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The Wreck of the Monitor
Picture Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration except where otherwise noted
The Ericsson Ironclad Battery Monitor as illustrated in Harper's Weekly, March 22, 1862. (Monitor Collection, NOAA) The USS Monitor was the first iron clad ship the US Navy had. It fought the Confederate iron clad ship the Merrimac to a standstill and was the first ship to use a revolving turret making it able to fire rounds without moving the ship into a position to line the guns up. The Merrimac had to move to aim its guns. Though the Monitor was sturdy in battle in was low in the water with almost all of the ship below the water line except for a few inches below the deck. Because of it situation in the water it was unstable in rough weather. On December 30, 1862 it was sunk in a storm as hugh waves broke over the top of it, while it was being towed to Rhode Island. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), has a small fleet of ships it uses to explore the ocean. Its flag ship is named the Ronald H. Brown.
NOAA Flagship Ronald H. Brown The NOAA fleet consists of varied vessels and submersibles and contains enough vessels to get most any job accomplished. But we are not here to talk about the NOAA fleet but instead we interested in the Monitor and what NOAA and others are doing to recover the ironclad. In a dives conducted from March 25, 2001 to August 17, 2001, U.S. Navy divers began diving on the wreck of the Monitor. This effort involved NOAA, the U.S. Navy and personnel from the Mariner's Museum along with personnel from various other organizations.
Divers find the turret of the Monitor and swim around it The Navy wanted to recover the steam engine from the Monitor and a piece of her hull and spent five months in the task. The Monitor was a heavy piece of iron. It had a 5 foot high, 6 inch thick armor belt around the vessel at the water line. Sixteen crewmen drowned when the Monitor went down. When the ship sunk it was less than one year old.
Two navy divers entering the hull of the Monitor
Navy divers work at night on wreck of Monitor. Picture on right was lightened for better viewing
Raising the Monitor's Engine
Two different views of the recovered Monitor Engine at the Mariner's Museum
Diver walks on Montior's Hull
Archaeologist recovers a brass handle from a bayonet
Glass whale oil lamp chimneys recovered at the wreck of the Monitor The site of the Monitor is very interesting and I am sure that it will be revisited many times, after all, history is very compulsive. As for the recovered steam engine is was very unique. The engine was a vibrating side lever steam engine. |
