(left) Ribbon cutters included new Mariners'president and CEO Tim Sullivan (formerly p resident ofWilliam and Mary University), who graciously called on long-serving past president John Hightower to take credit for his work in creating the $30-million dollar USS Monitor Center. Virginia governor Tim Kaine spoke of the significance ofthe center and maritime heritage, as did board chair Alan Diamondstein. Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), acknowledged the role of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program, under D irector Dan Basta and Monitor NMS Superintendent David Alberg, for its part in the recovery ofMonitor artifacts and the establishment of the Center. NOAAs Dr. John Broadwater directed the archaeology and recovery operations, assisted by nautical archaeologist Tane Casserley and historian JeffJohnsto n. tools rather than with rope and canvas. The center's galleries explain h ow ironclads were built, but the exhibition also provides insights into the lives of those w ho wo rked and lived aboard this strange space. The Monitor's turret, raised in 2002, sits in a tank undergoing conservation. On the exhibit floor, visitors can climb inside a full-size replica; later, they can see the real thing in the laboratory. Rare is the
Dynamic chief curator Anna Hollo way worked with DMCD Inc. to produce stimulating exhibits like this replica turret, which visitors can operate before moving on to see the real thing in the conservation lab.
opportunity for the general public to get to look in on a large conse rvation laboratory. Here, everyday visitors can see the recovered turret and other artifacts undergoing electrolytic reduction or other treatments. Not only can they look at the actual artifacts as they are being conserved (some will take years before they are completed), but the public can also begin to grasp the magnitude of the effort required to stabilize artifacts recovered from the sea. Sitting outside the center is a full-si zed reproduction of the Monitor. At 173 feet in length and fabricated from steel sections left over from the construction of USS Ronald Reagan, welders at Northrop Grumman Shipyard built the replica as a training exercise. From the exhibit hall, you can walk directly onto the Monitor's deck and get a feel for her size and shape.
During the opening events, C ivil War reenactors camped for several days on the museum grounds, providing a living historical experience to the Center's first visitors. Reenactors included the "Fighting Fifth" from Ohio, representing a regiment of African-American soldiers that distinguished itself during the war. Monitors crew included African American servicem en . The USS Monitor Center is deservedly receiving rave reviews. Visitors of all ages can find som ething of special interest, and one leaves inspired by the many messages in this remarkable new addition to America's maritime heritage. J,
MUSEUM UN LESS OTHERWlSE NOTED
SEA HISTORY 119, SUMMER 2007
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