There was the big fear that a Confederate ship might slip into the bay past the forts guarding it under the cover of darkness or fog. Once past the forts on Alcatraz Island and Fort Point and out of their range, the city would be at the Confederate's mercy unless an ironclad were there to challenge it.
Around 200 cannons were installed around the entrance of the bay at Fort Point, Alcatraz and Angel island.
The now-sunken Aguila had 25 feet of stern above water and the bow under 38 feet at high tide. And, the Camanche was still inside.
It took a year and a half to get the monitor out, reassemble it, and test its seaworthiness before it was commissioned after the Civil war was over and the threat no longer existed.
It remained on station for a year before decommissioning. After that, it spent most of its time anchored in the Napa River near the Navy Yard until it was sold in 1899 to J. P. Bereovich & Livingston for $6,581.25 and converted to a coal barge.
A sad end for a war ship.
I also found that the double-turreted monitor USS Monadnock, which participated in the attacks on Fort Fisher, made the perilous voyage around the tip of South America after the war to become the second ironclad available for San Francisco's protection.
An Interesting Story. --Old B-R
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