A reconstruction of the turret of the USS Monitor, open to allow a view of the mechanism and one of the two 11-inch guns. The turret was designed by American inventor Theodore Timby, and the rest of the ship by the Swedish-born John Ericsson.
A problem with the turret was that there was no brake— if the mechanism was engaged the turret would keep turning, one full turn in a little more than two minutes. There was no way for the gunners to see the target except by looking out through the gunport, which means the gun had to be fired at the first glimpse of the target, or wait another couple minutes for another chance.
Monitor was the first turreted warship built, and gave its name to a whole class of vessels that stayed in service at least through the First World War.
From the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, 2018.
