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Most of us who are familiar with the ACW know of the battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia on March 9,1862; however, few people know the Monitor encountered a storm that came close to sinking her. So I got to wondering....what would happen if the storm sank the Monitor before she reached Hampton Roads?

The most immediate effect is that with no Monitor opposing her, the Virginia goes on a rampage and sinks the USS Minnesota and probably another ship. At the end of the day, she is the Mistress of Hampton Roads for the moment.

In Washington, the panic becomes even worse. People are hysterical about what the Virginia will do next.

John Ericsson, the Monitor's designer, gets denounced for the disaster. How he and Lincoln react could make for some serious butterflies.

With the Virginia in control of the Roads, McClellan's Peninsula Campaign is pretty much dead; Lincoln will no doubt insist McClellan go overland.

One interesting effect will be on the development of Union Ironclads during the war. With the Monitor sunk, the Union Navy will not build a lot of similar ships as they did IOTL. The decisions made will no doubt lead to some very interesting developments.

So what are your thoughts? What effects do you think will occur as a result of the Monitor's sinking?
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