At the outbreak of
the American Civil War, naval technology was improving rapidly. Both
armament and armor had reached new levels of effectiveness.
The USS Monitor , a prototype Civil War
ironclad vessel was launched on January 30, 1862, having been
hurriedly constructed in just 110 days. She was fully steam
powered and featured a 20-foot diameter, 9-foot high revolving turret
which was amidships and housed two 11 inch Dahlgren smooth bore
cannons. The Monitor survived a major battle
with the Confederate ironclad Virginia
only to be lost in a Hatteras gale on December 31, 1862.
The wreck lay undiscovered for 112 years
when, finally, after years of active searching, it
was found in April of 1974. On January 30, 1975,
Congress authorized the establishment of the nation's first
National Marine Sanctuary to protect and preserve the remains
of what has been called the most significant ship in American
History. General research goals for the sanctuary are the
continued scientific recovery and distribution of historic and cultural
information preserved at the site, the continued scientific study
of the Monitor as an artificial reef, and the careful
review and monitoring of privately sponsored research activities in
order to ensure that the site is protected and preserved and that the
research results will be maximized.
Because of its location (16 miles offshore
in 230 feet of water) the majority of the American people
cannot visit the Monitor .
However, due to the
intense interest generated by her discovery, several
excellent internet sites have been developed where you can
learn about the historical significance of this Civil War
ship, her rediscovery, and the modern techniques that are being
employed to bring her to the surface of world attention once
again. The Graveyard of the Atlantic
Museum recommends the following websites as representative of
the tremendous body of research that has been developed since the
Monitor was found in 1974 . Visit
any of the sites below for photos of underwater recovery operations,
historical accounts, artifacts recovered thus far and conservation
efforts. To read the news account of actual raising of the gun turrett,
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