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John Lorimer Worden was born on 12 March 1818 in Westchester County,
NY. He was appointed midshipman in the Navy on 10 January 1834. He served
his first three years in the sloop-of-war Erie on the Brazilian Station.
Following that, he was briefly assigned to the sloop Cyane before reporting
to the Naval School at Philadelphia for seven months of instruction.
He returned to sea in July 1840 for two years with the Pacific Squadron.
Between 1844 and 1846, Worden was stationed at the Naval Observatory
in Washington, D.C. During the Mexican War, he cruised the west coast,
primarily in the store ship Southampton, but in other ships as well.
In 1850, he returned to the Naval Observatory for another two-year tour
of duty. The ensuing nine years were filled with sea duty which took
Worden on several cruises in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. Brought
to Washington early in 1861, he received orders in April to carry secret
dispatches—regarding the reinforcement of Fort Pickens—south
to the warships at Pensacola. During the return journey north, Worden
was arrested near Montgomery, Ala., and was held prisoner until exchanged
about seven months later. Though still ill as a result of his imprisonment,
Comdr. Worden accepted orders to command the new ironclad Monitor on
16 January 1862. He reported to her building site at Greenpoint on Long
Island and supervised her completion. He placed the new warship in commission
at the New York Navy Yard on 25 February and two days later sailed for
Hampton Roads. However, steering failure forced the ironclad back to
New York for repairs. On 6 March, she headed south again, this time
under tow by Seth Low. On the afternoon of 8 March, Worden's command
approached Cane Henry, VA., while inside Hampton Roads, the Confederacy's
own ironclad, CSS Virginia, wreaked havoc with the Union Navy's wooden
blockading fleet. During that engagement, the Southern warship sank
the sloop Cumberland and severely damaged Congress and Minnesota before
retiring behind Sewell's Point. Arriving on the scene too late to participate
in the engagement, Worden and his command set about assisting the grounded
Minnesota. At daybreak on the 9th, Virginia emerged once more from behind
Sewell's Point to complete her reduction of the Federal fleet at Hampton
Roads. As the Confederate ironclad approached Minnesota, Worden maneuvered
Monitor put from the grounded ship's shadow to engage Virginia in the
battle that revolutionized naval warfare. For four hours, the two iron-plated
ships slugged it out as they maneuvered in the narrow channel of Hampton
Roads, pouring shot and shell at one another to almost no visible effect.
Three hours into the slug fest, Worden received facial wounds when a
Confederate shell exploded just outside the pilot house. He relinquished
command to his first officer, Samuel D. Green. About an hour later,
Monitor withdrew from the battle temporarily and, upon her return to
the scene, found that Virginia, too, had withdrawn. The first battle
between steam-driven, armored ships had ended in a draw. After the battle,
Worden moved ashore to convalesce from his wounds. During that recuperative
period, he received the accolade of a grateful nation and the official
thanks of Congress. Late in 1862, he took command of the ironclad monitor
Montauk and placed her in commission at New York on 14 December 1862.
Later in the month, Worden took his new ship south to join the South
Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Port Royal, SC. On 27 January 1863,
he led his ship in the bombardment of Fort McAlister. A month later,
newly promoted Capt. Worden took his ship into the Ogeechee River, found
the Confederate privateer Rattlesnake (formerly CSS Nashville), and
destroyed her with five well-placed shots. His last action came of 7
April 1863, when Montauk participated in an attack on Charleston, SC.
Not long after the Charleston attack, Capt. Worden received orders to
shore duty in conjunction with the construction of ironclads at New
York. That assignment lasted until the late 1860's. In 1869, he began
a five-year tour as Superintendent of the Naval Academy during which
he was promoted to rear admiral. During the late 1870's, he commanded
the European Squadron, visiting ports in northern Europe and patrolling
theeastern Mediterranean during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. He
returned ashore and concluded his naval career as a member of the Examining
Board and as President of the Retiring Board. When he retired on 23
December 1886, Congress voted him full sea pay in his grade for life.
Rear Admiral Worden resided in Washington, D.C., until his death from
pneumonia on 19 October 1897. After funeral services at Washington's
St. John's Episcopal Church, he was buried at Pawling, NY.
1st Photo caption - Rear Admiral John L. Worden, USN, namesake of USS
Worden, photographed in full dress uniform by F.M. Zuller, Richfield
Springs, New York, and the U.S. Naval Academy, April 1873. Note his
very fancy sword. - U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH101.
Photo 2 & 3 from Brady-Handy Photograph Collection (Library of
Congress). These photos appear to have been taken during the same sitting
as the first one. - Library of Congress #LC-DIG-cwpbh-04058
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