Shipbucket

Just to add some history from Conways...
The Monitors built in this period were snuck in while Congress was not authorizing ship construction. The USN took the names of 6 Monitors from the Civil War and declared they were going to "repair" these ships for current use and got the funding passed. The fact the "repairs" were keel up new construction was conveniently glossed over.
As for Monterey's voyage across the Pacific, she was not so much accompanied by the Brutus, but was towed by her. At 236 ton capacity of coal, she did not have the range to make it on her own, and with such low freeboard, mid ocean re-coaling was seen as a last ditch option.
Crews diaries of the voyage described it as very wet and rough.

Excellent drawing of one of the lesser known ship types in the USN.