The Monitor was launched during the American Civil War by the Union to meet the threat of a Confederate warship, the CSS Virginia, which could break the blockade of Southern ports. Designed and built by Swedish engineer John Ericsson in 100 days, she was revolutionary in both design and the impact she had on subsequent warship development. She fought the Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9th March 1862, the first battle between ironclad, steam powered warships. Neither was badly damaged. The Monitor was lost in a storm while under tow off Cape Hatteras in December 1862. The area round her wreck is a Marine Sanctuary.