Deck
The Monitor's deck reached barely 18 inches above
waterline. The only permanent features that rose above the
deck were the revolving gun
turret
amidships and the armored
pilothouse
up at the bow. Monitor designer John Ericsson designed
all other features of the ship, including smoke boxes,
ventilator boxes, bits, bollards, and so on, to be removed
prior to going into combat. When the crew launched the ship,
they had no special davits at their disposal to hang the
Monitor's boats, so they simply dragged the boats up on
deck and tied them down.