One of the most famous naval battles in American history occurred between two ironclad vessels named the Monitor and the Merrimack. The Merrimack had ravaged Union wooden ships until the Monitor showed up and the two vessels found to a standstill with neither ironclad able to sink or even damage the other.
Yet one odd story surrounds the Union Monitor. during a storm, it was sinking so a sailor supposedly shoved the ship’s cat in the cannon to get it away from the water. The ship sank anyway but the legend of the cat in the cannon remains.
Now archeologists are studying the cannons to see if they can find evidence that a cat had ever been inside of it. While the cat is long dead, at least it proves that throughout history, cats have been regular companions to humans.
To learn more about the possible cat in the cannon, click here.