I don't know that I have ever seen mention of the Monitor and "Blockade" in the same article when addressing the Virginia. The Monitor was constructed and specifically directed to Hampton Roads to counter the Virginia. The Virginia was a "brown water" boat, and was no more capable of going to sea than was the Monitor. In fact, the Virginia would have been lost had she ever ventured outside the Roads and into Chesapeake Bay. With an AVERAGE water depth of 25 feet the Virginia would have grounded or exhausted a very limited capacity for fuel before returning to a safe berth. What claims were made regarding the role of the Monitor following May 11 aren't of interest with regards to the role of the Virginia, but suffice it to say that if she was there to enforce a "blockade" then the role of Fortress Monroe, the battery on the rock pile, and the 5 or 6 other major naval vessels would seem minimized. Further to the role of the Monitor and "blockade" enforcement, she was lost new years eve that year trying to make her way down the coast to engage CS elements along the North Carolina coast. That, as we know, didn't work out well.
The job assigned to the Virginia was to keep the blue navy out of the James River (protecting Richmond) and the Elizabeth River (protecting Norfolk/Gosport). I will not list the 15 points here, but this is a discussion that will never be resolved for some of those who choose to drink the cool aid. In fact, the substance of the argument weighed so heavily on one of the federal officers involved that in 1877 he finally shot himself. It is a long and involved study that has to be followed well after the war to understand, but trust the facts - the CSN prevailed at Hampton Roads from maiden sortie on 8 March until the morning of May 11.
