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…in the exhibition Ironclad Evidence: Stories from the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. Visitors can touch a piece of the Monitor's deck plating and read passages of letters written by Monitor crewman George S. Geer.
Here are some of the objects that have already been conserved:
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- During the excavation of the turret in 2002, conservators and archeologists found 24 pieces of silver tableware, five of which are engraved with either the names or initials of crewmembers or officers aboard the Monitor. |
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- The signal lantern from the Monitor was possibly the last thing seen before the USS Monitor sank, and the first object recovered from the vessel in 1977. |
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- Turning the wheel changed the orientation of the valves in the engine, altering the direction of the steam hitting the pistons, which changed the ship’s direction from forward to reverse. The recovery of the reversing wheel revealed a modification to Ericsson’s engine design—he had originally specified a hand crank. |
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- This ceramic badge with word “PUSH” visible was recovered during the 2002 Expedition. |
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- The engine register was mounted to the Monitor’s engine steam engine, which was recovered in 2001. The faceplate reads “Monitor. Engine Register. 1862” and was the first artifact recovered from the wreck with the vessel’s name on it. |
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- Ceramic pitcher, recovered in 2001. |
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- The unique four-fluked anchor from the USS Monitor was recovered in 1983. |
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- A great number of glass objects has been recovered from the wreck—from wine and soda bottles, to condiment bottles. |
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- These were used for lifting shot and shell into the turret from below deck. |
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- A U.S. Navy comb, recovered in turret excavation, August 2002. |
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- Recovered from the area of the Monitor's shell room during the 2002 expedition to the wreck site, the fuse is a cylindrical metal tube that contained a thick paper insert, which was filled with a quick burning composition. The time fuse, which was lit by the ignition of the cannon blast, would burn for a certain time until the flame reached the bursting charge inside the cannonball.
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- This ornate sconce was used for holding a gimballed lantern and was recovered in 2001. |
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- The 4,600-pound cast-iron propeller is on display in The Mariners’ Museum. This artifact was recovered in 1998 and completed conservation in February 2004. The propeller was the first artifact from the Monitor to be received at The Mariners' Museum for conservation and future exhibition. |
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- The three soldering iron heads are an example of tools used by crewman aboard the Monitor. Recovered during the 2001 expedition, one of the iron heads is scarred by the vices used to hold the irons as they were heated and also contains remnants of tinning—the process of preparing the iron to hold solder. |
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- Also found during the engine recovery in 2001 was a fire hose coupling. These pieces would have been placed on the end of a canvas hose. Pieces of a rubber gasket and the hose were found within the artifacts. |
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