New Images Reveal Long-Lost Details From 1862 Shipwreck Off NC

The USS Monitor: A Wartime Shipwreck Still Standing Strong

One of the most famous wartime shipwrecks in the nation is still standing strong on the seafloor off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to researchers. New high-resolution sonar images captured by aerospace giant Northrop Grumman have revealed that the ironclad USS Monitor retains significant details, despite sitting on the seabed for over 160 years.

The images show remnants of the captain’s quarters, anchor well, keel, and boilers. Tane Renata Casserley, Monitor Marine Sanctuary Resource Protection Coordinator, expressed excitement about the condition of the shipwreck. “The same armor belt that was built to withstand the fire of the enemy is now withstanding the ravages of the sea,” she said.

Efforts to document the Union’s first ironclad have been ongoing since it was discovered in 1973, resting 16 miles off Cape Hatteras along the Outer Banks. The latest attempt, launched in September, involved Northrop Grumman testing new “micro synthetic aperture sonar” (µSAS) to create high-resolution images and a 3D model of the wreck.

Kevin Gallagher, Northrop Grumman sonar architect, shared his thoughts on the project. “Our advanced sensor technology gives us a clear, detailed look at the USS Monitor for the first time since 1862 - capturing the ship’s hull, interior, and surrounding debris through murky water.” He added, “I thought the sonar might have trouble seeing details of the wreck because of the heavy fouling and sedimentation build up. However, despite these challenges we were able to see quite a bit of the ship details.”

Largely missing in the images is the stern, which historians suspect was extensively damaged by a U.S. Navy depth charge during World War II. The stern was the target for major artifact recoveries from 1998 to 2002, including the removal of the engine, propeller, and turret for preservation at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia.

Why It Matters

Even 240 feet underwater, the USS Monitor is considered “a national shrine” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also surrounded by the first-ever NOAA Marine Sanctuary, created in 1975 specifically to protect the wreck.

The Monitor was built to counter ironclad technology being developed by the Confederate Navy. It included a rotating gun turret and impregnable battery, according to NOAA historians. The ship’s first battle at the port city of Hampton Roads, Virginia, proved to be a draw, with neither ship inflicting serious damage. However, one outcome was clear: The era of the wooden warship had come to an end.

Preservationists have spent the past 50 years monitoring the wreck’s speed of deterioration, and the new sonar images have given them something to celebrate, Casserley says. “It will provide the sanctuary with a valuable baseline for future monitoring,” she said. “The high-res images really let us see the integrity of the hull and armor belt in hyper-accuracy so we can track changes over time.”

How the USS Monitor Sank

In the end, the Union’s cutting-edge technology proved no match for the forces of nature. On New Year’s Eve of 1862, the Monitor was headed south off Cape Hatteras when a storm struck. “With each pitch and roll, shock waves ravaged the crew and the hull of the little ship. Leaks developed, flooding the engine and reducing steam pressure needed for propulsion. The crew tried using pumps and even bailing with buckets, but the distress was too great,” the marine sanctuary reports.

“The turret was the only escape hatch from the ship, and as the men attempted to dash across the deck, many of them were swept into the unknown by the treacherous waves. In the end, the Monitor sank beneath the waves and 16 of the brave men on board never met the year of 1863.”

Monitor hit the seafloor upside down, with its prized turret separated from the hull and wedged under the stern. The remains of two sailors were recovered when scientists recovered the turret for preservation in 2002, NOAA says. They were buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.