Divers begin work to raise Civil War ship

[Suzie]

Divers begin work to raise Civil War ship
Copyright © 2002 AP Online

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Monitor Expedition
The Associated Press

HATTERAS, N.C. (July 6, 2002 7:22 p.m. EDT) - Divers have uncovered the turret of the Civil War ironclad Monitor in the first phase of an expedition to raise the artifact from the ocean floor, the Navy said Saturday.
The Navy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are trying to preserve what they can of the warship's deteriorating wreckage, especially the revolving gun turret that inspired modern naval guns. The engine, propeller and other artifacts have been removed in previous years.

The turret, 20 feet in diameter, and its two large Dahlgren cannons are
MORE HERE (http://nandotimes.com/healthscience/v-text/story/458293p-3667798c.html)

[ThomasIsUnderrated]

This is awesome! images/icons/cool.gif I think it might be worth a drive to that museum to see it!

[The_Sonarman]

The Monitor was a "first" in many areas of Naval warfare, creation of Swedish-American engineer, John Ericsson.

The most stunning innovation, on a ship whose design was dominated by innovations, was the method of carrying her guns: a thickly-armored round turret, twenty-feet in diameter, rotated by steam power to permit nearly all-around fire from a pair of eleven-inch Dahlgren smoothbore shell guns, the heaviest weapons then available. Dahlgren guns were actually naval rifles rather than cannon, and capable of firing a variety of shot. Steam powered, armored, etc.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h61000/h61923t.jpg
Picture of the Monitor, post battle. Notice dents in turret from Merimac shell hits.


http://www.multied.com/CivilWar/Monitor.gif
Artist rendition of the battle.


http://7-12educators.about.com/library/graphics/wea15.jpg
Sailors relaxing on the deck of the U.S.S. Monitor on the James River July 9, 1862.


In the four+ hour running battle, the Monitor and Merrimac fired shot, shell, grape, canister, musket and rifle balls, doing no damage to each other.

Because of Civil War technology, the United States has never built another wooden battleship since the introduction of the ironclads. Although the wooden ship has proved extremely effective in naval battles throughout history, the advent of the ironclad totally revolutionized the way in which naval forces around the world approach warfare.

From the moment the two ships opened fire that Sunday morning, every other navy on earth was obsolete.

The naval warfare experiences in America during the Civil War, and especially the battle between the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor, clearly demonstrated that the wooden ship-of-the-line was obsolete. Other nations took note of the American Civil War naval experiences and accelerated the retirement of wooden ships in navies worldwide. The powerful British Navy rapidly converted to all-metal ships and eventually, nearly all ships for any purpose would be constructed of metal.

Sail on, lads.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

They had this on the news this morning!!

[The_Sonarman]

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary protects the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, best known for its battle with the Confederate ironclad Virginia in Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862.

http://monitor.nos.noaa.gov/mnms02hdr.jpg

http://monitor.nos.noaa.gov/
http://www.news.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/020805-N-0872M-502.jpg

[The_Sonarman]

I've long been a Civil War buff. John Ericsson (the designer) was way ahead of his time.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The USS Monitor, the first ironclad, steam-powered warship, is an icon of U.S. naval history and a unique national treasure. The USS Monitor Center, slated to open in 2007, will be home to the priceless artifacts recovered from the historic ship and a worldwide resource for exhibitions, conservation, research, and education related to the Monitor and the larger story of the naval history of the Civil War. The Monitor Center is a collaboration between the Museum and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will:

info @ The Mariner's Museum website (http://www.monitorcenter.org/monitor_center.html)