Heroism and Heartache: USS Cumberland’s Last Stand at Hampton Roads
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Join John Pentangelo, director of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, for a discussion on USS Cumberland. Launched as a frigate in 1842 and later converted to a sloop-of-war, USS Cumberland fought at the Battle of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War. Most people know this battle for the famous duel between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia on March 9, 1862. But on March 8, Virginia destroyed both USS Cumberland and USS Congress, leading to the U.S. Navy’s worst defeat since its origins in 1775. This discussion will focus on Cumberland’s sinking, the crew’s response to the attack, public memory of the ordeal, and the recovery of artifacts from the wreck.
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an official department of the Navy museum administered by the Naval History and Heritage Command. The museum interprets the history of the U.S. Navy in and around Hampton Roads, Virginia, from the Revolutionary War to the present day, for service members and the general public. Co-located with Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, the museum recently installed a new exhibit on the Battle of Hampton Roads as phase one of an exhibit on the Navy during the American Civil War.