862, the Civil War changed forever. The Confederacy built an iron-plated ship (the CSS Virginia) that destroyed two wooden Union ships in a single day. Cannonballs just bounced off it!

  • The Response: Lincoln’s Navy rushed to build their own “monster”—the USS Monitor. It was low, flat, and made entirely of iron. When they met at the Battle of Hampton Roads, it was the first time two metal ships fought. Wooden navies became obsolete overnight.

PHASE 1: THE WOODEN FLEET (The Past)

Mission: Construct a “Wooden Frigate” using Paper.

    1. Use the provided sheet of paper to fold a classic origami boat (or design your own hull).

    2. The Test: Place it in the water bin.

    3. The Attack: Drop one penny (a cannonball) from a height of 6 inches onto the boat at a time.

      • Observation: What happens? Does the paper get soggy? Does it tip over immediately?

      • Result: “Wood” is too weak for modern combat.

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PHASE 2: THE IRONCLAD ERA (The Engineering)

Design the future.

Mission: Construct an “Ironclad Monitor” using Aluminum Foil.

Constraints:

  • You get one sheet of foil (12″ x 12″).

  • You cannot use tape or glue (pure mechanical folding).

  • Goal: It must be stable enough to survive “cannon fire.”

Design Tips from Lincoln’s Engineers:

  • High Walls: Keep the water out.

  • Flat Bottom: Increases surface area (displacement) = More lift.

PHASE 3: THE NAVAL BATTLE (The Fun Part)

It’s not just about floating; it’s about surviving impact.

The Setup:

  • Two teams place their Ironclads in the same “Battle Bin.”

  • Each team has a stockpile of “Ammo” (Pennies).

The Rules of Engagement:

  1. Take Turns: Team A drops a penny; then Team B drops a penny.

  2. The Attack: You are NOT placing the penny gently. You must DROP it from at least 6 inches above the boat.

    • Option A (Friendly Fire): Drop it into your own boat to prove its strength.

    • Option B (Combat): Drop the penny into your opponent’s boat! (Aim for their hull!).

  3. Direct Hit: If the penny lands inside, it stays as “dead weight.”

  4. Sunk: The first boat to take on water or sink to the bottom LOSES.

Victory Condition: Be the last Ironclad floating.

ENGINEERING DEBRIEF

  • Why did the paper boat fail so fast compared to the foil boat?

  • During the battle, did boats sink because of Weight (too heavy) or Stability (tipped over by the impact)?

  • How did the shape of your hull help absorb the energy of the falling penny?

EXTENSION 1: The “Design-Your-Defense” Battle (The Main Event)

This is the core activity you suggested, formalized.

  • The Setup: Two teams. Two boats in one large bin.

  • The Ammo:

    • Pennies (Grape Shot): Small, lighter damage.

    • Marbles (Solid Shot): Heavy, high-impact “cannonballs.”

  • The Rules:

    1. Turn-Based Combat: Team A drops one marble from 12 inches (use a ruler!) onto Team B’s boat. Then Team B returns fire.

    2. Aim: You must drop the marble straight down. No throwing!

    3. Survival: If the marble stays in the boat, it counts as “damage” (dead weight). If it bounces out, it was a “glancing blow.”

    4. Victory: The last boat floating wins.

  • Engineering Lesson: Flat bottoms are stable, but sloped armor (like the CSS Virginia had) might make marbles bounce off!

EXTENSION 2: The “Monitor” Turret Challenge (Stability)

The USS Monitor was famous for its revolving gun turret. It needed to be incredibly stable to fire while moving.

  • The Challenge: Can you build a boat that stays level when the weight is off-center?

  • The Test:

    1. Place a stack of 5 pennies (The “Turret”) on the far left edge of the boat.

    2. Does it capsize?

    3. Slide the stack to the far right edge.

    4. Goal: Build a “catamaran” or wide-raft shape that can handle a heavy turret moving from side to side without tipping over.

EXTENSION 3: The “Ramming Speed” Test

Civil War ironclads often used “rams” to sink wooden ships.

  • The Challenge: Build a boat with a reinforced “nose” (multiple layers of foil).

  • The Action:

    1. Place a “Target Boat” (a simple paper cup or weak foil boat) in the center.

    2. Team A pushes their Ironclad across the water fast.

    3. Impact: Can they dent or tip the Target Boat without hurting their own?

  • Engineering Lesson: Momentum and structural integrity. Folding foil 4-5 times creates a hard “beam” that is much stronger than a single sheet.

EXTENSION 4: The “Leak Control” Drill (Resilience)

Real ships take damage. The best ones can survive a hole.

  • The Challenge: Survive with a hull breach.

  • The Setup:

    1. The instructor uses a pencil to poke one small hole (1/8th inch) in the bottom of the student’s boat.

    2. Panic Mode: The student has 30 seconds to use only their spare foil scraps to “patch” the hole while the boat is in the water.

    3. The Test: Can it stay afloat for another minute after the patch is applied?

  • Engineering Lesson: Water pressure. A patch on the outside is often pushed off by water pressure, while a patch on the inside might be held in place by the water rushing in (or vice versa depending on depth).

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