Williamsburg Regional Library

USS Monitor, a historic ship completes its final voyage, John D. Broadwater

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

USS Monitor

bibliography

749115674

John D. Broadwater

Ed Rachal Foundation nautical archaeology series

a historic ship completes its final voyage

On March 9, 1862, USS Monitor, prototype of a new class of armored warships, fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, Virginia, only a day after Virginia had ravaged the Union fleet blockading the James River. The events at Hampton Roads changed the world<U+2019>s navies. After centuries of dominating battles at sea, wooden, sail-powered warships would be rendered obsolete. The harbinger of that change did not last long, however. Less than nine months later, the now-famous Monitor was under tow, heading south to Beaufort, North Carolina, when, in heavy seas, the vessel sank, taking sixteen of its crew with it. Monitor was considered at the time to be a total and irretrievable loss; even the location of its final resting place became a mystery. Not until 1973 was the inverted hulk located, and in 1995, partial recovery of the wreck began under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the US Navy. The story of the subsequent protection and management of the historic resource, and the raising of major hull components including the gun turret, add another layer of history to the Monitor<U+2019>s fascinating story

Prologue: first encounter -- "The Monitor is no more" -- Following new orders -- Facing the Cape -- Both ironclads in trouble -- Distress aboard Monitor -- "The Monitor is no more" -- Discovery -- Early attempts to locate Monitor -- Discovery and positive identification of Monitor -- The formal announcement and follow-up plans -- The R/V Alcoa seaprobe mapping cruise, April 1974 -- Story of an ironclad -- The slow evolution of naval technology -- Arms versus armor -- American ironclads capture the world's attention -- The ultimate test: the battle of Hampton Roads -- A sanctuary for America -- Protecting Monitor -- Investigating Monitor -- NOAA/Harbor Branch Foundation submersible expeditions -- NOAA reassesses its management strategy -- Institutional and private research expeditions, 1974-1979 -- Private dive expeditions,1990-1997 -- Next steps -- Charting a new course for the Monitor -- Escalating management issues -- Reassessment of Monitor management strategy -- Congressional mandate for a Monitor preservation plan -- Development of the comprehensive, long-range plan -- Summary of the final comprehensive, long-range plan -- Final recommendations -- Initial planning and implementation -- Implementing the recovery plan -- Help from a new source -- Propeller recovery expedition, 1998 -- Data collection expedition, 1999 -- Engineering the recovery of Monitor's machinery -- Hull stabilization and deployment of engine recovery structure, 2000 -- Steam engine recovery, 2001 -- Monitor completes its final voyage -- Gun turret recovery, 2002 -- 2002 Monitor expedition -- In Monitor's turret -- Entering a tomb -- Monitor completes its final voyage -- The turret's final journey -- Back in the turret -- Revelations from the turret -- The sanctuary's future -- Epilogue: telling Monitor's story

adult