The Monitor revolutionized naval warfare with its revolving turret. Now a ship could bring its cannon to bear on an enemy without having to turn the whole ship. It battled to a draw with the ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The battle, while inconclusive, sounded the death knell for the wooden navy. Future ships would be built of iron and steel and depend on steam, instead of the wind.

Suspended from the barge Wotan (picture n), was an eight-legged shell of I-beams called the spider (picture m). The spider was to protect and support the turret during removal to the surface. The Wotan also was involved in the efforts to retrieve the Monitor's steam engine last year. With the spider in place around the turret, the divers carefully excavated beneath it so they could place beams running underneath to support it during the lift to the surface. When everything was ready, they lifted the turret onto a pallet to keep its contents from spilling out during its final ascent (picture o).

The first thing spectators saw was a replica of the 1862 U.S. flag that the Monitor was flying when it sank. Then the turret and spider broke the surface to a cascade of seawater. Rusty, covered with barnacles, and dented by Confederate shells (picture e), the turret was greeted by the cheers of more than 100 Navy divers (picture c). John Broadwater (picture d), a NOAA official who'd worked for years to save the hulk, rapped on the turret and found it solid, despite many years under water. "The damage appears to be minimal," the beaming Broadwater said.

To arrest any deterioration in the air, the turret will be bathed in saltwater spray during its journey to Norfolk, Va. There, the colors will be officially retired prior to transferring the turret to a smaller barge for the trip to the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Va., where it will be resubmerged in a 93,000-gallon tank of less than 50 degree water to preserve any remaining organic material. Completing the excavation and stabilizing the metal parts of the turret, cannons, and any other objects is expected to take 12 to 15 years and cost $3 million. A $30 million addition to house the artifacts and tell the Monitor's story is expected to open in 2007.

Sixteen crewmen (picture g) were lost when the Monitor sank in 1862. The turret was the only way to get out of the sinking ship. Part of one set of remains was removed from inside the turret and brought up before the final lift. The rest of the skeleton was trapped under one of the cannons. A second set of remains was discovered as the final preparations were being made. They documented the location as best they could and completed the final lift. What they found when they were able to continue was a skeletal right hand with a ring still on one finger (picture l). Archaeologists have to be careful while working in the turret. The silt and sand has settled to the point where they need a hammer and chisel to make any progress and be aware, at the same time, that they might encounter fragile artifacts at any moment.

Even though the turret is no longer there, dives continue at the site. No more major recoveries are planned as the hull of the ship is too fragile. Divers are recovering any artifacts they find and mapping the area.

Sources:

Mike Toner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/29/02, pg. A6
Mike Toner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/6/02, pg. A1 and 10
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02monitor/monitor.html
Sonja Barisic, AP, 8/5/02