John P . Bankhead John Payne Bankhead ( 1821 – 1867 ) was an officer in the United States Navy who served during the American Civil War , and was in command of the ironclad when it sank in 1862 . He went on to command three other ships . Early life . John Payne Bankhead was born on August 3 , 1821 , at Fort Johnson on James Island , South Carolina . His father was General James Bankhead , a brigadier general who distinguished himself in the Mexican – American War . Bankhead ' s family were prominent citizens from both Virginia and South Carolina . As the Civil War approached secession badly divided his family as it did with so many others in these states . Bankhead ' s two brothers , Henry C . , a regular army officer who also sided with the Union and Smith Pyne , a lawyer in Memphis , Tennessee , who joined the Confederate army became a colonel . Major General John Bankhead Magruder was a cousin who left the Union and served under the Confederate flag . Military career . Bankhead entered the navy in August 1838 at the age of 17 . His first ship was the frigate , and his early career was spent with the Coast Survey in the Carolinas . He was promoted to passed midshipman on 20 May 1844 . While in Vera Cruz during the Mexican – American War , Bankhead served under his father . He was later promoted to master on 8 May 1851 and lieutenant on 7 April 1852 . After the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln ' s declaration of a blockade , Bankhead was ordered to the USS " Susquehanna " , a side - wheel steamer carrying fifteen guns launched in 1850 . In August the Susquahanna participated in the joint army - navy expedition to Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . On August 28 the Union naval force , including the " Susquahanna " , bombarded the forts guarding Hatteras Inlet as troops landed . The following day the bombardment continued until the forts finally surrendered . Bankhead criticized the way the attacks were carried out and later wrote Captain Gustavus Fox , the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and an old shipmate , that the forts could have been taken in much less time : Bankhead was later stationed on the and was sent to Charleston , South Carolina , for blockade duty , where his years with the coast survey were put to good use . On May 15 Bankhead was assigned to the USS " Pembina " and which was ordered to join the blockading force off Charleston . The " Pembina " was assigned to this important blockading station because of her shallow draft , which was necessary for this inshore duty . On May 16 the " Pembina " arrived off Charleston and Bankhead was ordered by the senior officer present , Commander John B . Marchand , to determine if the water over the bar at the entrance to the Stono River was deep enough to allow his warships to cross over . Throughout the summer of 1862 , Bankhead remained on blockade duty near Charleston . Bankhead was promoted to commander on July 16 , 1862 , and in the middle of August the " Pembina " was ordered to New York for repairs . Flag Officer DuPont wrote a letter on Bankhead ' s behalf to Captain Gustavus Fox , Assistant Secretary of the Navy , requesting that he be transferred to an ironclad vessel . Bankhead was given the " Monitor " and took command from Thomas Stevens on September 10 , 1862 . Command of USS " Monitor " . Bankhead was sent to New York in the beginning of September with the " Pembina " for needed repairs to the vessel . He was recommended by Flag Officer DuPont for command of the " Monitor " to which Secretary Fox complied . Upon arriving in New York , Bankhead received orders to take command of the " Monitor " . He was then sent to Hampton Roads and upon arrival relieved Commander Stevens on September 10 . Shortly after the change of command , a board of survey condemned the ironclad ' s engines and boilers and recommended that they be extensively overhauled and on October 3 , 1862 , the ironclad arrived at the Washington Navy Yard for repairs . For approximately six weeks the vessel remained in Washington ' s Navy yard while her bottom was scraped clean of barnacles and other sea fowl while the engines and boilers were overhauled and the entire vessel cleaned and painted , and a number of improvements made , including an iron shield around the top of the turret . She was taken out of drydock on October 26 . By November the ship was fully repaired and outfitted and ready to return to service at Hampton Roads . Orders were issued on December 24 , 1862 , for the " Monitor " to move to Beaufort , North Carolina to join USS " Passaic " and USS " Montauk " . There the ship would join the blockade off Charleston . On Christmas Day the " Monitor " was ready for sea , but because of stormy weather and rough seas the departure was delayed until 29 December . The actual orders were received on Christmas Day as the crew were celebrating the holiday aboard the " Monitor " at Hampton Roads in what was described as a most merry fashion while many other celebrations were occurring along the shore . Bankhead paid the ship ' s cook one dollar to prepare a meal for the crew befitting the day , however it was received with mixed opinion . That day , " Monitor " was made ready for sea , her crew under strict orders not to discuss the impending voyage with anyone . but bad weather delayed her departure until 29 December . While the design of " Monitor " was well - suited for river combat , her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters . " Monitor " put to sea on December 31 , under tow from , when a heavy storm developed off Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . Using chalk and a blackboard , Bankhead wrote messages alerting the " Rhode Island " that if " Monitor " needed help she would signal with a red lantern . On December 31 , 1862 , a storm hit seas off Cape Hatteras , and the " Monitor " , under tow by the . " Monitor " was soon in trouble as the storm increased in ferocity , large waves splashing over and completely covering the deck , flooding into the vents and ports . She began rolling uncontrollably in the high seas . Sometimes she would drop into a wave with such force the entire hull would tremble . Leaks were beginning to appear everywhere . Bankhead ordered the engineers to start the Worthington pump s , which temporarily stemmed the rising waters , but soon " Monitor " was hit by a squall and a series of violent waves and water continued to work its way into the hull . When the Worthington pump could no longer control the flooding , a call came from the engine room that water was gaining there . Realizing the ship was in serious trouble , Bankhead signaled " Rhode Island " for help and hoisted the red lantern next to " Monitor " s white running light atop the turret . He then called for volunteers and ordered the towline cut and the anchor dropped to stop the ship ' s rolling and pitching , with little effect , making it no easier for the rescue boats to get close enough to receive her crew . Acting Master Stodder , along with crewmates John Stocking , and James Fenwick volunteered and climbed down from the turret , but eyewitnesses said that as soon as they were on the deck Fenwick and Stocking were quickly swept overboard and drowned . Stodder managed to hang on to the safety lines around the deck and finally cut through the towline with a hatchet . At 11 : 30 p . m . Bankhead ordered the engineers to stop engines and divert all available steam to the large Adams centrifugal steam pump ; but with reduced steam output from a boiler being fed wet coal it too was unable to stem the rapidly rising water . After all steam pumps had failed , Bankhead ordered some of the crew to man the hand pumps and organized a bucket brigade , but to no avail . Despite a prolonged and desperate rescue effort , " Monitor " was finally overwhelmed , foundered and sank approximately southeast off Cape Hatteras with the loss of sixteen men , including four officers , some of whom remained in the turret and went down with the ironclad . A total of forty - seven men were rescued by the life boats from " Rhode Island " . Bankhead survived the ordeal and was the last man to abandon the ship , but suffered from exposure . After his initial recovery , Bankhead filed his official report , as did the commanding officers of the " Rhode Island " , stating officers and men of both " Monitor " and " Rhode Island " did everything within their ability to keep " Monitor " from sinking . The Navy did not find it necessary to commission a board of inquiry to investigate the affair and took no action against Bankhead or any of his officers . Command of USS " Otsego " . After surviving the ordeal with the loss of the " Monitor " during the fall and early winter months of 1863 - 1864 , Bankhead recovered slowly . He finally requested active duty in January 1864 and on February 3 was given command the new double ender side - wheel gunboat USS " Otsego " . The ship was commissioned in the spring and reached Hampton Roads by 24 May 1864 . The " Otsego " was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron with her station to be the North Carolina sounds . On June 21 Bankhead was given command of Union naval forces in the sounds . His major responsibility was capturing or destroying the Confederate ironclad ram CSS " Albemarle " up the Roanoke River . In April Confederate troops assisted by the " Albemarle " had seized and were now occupying Plymouth , North Carolina , a few miles up the Roanoke . On 5 May the " Albemarle " descended the river and attacked Union gunboats in the sound in an engagement that lasted nearly three hours . The Confederate vessel , badly damaged and in need of repairs , returned to Plymouth . Throughout the summer months it was feared that she would again attempt to enter the sounds and Bankhead , with the " Otsego " and four additional gunboats , guarded the river ' s mouth . Sometime in the late summer he was " detached " from the Otsego , probably because of poor health . Command of USS " Wyoming " . The was transferred to the Asiatic Squadron , and Bankhead was promoted to captain in 25 July 1866 and remained in command until 1867 , when due to poor health he requested to be relieved of duty . He died on April 27 , 1867 , off Aden on the Bengal steamer " Simla " , on his way home to the United States . Bankhead ended the war still in command of " Wyoming " , which was stationed in the Pacific searching for the