SHIP NOTES
The USS Monitor Project by Michael Mulcahy In August 1973, scientists aboard a Duke University research vessel discovered the I I I-year-old wreck of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor off the coast of North Carolina . The little "cheesebox on a raft," as the Monitor was sometimes called, captured worldwide attention when she clashed with the Confederate ironclad , CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack). Her thick iron armor, rotating gun turret and a host of innovative engineering features rendered her a formidable warship, and although her confrontation with the Virginia was generally regarded as a draw , naval warfare was revolutionized by the fourhour battle on 9 March 1862. From that day forward only an ironcl ad could defend a wooden fleet against anothe r ironclad. When the Monitor sank in a gale off Cape Hatteras nine month s later, her fame as the ship that saved the Union became legendary . Her discovery prompted concerned government officials to evaluate how best to protect the shipwreck, which is located beyond the territorial waters of North Carolina. Title III of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate ocean waters (and the Great Lakes) from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf as m arine sanctuaries for the purpose of preserving their " di stinctive conservation , recreational, ecolog ical, hi storical and esthetic values." Sites having cultural , arc heological and paleontological significance fa ll under this rubric as we ll. The M arine Estuarine Management Division of the National Oceanic and Atmosphe ric Administration (NOAA) was desig nate d the authority for developing programs for national maritime sanctuaries. As this law seemed to afford the Monitor the best protection , the Governor of North Carolina nominated the site as the nation's first marine sanc tuary . After review and public hearings, the site was so designated in January 1975 . NOAA has sought to benefit from the experience of other projects both in this country and abroad. Two such undertakings exemplify the significant disparity between the US and European expe rie nces in dealing with historic shipwrecks. In 1961 , the Wasa , a Swedish warship of 1628, was removed intact from Stockholm Harbor. As this was the first such . project of its kind, technology had to be developed and adapted to save the ship as the work progressed. In particular, three lessons can be learned from the SEA HISTORY , SUMMER 1987
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5 u Above, the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack) on 9 March 1862. Although a standoff, the engagement revolutionized naval wmfare . At right , a drawing of the wreck site .
Wasa experience . • Once the decision is made to recover, there must be total financial commitment to conservation . • Private as well as government financ ial support will be necessary to achieve long-term goals . • Preservation of a shipwreck amounts to perpetual care and maintenance; the Wasa has been undergoing conservation treatment for more than twenty-fi ve years.
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In contrast to the success of the Wasa S3 0 recovery , the failure of inadequate sup- u port was never more pain full y clear than information by remote sensing and in the project to recover the USS Cairo , a Civil War gunboat discovered in 1956 photography. A major goal is to deternear Vicksburg, Mississippi, and virtumine the rate of corrosion of the Monitor's hull , a c lue to its current strucally intact. Poor planning led to the tural integrity. Documentary filming will wreck's be ing torn apart during lifting operations. Later, insufficient planning be used later in fundraising. for conservation and a shortfall in fundNOAA is committed to the goals for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. ing exacerbated earlier mistakes . These and other factors led to the tragic loss of However, NO AA is not the sole steward a wealth of archeological and hi storical of the Monitor and materials relating to the ship . One means of preserving the information . Monitor can be to ensure that the ex isting At a national conference in 1978, it collection of arti fac ts and papers is propwas recommended that NOAA determine the technical and financial feasierly cared for. This co llection is spread bility of the suggested options-which throu ghout public and pri vate collections aro und the country . No steps will be ranged from non-disturbance of the site, taken to ra ise any part of the wreck until to complete recovery of the wreck. In response, NOAA established the USS a well thought out plan is in place for the conservation, preservation and public Monitor Project whose goal is to develop and implement a master plan for the interpretive di splay of artifacts . Multi Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. The di sci plinary concern s must be reso lved before the ultimate fate of the Monitor Project encourages the participation of other agencies, organizations and indiis decided . The significance of the effort viduals with expertise in cultural reapplies not onl y to the Monitor, but also source management , archeology, hi sto any other shipwrecks that may be detory, conservation , eng ineeri ng, museo lsignated marine sanctuaries in the future. ogy and fundrai si ng. w Thus far , NOAA has sponsored four Mr. Mulcahy , former managing editor expeditions using both divers and manof Sea Technology magazine, is assistant ned submersibles. This summer's expedproject manager of the USS Monitor Proition , co-sponsored by NOAA and the ject. He also works at Eastport International, the Navy's primary contractor for Navy, will use the Navy ' s unmanned unundersea operations. dersea vehi cle, Deep Drone , to gather 33