The USS MONITOR gave its name to a type of warship that profoundly influenced design concept. When the MONITOR met the CSS VIRGINIA off Hampton Roads in the first duel between ironclads, they demonstrated that all of the worlds navies with their lines of wooden walls were helpless. The MONITOR was a revolutionary concept, combining a rotating turret mounting the largest guns with a low freeboard and armor. The idea was to deliver the most firepower while presenting the smallest possible target for return fire. Those parts of the ship that were exposed were protected by enough armor to make them invulnerable to enemy fire. By stopping the CSS VIRGINIA from destroying the blockading squadron off Hampton Roads the MONITOR made a tremendous impression. The enthusiasm for these odd designs tended to exaggerate their effectiveness and to ignore their more obvious weaknesses. Although the USS MONITOR was obsolete within a short time, (and would sink in a gale while under tow off Cape Hatteras), the US Navy continued to build improved monitor types of single, double, and even triple turret design. The limitation of the design was the low freeboard that made them unsuitable for operations beyond coastal defense. But they were powerfully armed, easy and quick to produce, and were relatively cheap to build. After the Civil War the US Navy fell into a state of neglect. Monitors were rotting in various east coast ports. This visible naval presence disguised the unpleasant facts that not only were the ships obsolete but their material condition made them totally unseaworthy. For thirty years the Navy was allowed to deteriorate while the energies of the nation focused toward western expansion.

When the United States decided to restore its Navy in the 1890s the Monitor type had a strong group of supporters. New designs were fortnulated for coastal defense, the monitor type being promoted as the cheapest and most effective solution to the problem. Their proponents never seemed to question whether coastal defense was a proper strategy for a great power. Economy was a strong incentive, since more monitors could be built in less time than conventional battleships. Also, many people were deluded to think that they were equally effective fighting ships. Ten new monitors were constructed, ordered prior to and during the Spanish American War, and represent the final monitor development in the United States Navy. Great Britain built monitors in both world wars but these were a different sort of ship. They were never intended to fight other warships. They were designed for shore bombardment duties freeing more important fleet units for other tasks.

The USS WYOMING was the last monitor built for the US Navy. One of four of the ARKANSAS class, she was built by the Union Iron Works of San Francisco. WYOMING was launched on December 8, 1900. Her specifications were: length 252' at the waterline, beam 50" and a draft of 126". The ARKANSAS class mounted the largest gun available at the time, two 12" 40 caliber weapons mounted in a single twin turret. Secondary armament consisted of four 4" and two 6pdr. guns. Wyoming was delivered and commissioned in December 1902.

Obsolete even before she was built, WYOMING spent her first seven years cruising off the West Coast taking part in various training missions, target practices, drills, and ceremonies. She was decommissioned at Mare Island in 1909 and in 1910 was assigned to the Washington State Militia as a training vessel. In 1909 her name was changed to CHEYENNE to free the Wyoming name for a new battleship. All the monitors with state names were renamed for cities. In 1913 CHEYENNE was converted to serve as a submarine tender. Conversion work was carried out at the Bremerton Navy Yard and she was recommissioned in August, 1913 as the tender for the 2nd. Pacific Torpedo Flotilla. She served as a submarine tender on various West Coast stations until late 1917. She then transferred to the Atlantic Coast where she served as the flagship and tender for Division 3, Flotilla 1, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet. She served with the submarine force until Dec.1918 when she was assigned to Division 1, American Patrol Detachment. The CHEYENNE saw no combat in the war.

CHEYENNE served in various secondary and training duties until, on January 21, 1926, she was towed to Philadelphia and decommissioned there on June 1, 1926. She was stricken from the navy list on January 25, 1937 and was finally sold for scrap on April 20, 1939.

In retrospect it seems remarkable that these four ships were built at all and even more so that one of them survived as late as 1939. Their most useful employment was as submarine tenders, for which they were suited mainly due to their low freeboard. Alexander C. Brown, writing for the society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Historical Transactions summed them up with the comment. "It is significant to note that in this humble capacity they were ministering to the needs of that type of craft that logically replaced them for, as initially envisaged, monitors were designed to combine heavy striking power with concealment and the presentation of a negligible target."

The CHEYENNE/WYOMING would be a relatively easy scratch built due to its small size and the simple shapes. There are no compound curves and the hull is minimal. Some parts from 1/700 scale be adapted such as boats, light guns, searchlights, etc. Plastic or brass tubing can serve as the basis for the main gun turret and for the funnel with the addition of photo etched railings, this could be a very effective little model and the basis of an interesting diorama possibility, with a couple of small submarines moored alongside.

1/700 Scale Drawing