The monitor defeated the merrimac at hampton roads in the war's first naval battle. truefalse

False

Explanation:

The statement would be false due to the fact at Hampton Roads, neither ship inflicted damage unto the opposing effectively.  Due to the lack of power on either side regarding their ironclad ships, this marked a new era in naval warfare and both the Confederacy and the Union strove to achieve greater heights with their naval advances.

Hope this helps.