On March 9, 1862, the world's first battle between two ironclad warships took place in the confined waters of Hampton Roads, Virginia. The previous day the Confederate ironclad CSS Merrimack - officially the CSS Virginia - impervious to her enemy's guns, had sunk two Union warships. When she re-emerged from Norfolk to complete the destruction of the Union blockading squadron, the USS Monitor steamed out to meet her. The four-hour duel that ensued was a stalemate, but crucially the Virginia had failed to break the Northern blockade of the Southern ports. In a single battle these two ironclads rendered wooden warships obsolete and transformed the face of naval warfare forever.

This full-color comic book includes further reading, essential information on the background, aftermath and key players of the conflict, illustrating one of the most revolutionary naval battles in world history and transports the reader to the cramped and dangerous conditions that the sailors faced for the first time.