Major Steps Taken In Conservation Of USS Monitor
June 2003
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Two major steps in conservation
of the USS Monitor were taken in April - the 30-ton side lever
steam engine was documented and the steel lift structure, the
"spider," was removed from the turret.
The engine and turret are at The Mariners' Museum's USS Monitor
Conservation Area. The museum is the custodian of Monitor artifacts
and archives.
Underwater archaeologist Fred Hocker, Ph.D., spent four days
using a sophisticated digitizer that employs an articulated
mechanical arm to record data points. The process will document
exterior features of the engine with mil-limeter precision,
produce a digital file and 3D virtual model of the engine and
evaluate the effectiveness of the digitizer for recording large
structures to high archaeological and engineering standards.
The Monitor's engine was recovered in 2001 and is still covered
with concretions and marine fouling organisms. To completely
conserve the engine, it must be disassembled. Before this process
begins, it had to be documented in its current state.
Hocker worked with staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and museum. To do the work, the 91,000-gallon
conservation tank had to be drained.
The 25-ton "spider" is an eight-legged steel lift
structure that was used by the Museum, NOAA, and U.S. Navy during
Monitor Expedition 2002 to recover the turret from the wreck
site.
Completely encircling the turret, the spider supported the turret
during the 240-foot lift from the bottom of the Atlantic. The
turret, still inside the spider, was brought to The Mariners'
Museum five days later.
Removal of the spider was necessary to allow conservators to
begin freeing the two XI-inch Dahlgren cannons that are concreted
to the roof and walls inside the turret.
Initial steps of the conservation process included excavating
the turret's interior to remove human remains and artifacts.
Conservation of the turret will take 15 years. The Mariners'
Museum will preserve the spider for future exhibition to tell
the story of the recovery of
the turret.
For more information visit www.monitorcenter.org
