Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is the site of the wreck of the , one of the most famous shipwrecks in U.S. history. It was designated as the country's first national marine sanctuary on January 30, 1975, and is one of only two of the sixteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource rather than a natural resource. The sanctuary comprises a column of water in diameter extending from the ocean’s surface to the seabed around the wreck of the Civil War ironclad, which lies south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Average water depth in the sanctuary is . Since its sinking in 1862, the ''Monitor'' has become an artificial reef attracting numerous fish species, including amberjack, black sea-bass, oyster toadfish and great barracuda.

USS ''Monitor''

The ''Monitor'' was the prototype for a class of U.S. Civil War ironclad, turreted warships that significantly altered both naval technology and marine architecture in the nineteenth century. Designed by the Swedish engineer John Ericsson, the vessel contained all of the emerging innovations that revolutionized warfare at sea. The ''Monitor'' was constructed in a mere 110 days.

While the design of ''Monitor'' was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the original ''Monitor'', which foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves while under tow by ''Rhode Island'', she sank on December 30, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras. Sixteen of 62 crewmen were lost in the storm.

Rediscovery

In 1973, the wreck of the ironclad ''Monitor'' was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from Duke University’s Marine Laboratory. The discovery was preceded by extensive historical research and the selection of probable areas for the ''Monitor''’s sinking. The search team located what they believed to be the wreck of the ''Monitor'' using side-scan sonar and remotely operated cameras. In 1974, the U.S. Navy and the National Geographic Society launched a second expedition that confirmed the identity of the ''Monitor'' and produced detailed photographic documentation of the wreck site. One year later, in 1975, the site was designated as the nation’s first marine sanctuary.

Preservation

Initial dives in the 1970s and later research expeditions in the early 1990s have indicated that the ''Monitor''’s iron hull, having been inundated with saltwater for over 100 years, is deteriorating at an accelerated rate. In 1998, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed a plan to recover significant "iconic" sections of the wreck for conservation and public display. Additionally, NOAA developed a plan to help stabilize the wreck from further deterioration as much as possible.

The warship's propeller was raised to the surface in 1998. On July 16, 2001, divers from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the US Navy brought to the surface the steam engine. Due to the depth of the wreck, the divers utilized surface supplied diving techniques while breathing heliox. In 2002, after 41 days of work, the revolutionary revolving gun turret was recovered by the NOAA and a team of U.S. Navy divers. Before removing the turret, divers discovered the remains of two trapped crew members. The remains of these sailors, who died while on duty, are at the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, awaiting positive identification.

Many artifacts from ''Monitor'', including her turret, propeller, anchor, engine, delicate glass bottles, lumps of coal, wood paneling, a leather book cover and even walnut halves, have been conserved and are on display at the Mariners' Museum of Newport News, Virginia. Once conservation is complete, artifacts are available for exhibition and study. While the majority of the ''Monitor'' artifacts remain at The Mariners’ Museum, other facilities including the Richmond National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia, Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia, and soon the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, North Carolina, also display artifacts from the historic ship.

In 1986, ''Monitor'' was designated a National Historic Landmark. It is one of only three accessible monitor wrecks in the world, the others being the Australian vessel HMVS ''Cerberus'', and the Norwegian KNM ''Thor'', which lies at about off Verdens Ende in Vestfold county, Norway.

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National Marine Sanctuaries of the United States
Protected areas of Dare County, North Carolina
Protected areas of North Carolina
1975 establishments in North Carolina