In the end, the battle, brief as it was, preserved the North's blockade and kept Europe out of the war. It also ended the Virginia's brutal attacks of Union ships, which resulted, among other losses, in the destruction of the 24-gun USS Cumberland, on which 121 of a total crew of 376 perished, and the Congress, which lost 240 of its crew of 434. Captain Worden's face was permanently blackened, and he lost sight in his left eye. But he and his crew were deemed heroes who helped the North win the Civil War.
Images: (1) Courtesy of the Mariner's Museum; (2-11) Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.