page_title: John Lorimer Worden
section_title: Tiffany & Co. Sword
hierarchical_section_title: John Lorimer Worden / Tiffany & Co. Sword
caption_attribution_description: English: John Lorimer Worden (1818-1897) was a U.S. Admiral who served in the American Civil War. He commanded Monitor against the Confederate vessel Virginia (originally named Merrimack) in first battle of ironclad ships in 1862.
context_page_description: John Lorimer Worden was a U.S. Navy officer in the American Civil War, who took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever engagement between ironclad steamships at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 9 March 1862.
  Commanding the Union’s only warship of this class, USS Monitor, Worden challenged the Confederate vessel Virginia, a converted steam-frigate that had sunk two Union blockaders and damaged two others. After a four-hour battle, both ships withdrew, unable to pierce the other’s armour.
context_section_description: After the battle of the Monitor and Virginia the state of New York celebrated their hero with the commissioning of a custom-made 37-inch (940 mm) gold and silver inlaid sword from Tiffany & Co. The handle was emblazoned with the Roman god of the sea, Neptune, and included a gold-plated sheath and gold embroidered belt made at the cost of $550.
  In 1912, fifteen years after his death, Worden's family donated the sword to the Naval Academy where it rested until 1931 when it was stolen.  The subsequent naval investigation yielded no leads.
  The sword was missing for over six decades until 1998 when the FBI began an investigation into several dealers of the PBS show Antiques Roadshow. By 2002, three men were in jail for $1 million in memorabilia fraud. The FBI continued to delve further into the records of the appraisers, searching for more stolen items. The sword had been purchased by an appraiser and then resold to a collector. After the FBI verified the sword was stolen, it was confiscated and returned to the Naval Academy.
caption: Worden with the sword
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