Hampton Roads is a channel through which the waters of the
James River,
Nansemond River[?], and
Elizabeth River[?] of
Virginia
pass (between
Old Point Comfort[?] to the north and
Sewell’s Point[?] to
the south) into
Chesapeake Bay. It is an important highway of commerce,
especially for the cities of
Norfolk,
Portsmouth, and
Newport News, and is a chief rendezvous of the
United States Navy. For a width of 500 feet the Federal government during
1902 through
1905 increased its minimum depth at low water from 25.5 feet to 30 feet. The entrance from Chesapeake Bay was (in
1911) defended by
Fortress Monroe[?] on Old Point Comfort and by
Fort Wood[?] on a small island called the
Rip Raps[?] near the middle of the channel; and at Portsmouth, a few miles up the Elizabeth river, is an important navy-yard.
The famous battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimack) took place in the Roads.
- (from an old encyclopedia)