WHAT:

After 140 years, 27 U.S. presidents and two world wars, the 30-ton steam engine of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor will be raised this summer from the ocean floor off Cape Hatteras, N.C., and preserved for generations to come. The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command and The Mariners' Museum, located in Newport News, Va., are working together to save this piece of American and naval history. The Monitor 2001 Expedition continues efforts to implement a long-range preservation plan for this rapidly deteriorating warship. The Monitor, a national historic landmark, is considered to be one of the world's most significant shipwreck sites.

WHEN:

Daily from June 25 – 29 and July 9 – 30, 2001

WHERE:

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Members of the media are invited to observe the recovery efforts from
June 25 – 29 and July 9 – 30. A shuttle boat will travel daily from Hatteras to the 300-foot long derrick barge anchored over the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA sanctuary staff, U.S. Navy personnel and Mariners' Museum representatives will be available for interviews and photos. In addition, video images and photographs will be made available throughout the operation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Further Information on NOAA and the Monitor 2001 Expedition is available at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
http://www.monitorcenter.org
http://www.cnsl.spear.navy.mil/mdsu2