What Is Being Conserved? USS Monitor turret unavailable for viewing until October 1, 2005 due to construction of USS Monitor Center The iconic revolving gun turret from the USS Monitor, which is currently unavailable for public viewing, can be seen beginning October 1, 2005 only during daily, 3:30 p.m. docent-led hardhat tours. Visitors are asked to place their name on a sign-up sheet upon entering the Museum and to wear sensible shoes for the tour. The turret has been removed from fulltime viewing due to the construction of the $30 million USS Monitor Center. We apologize, but welcome you to view the two XI-inch Dahlgren cannon recovered from the turret as they undergo conservation, as well as view the special exhibition Ironclad Evidence featuring artifacts, documents, paintings, and stories from the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. In the Monitor Conservation Area, Museum visitors can stand just feet from the two XI-inch Dahlgren cannon and their carriages, which were pulled from revolutionary turret in 2004. In the background, visitors can watch construction of the 68,500-square-foot USS Monitor Center, scheduled to open March 9, 2007. The Conservation Area is open to the public during regular Museum hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). Boot - Probably belonging to an officer, found during the turret excavation. We know that the crew took off their shoes and heavy clothing as they prepared to leave the Monitor to go into the lifeboats the night the Monitor sank. William Keeler wrote: “I divested myself of the greater portion of my clothing to afford me greater facilities for swimming in case of necessity…” It is possible that this boot belonged to one of the men who was rescued Cannon Implement (Sponge) - Sponge, found in the turret in 2002, one of the Dahlgren accoutrements. The sponge was used wet in order to extinguish any stray sparks that might be in the tube of the gun before another powder charge was loaded. The amazing thing about this tool is that it had a rope handle – which while common in smaller gun tools, was not anticipated with one this large. The rope handle was wormed, parcelled and served in true nautical fashion! Engine Room clock - Recovered 2001, 12 o’clock is to the left. Ghost of the clock hands indicate that the clock stopped sometime after 1 o’clock—The Monitor sank at approximately 1:30 a.m. Turret - The Monitor’s revolutionary gun turret and two XI-inch Dahlgren guns were recovered from the wreck of the vessel in August 2002. The turret measures 20 feet in diameter and nine feet in height, and its armored walls were made of eight layers of one inch armor plate. Two massive XI-inch Dahlgren smooth-bore guns, capable of firing solid shot weighing 140 pounds, were installed inside the turret. Though the Monitor would go into battle with only two guns, she had a distinct advantage even over an opponent with 10 cannon. This was because the revolving turret would allow her to fire and aim her guns rapidly in any direction regardless of the direction in which the ironclad might be steaming. All other ships of her time were forced to aim their guns primarily by steering the vessel into a position where the guns, mounted in broadside arrangement, could be brought to bear on the enemy. The turret will take approximately 15 years to conserve. Engine - For almost 140 years, the 30-ton side-lever steam engine that propelled the historic ironclad USS Monitor has been resting in its watery grave 240 feet below sea-level, 16 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras. On Monday, July 16, 2001, the U.S. Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and The Mariners’ Museum successfully recovered this unique artifact in front of a national audience. The steam engine will take approximately 15 years to conserve. Guns - Two massive XI-inch Dahlgren smooth-bore guns, capable of firing solid shot weighing 140 pounds, were inside the turret. Weighing nearly nine tons apiece, these guns are extremely fragile in their current state and will undergo years of conservation before they are completely stabilized. Paymaster William Keeler wrote in November of 1862, “Our guns have had engraved in large letters, on one of them MONITOR & MERRIMAC WORDEN on the other MONITOR & MERRIMAC ERICSSON” Conservators and NOAA archaeologists recently uncovered these engravings on the guns. Buttons - Button found in the turret. This was possibly a button from a shirt or perhaps even underwear. Pulley - Recovered from within the USS Monitor’s turret. Lantern - Lantern found inside the turret. Cracks in glass show that the lantern was lit when it entered the water the night of the sinking. Very likely the last light in the ship—lighting the way for those evacuating through the turret.