Contact: Justin Kenney FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 713-3145 x153 7/19/95
In an unprecedented effort to stabilize the deteriorating remains of the Civil War ironclad ship USS Monitor, researchers and divers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy will descend 230 feet beneath Atlantic waters to remove and relocate the ship's 6,000-pound skeg and attempt to remove and recover the 3,600-pound propeller.
Beginning Aug. 14, divers working 17 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C., on the USS Edenton will remove the ship's skeg to lessen the deterioration of the Monitor. If possible, the propeller will be recovered and moved to The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va., for curation and eventual public display.
"Stabilizing the USS Monitor is one of the more important marine archaeological expeditions of this decade. It is critical that we work to preserve the integrity of this national historic landmark," said NOAA Administrator D. James Baker.
"This is an excellent opportunity for the 100-man crew of the USS Edenton to use their special training in deep diving and salvage to help protect and preserve such an historic warship," said Commander John Paul Johnston, commanding officer of the USS Edenton
For the past 20 years, the Monitor has received protection as a national marine sanctuary. In recent years, however, NOAA and private expeditions have observed accelerated deterioration of the hull due to natural and human causes.
"During our 1993 mission to the Monitor, it became clear that we needed to take action to prevent the 187-year old shipwreck from deteriorating before our eyes," said Sanctuary Manager John Broadwater. "The '93 mission also provided the necessary data for formulating our present plan, one which has received considerable review from the archaeological community," he added.
As the principal museum for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, The Mariners' Museum will supervise the conservation process and public exhibit of the propeller, should it be successfully recovered.
"The recovery of the Monitor propeller provides us with another extraordinary window of information from this time capsule in the sea," said Mariners' Museum CEO John B. Hightower.
This year, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary -- the nation's first sanctuary -- celebrates its 20th anniversary. In 1987, the Monitor was declared a National Historic Landmark, the first shipwreck to receive this distinction. The ship is famous for its Civil War battle on March 9, 1862, with the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack), which heralded the beginning of a new era in naval warfare. The battle, though indecisive, sparked the change from wood and sail to iron and steam. The Monitor survived the battle only to sink in a gale off the coast of Cape Hatteras on Dec. 31, 1862. Four officers and 12 crewmen perished.
National marine sanctuaries are administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a Commerce Department agency. Sanctuaries are marine and coastal areas of special national significance that may support unique ecosystems, commercial fishing, or habitats of endangered species, or are valued for their recreational, historical, or aesthetic resources.
Media advisory is attached.