rash! I wake as my head slams into the bulkhead of the darkened cabin. The little light that pierces through the hatch looks ominous, a far cry from the gentle conditions we left behind on shore. Startled and rubbing my head in the stifling heat, I struggle to regain my senses. " I clamber up the companionway to the lurching deck above. On deck, I am immediately hit by a fury of a white, wet chaos. The wind whips across the deck, as foam, spray, and waves wash over the sides of the vessel. The crew scrambles to secure equipment. I look questioningly to the captain. His shout is barely heard above the wind's howl, "Today's not the day boys, I'm calling it." I could easily be describing that treacherous night in 1862 when USS Monitor and sixteen sailors were taken to their watery grave. Instead, I am talking about a day from NOAA's 2003 expedition to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. More than 140 years later, the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" still lives up to its name. Our research vessel made it within range of the wreck site, but on that day, the conditions off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, conspired to keep us away from the legendary ironclad. Weather will always be a factor on Monitor, but through the collaborative efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US Navy, and the National Undersea Research Center (NURC), we have made strides in preserving and protecting the precious artifact that spawned all modern warships. This year's field season produced site drawings, digital photography, and, something that has never been done on the Monitor before, a photomosaic capturing the entire length of the wreck in one image. In 1973 a Duke University research team discovered the wreck sixteen miles off
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