- John Lorimer Worden
John Lorimer Worden (
12 March 1818 –19 October 1897 ) was a U.S.Admiral who served in theAmerican Civil War . He commanded "Monitor" against the Confederate vessel "Virginia" (originally named "Merrimack") in first battle of ironclad ships in 1862.Background and early career
Worden was born in Sparta, Mount Pleasant Township,
Westchester County, New York . He grew up inFishkill, New York , and was married to Olivia Toffey, the aunt of [http://www.mariner.org/monitor/05_battlehr/image_page/toffey.html Daniel Toffey] , Captain's clerk of the USS "Monitor". He was appointedmidshipman in the Navy on10 January 1834 . He served his first three years in thesloop-of-war "Erie" on theBrazil Station . Following that, he was briefly assigned to the sloop "Cyane" before reporting to the Naval School atPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania for seven months of instruction. He returned to sea in July 1840 for two years with thePacific Squadron .Between 1844 and 1846, Worden was stationed at the Naval Observatory in
Washington, D.C. During theMexican-American War , he cruised the west coast, primarily in the store ship "Southampton", but in other ships as well. In 1850, he returned to the Naval Observatory for another two-year tour of duty. The ensuing nine years were filled with sea duty which took Worden on several cruises in the Caribbean andMediterranean Sea s.Civil War service
Brought to Washington early in 1861, he received orders in April to carry secret dispatches—regarding the reinforcement of
Fort Pickens —south to the warships at Pensacola. During the return journey north, Worden was arrested nearMontgomery, Alabama , and was held prisoner until exchanged about seven months later.Taking command of "Monitor"
Though still ill as a result of his imprisonment,
Commander Worden accepted orders to command the new ironclad "Monitor" on16 January 1862 . He reported to her building site at Greenpoint inBrooklyn onLong Island and supervised her completion. He placed the new warship in commission at theNew York Navy Yard on25 February and two days later sailed forHampton Roads . However, steering failure forced the ironclad back to New York for repairs. On6 March , she headed south again, this time under tow by "Seth Low".On the afternoon of
8 March , Worden's command approached Cape Henry, Virginia, while inside Hampton Roads, the Confederacy's own ironclad, CSS "Virginia", wreaked havoc with the UnionNavy 's wooden blockading fleet. During that engagement, the Southern warship sank the sloop "Cumberland" and severely damaged "Congress" and "Minnesota" before retiring behindSewell's Point . Arriving on the scene too late to participate in the engagement, Worden and his command set about assisting the grounded "Minnesota".The battle of the ironclads
At daybreak on the 9th, "Virginia" emerged once more from behind Sewell's Point to complete her reduction of the Federal fleet at Hampton Roads. As the Confederate ironclad approached "Minnesota", Worden maneuvered "Monitor" from the grounded ship's shadow to engage "Virginia" in the battle that revolutionized naval warfare. For four hours, the two iron-plated ships slugged it out as they maneuvered in the narrow channel of Hampton Roads, pouring
shot and shell at one another to almost no visible effect. Three hours into the slug fest, Worden received facialwound s when a Confederate shell exploded just outside the pilot house that partially blinded him. He relinquished command to his first officer, Samuel D. Green. About an hour later, "Monitor" withdrew from the battle temporarily and, upon her return to the scene, found that Virginia, too, had withdrawn. The first battle between steam-driven, armored ships had ended in a draw.Other wartime commands
After the battle, Worden moved ashore to convalesce from his wounds. During that recuperative period, he received the accolade of a grateful nation and the official thanks of the
United States Congress . Late in 1862, he took command of the ironclad monitor "Montauk" and placed her in commission at New York on14 December 1862. Later in the month, Worden took his new ship south to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron offPort Royal, South Carolina . On27 January 1863 , he led his ship in the bombardment ofFort McAllister . A month later, newly promoted Capt. Worden took his ship into theOgeechee River , found the Confederate privateer "Rattlesnake" (formerly CSS "Nashville"), and destroyed her with five well-placed shots. His last action came of7 April 1863 , when "Montauk" participated in an attack onCharleston, South Carolina .Post-war career and last years
Not long after the Charleston attack, Capt. Worden received orders to shore duty in conjunction with the construction of ironclads in New York. That assignment lasted until the late 1860s. In 1869, Commodore Worden began a five-year tour as Superintendent of the
United States Naval Academy . [US Naval Academy: [http://www.usna.edu/VirtualTour/150years/1860.htm 1860s history] ] In 1872, Worden was promoted toRear Admiral .During the late 1870s, he commanded the
European Squadron , visiting ports innorthern Europe and patrolling the eastern Mediterranean during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. He returned ashore and concluded his naval career as a member of the Examining Board and as President of the Retiring Board. When he retired on23 December 1886 , Congress voted him full sea pay in his grade for life.Rear Admiral Worden resided in Washington, D.C., until his death from
pneumonia on19 October 1897 . After funeral services at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, he was buried in the Pawling Cemetery in Pawling, New York. He was married to Olivia Toffey (1820-1903), and she and three of their four children survived him. His oldest son was John Lorimer Worden, Jr. (1845-1873), who served as a volunteer captain in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and later as a first lieutenant in the regular army until his death in 1873. The second son was Daniel Toffey Worden (1847-1914), a Wall Street stock broker. Worden also had two daughters, Grace Worden (1852-1905) and Olivia Steele Worden (1856-1933). Worden's widow and all of his children except Daniel were buried with him in Pawling, New York.Fort Worden , located inPort Townsend, Washington and fourU.S. Navy ships have been named USS "Worden" for him. The parade field at the United States Naval Academy is named in his honor.ee also
List of Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy References
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External links
* [http://suvcw.org/ny/camps/worden/history.htm Rear Admiral John L. Worden, USN]
* [http://www.mizzentop.org/about_name.html Mizzentop's History]
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