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Shipwrecks: l> The U.S.S. Monitor
l Loss of the U.S.S.
Monitor Story l U.S.S.
Monitor Today! l Shipwreck Gallery
The U.S.S. Monitor.... Underwater
Archeology Today
The recovery of the USS Monitor, located 16 miles off the coast
of North Carolina near Cape Hatteras in 230 feet of water, is an
ongoing archeological project that incorporates all the latest
techniques in underwater discovery, recovery, interpretation,
research, and conservation.
 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, anD much more visit these
information portals:
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