December 31, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sank, in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina [1]. Just nine months earlier, the ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia [2] (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles [3] in American history—the first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement.
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I just heard that sci-fi novelist David Drake passed away. [4]Drake was best known as the author of the 10-book Hammer’s Slammers series. He will be greatly missed.
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Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).
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We are seeking entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest [5]. More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics [6]. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, 2024, so get busy writing and e-mail [7] us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.