Battle of Hampton Roads anniversary: They flocked to a Va. museum to look at USS Monitor artifacts and get a good view of its turret, which is normally submerged

Patrons take photos of turret interior (Kyra Duffley/The Mariners' Museum and Park); view of exterior (MMP)

Hundreds of those attending a Battle of Hampton Roads anniversary event at a Virginia museum got a rare glimpse Saturday at the USS Monitor’s battle-marked turret out in the open, rather than awash in conservation solution.

Conservators at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News in January accessed the turret for the first time in more than five years, following draining of the 90,000-gallon tank that surrounds the remarkable ironclad artifact.

Since then, a treatment solution has been drained and filled weekly as conservators perform maintenance in its interior. Dents from Monitor's 1862 duel with the CSS Virginia are visible today.

Will Hoffman, director of conservation, told the Picket the 20-year conservation process is working.

"What we have seen is the further loosening of corrosion since the last time we were in the tank. This corroborates what our electrochemical monitoring system has shown," he said.

Sabrina Jones, senior director of advancement at the museum, told the Picket in a Monday email an estimated 70 percent of Saturday's 1,000 visitors attended an open house at the “wet lab” that houses the upside-down turret and other Monitor items still undergoing conservation.

Following this weekend, a new treatment solution will be incorporated into the turret tank by the end of the week, Jones said.

"Conservators will not enter the tank again until maintenance is required (likely years) or until we are ready to 'flip' the turret. We do not have a timeline on the flipping as it needs several partners to 'engineer' it and a campaign to fund the materials and work," said Jones.

The tank was drained to allow for the assessment of the desalination process (removing harmful ocean salts), routine maintenance and the removal of nut guards from underneath the turret. The nut guards are the remains of thin armor plating used in part of the turret.

March 8-9 was the anniversary of the clash between the ironclad and Virginia.

Conservators perform maintenance recently inside the artifact (Courtesy Mariners' Museum and Park)

“That turret is the first turret that fought in combat in world history,” Hoffman told TV station WAVY ahead of the weekend. “Every turret on a ship, you know, from gun battleships all the way through now with autonomous Lidar you see on modern ships, all that comes from the turret that’s sitting in that tank behind me.”

The turret was raised off Cape Hatteras, N.C., by U.S. Navy and other divers in 2002 and brought to Newport News. The Mariners’ Museum and Park displays hundreds of Monitor items recovered since its discovery in 1973.

Many artifacts, including two Dahlgren guns, gun carriages and personal effects from sailors were recovered from inside the turret. The finds there included the remains of two men who were unable to escape when USS Monitor sank during a storm on Dec. 31, 1862, as it was being towed south in the Atlantic Ocean.

A child-sized display pool set up Saturday (Kyra Duffley/The Mariners' Museum and Park)

Saturday’s events included lectures, 3D-printed artifacts, a STEM design program and tours of the museum galleries. It was cosponsored by NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. This year's focus was about maritime careers, such as engineering and underwater archaeology.

"This weekend was an absolute home run as the galleries were buzzing all day with new and returning folks," said Jones.

USS Monitor Center director emeritus John Quarstein, who was among the speakers, told the Picket he has been inside the turret numerous times over the years.

Visitors gaze Saturday at the turret and other artifacts in wet lab (Kyra Duffley, Mariners' Museum and Park)

“My amazement is based on several experiences.... when I thought about the shot damage, when I think about the men serving in the turret and what they experienced, when I realize how the turret revolutionized naval warfare, etc. I also think about the many design flaws found when looking at the turret and then think about all of the graft, greed and grift involved in ironclad construction during the War of the Rebellion,” he wrote in an email.

Quarstein has a new book, “From Ironclads to Admiral: John Lorimer Worden and Naval Leadership,” coming out next month. Worden skippered the USS Monitor during the battle and later served on the USS Montauk.   

Retired atmospheric physicist and author Charles McLandress presented a lecture about William F. Keeler, his great-great grandfather. Keeler’s numerous letters home are the basis of a book by McLandress, "Ink, Dirt and Powder Smoke: The Civil War Letters of William F. Keeler, Paymaster on the USS Monitor."

“The main points of my talk were to highlight the importance and beauty of Keeler's Civil War letters and to tell the life story of this complex and fascinating individual (Forty-Niner, dry goods merchant, watch maker, iron founder, inventory, orange grower, newspaper correspondent and more),” McLandress told the Picket. “I interweaved the story of the Monitor with Keeler's impressions of events and people, with focus on the Monitor.”

USS Monitor: 50 years after its discovery, Gordon Watts recounts the mysteries of the ironclad and how he came to make a positive ID

Gordon Watts' sketch of turret and hull; Harold Edgerton top right with sonar; Watts
(sketch courtesy of Watts; other photos courtesy of the MIT Museum)

Gordon Watts was only 23 when he set off for the adventure of a lifetime – trying to locate the legendary USS Monitor. He and a field of experts in the field were competing with a half dozen groups that also were intent on snaring the prize.

But Watts and expedition leader John Newton of the Duke University Marine Laboratory had done their homework, carefully reading records, letters and the log of the ship that was towing the famous Union ironclad when it sank in a storm on Dec. 31, 1862, 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. They had a bead on the wreck’s likely location about 240 feet down while others searched elsewhere in 1973 and 1974.

Using relatively new technology, the team on RV Eastward dropped side-scan sonars and photo and video cameras in the water (photo of cameras, courtesy of MIT Museum), coming up against very limited visibility as they searched a grid. They had ruled out other wrecks, many dating to World War II, until the somewhat dispirited team made a hit on Aug. 27, 1973, shortly before they would have run out of time.

Sonar showed something that looked like the Monitor’s turret – which made history during its clash with CSS Virginia in March 1862 during the Civil War. But the rest of the wreck made little sense – no one knew before the trip that the ironclad had landed upside down, partially covering the turret, which was separated from the hull.

While there was elation on the Eastward, there was no firm finding and the expedition was unable to confirm it found the vessel when it returned to port. Watts, today the last surviving member of the primary discovery team, got back to work and went on another trip to confirm the Monitor’s location.

Sunday marks the 50^th anniversary of the initial discovery. We asked Watts, who has a distinguished career studying and diving shipwrecks, to talk about the experience and how he went about identifying the Monitor.

1973: Gordon Watts, front left, behind him John Harris; on right, from back,
Robert Sheridan, John Newton, Cathryn Newton and Harold Edgerton (NOAA)

“50 years: Whodathunkit??” the legendary underwater archaeologist wrote, when we asked him to recall the adventure.

It’s important to remember the Monitor was no ordinary shipwreck. The ironclad revolutionized naval warfare, ending the era of wooden ships plugging away at each other. The war machine was a marvel of engineering and technology and has intrigued conservators and historians who have pored over components retrieved since 1973.

Today the turret, ordnance, steam machinery and associated artifacts are available to the public at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Va. 

Watts’ responses to emailed questions about the anniversary have been edited for brevity and in some cases combined.

Q. As among the very few who discovered the Monitor wreck in 1973, what do you recall about the expedition? What were the highlights? Who else was with you?

A. The three principals in the RV Eastward cruise that located the remains of USS Monitor were John Newton at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, Dr. Harold Edgerton with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and myself, then the North Carolina state underwater archaeologist. Dr. Robert E. Sheridan, a geologist from the University of Delaware, was also on board Eastward to carry out a geological project.

In retrospect and by comparison with today's technology, my most permanent recollection is associated with how we were able to use Dr. Edgerton's side-scan sonar to locate the wreck and adapt underwater camera and video systems to document significant features of the wreck remains (team's search and location map at right).

The underwater video system used to collect image data at the site was assembled aboard Eastward by John Harris, subsequently the founder and president of Kitty Hawk Kites.

Film and video data collection was crudely controlled by maneuvering RV Eastward back and forth over the wreck. 

Q. What was it like on board the Eastward and can you describe the project?

A. John Newton and I joined the Eastward in Savannah. The trip to Hatteras was my first aboard a ship. The entire trip can be characterized by rough seas, many over 20 feet.  An East Carolina University prehistoric archaeologist along with us to identify prehistoric cultural material in dredge samples we recovered off Cape Fear spent the entire trip very and disgustingly sea sick. At Cape Hatteras, he abandoned ship. Dr. Edgerton joined us and afforded the incredible opportunity to work with someone for whom I had, and will always have, the utmost respect and admiration. That was certainly the opportunity of a lifetime.

Off Cape Hatteras, we shared ship time with Dr. Sheridan. When he was not conducting his geological research and sample collecting, we ran remote sensing in the area I had identified based on historical and environmental research. After locating a clearly modern WWII vessel, we subsequently discovered a wreck with side-scan sonar that appeared to have a potential for association with Monitor.

Armor belt near turret provided a big identification clue (NOAA)

Using Eastward's 35mm drop camera and the underwater television rigged by for documenting the wreck by John Harris we were able to collect sufficient almost random images that ultimately identified Monitor. The Eastward cruise ended at the Duke University Marine Laboratory dock in Beaufort, N.C., where the waiting press was disappointed to learn we had not located and identified the Monitor.

Following a brief synopsis of the cruise and our, at that point, less than dramatic conclusions, I packed up to head back to my office at Fort Fisher. For two hours I was surprised and much disappointed to discover that while never seasick aboard Eastward, the lack of motion of the ocean resulted in my first and so far ONLY case of landsickness. You had to be there.

Q. What convinced you that you had found the Monitor? When was that epiphany?

A. Using the RV Eastward photo and video data I was able to construct crude mosaics and identify features of the armor belt, skeg and propeller shaft and confirm the diameter and wall thickness of the exposed portion of the turret.

One of the Monitor mosaics put together by Watts, others (NOAA)

From those data I was able to make a drawing of the wreck profile to confirm the hull was upside down and resting on the displaced turret. Even with crude image mosaics and drawings, confirming my conclusion that we had indeed found (John) Ericsson's first ironclad was a hard sell.

I informed John Newton of my conclusions in a letter on 14 January 1974. Those conclusions were not universally accepted until, thanks to Dr. Edgerton, we were able to return to the site with Alcoa Seaprobe. That much more sophisticated and systematic investigation generated comprehensive image data that confirmed my conclusions.

Q. How many times have you dived at the Monitor site since? What stands out?

A. I would have to go back to my project logs to be sure how many dives I made on Monitor. However, my first dive was aboard a Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation submersible. That first dive was made all the more exciting by identifying the red lantern that was the last evidence of the historic ironclad that was observed by personnel aboard the USS Rhode Island (which was towing Monitor when the latter sank). My lockout divers from the Harbor Branch submersibles focused on an excavation within the officer quarters forward, documenting the steam machinery inside the hull aft of the boilers and investigating the gun ports in the turret underneath the hull remains. It was exciting to be inside Monitor's engine room a century after the ship was lost.

Q. The red lantern (right) was found in 1977, the first artifact recovered, I believe. What do you remember most about its recovery?

A. Harbor Branch diver Richard Roesch locked out of the Johnson Sea Link submersible and recovered the lantern. I think it remains as one of the most significant artifacts from the USS Monitor. The fact that it was the first evidence of the wreck we found on the first submersible dive at the site is beyond ironic.

Q. Anything else about your work on the USS Monitor recovery and what it means today?

A. Still one of the deepest underwater archaeological excavation and recovery projects to date.

Q. Why should we care today about the USS Monitor and its conservation?

A. Today, most Americans are probably unaware of USS Monitor and the brief role it played in the War Between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. For those who are aware of the ironclad role, they likely also recognize the more significant impact (John) Ericsson's first and subsequent ironclads vessel played in the development of the modern turreted capital steam warship. That role was indeed pivotal. 

COMING SOON: Recollections from John Harris, who operated the underwater video system during the trip and became a hang gliding proponent and founder of Kitty Hawk Kites in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Monitor explorer, expert and author John Broadwater.

Watts during work on the CSS Georgia in Savannah in 2017 (Picket photo)

PICKET COVERAGE OF USS MONITOR

-- Cathryn Newton: At 16, she was the youngest crew member. She says the find was a group effort.
-- John Harris: He became a hang glider pilot and founded Kitty Hawk kites. But first, he ran the 1973 expedition's underwater camera system.
-- Go deep for 50th anniversary of USS Monitor discovery: Printable 3D artifacts, webinar and a 360-degree video of ironclad's resting place
-- USS Monitor: Navy recognizes Virginia museum for cleaning of ironclad's two Dahlgren guns, which are still being conserved
-- The USS Monitor overcame doubters. Its crew trusted the ironclad, even during the terrible storm that sank the famous ironclad.
-- What do USS Monitor, Jimmy Fallon have in common? Saugerties, NY. This town morphed from industrial 'Inferno' to a cool tourist spot

Go deep for 50th anniversary of USS Monitor discovery: Printable 3D artifacts, webinar and a 360-degree video of ironclad's resting place

A shark roves over the Civil War wreck in a new 360-degree video (NOAA)

With printable virtual artifacts and a 360-degree video from the ocean floor, NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is adding a wow factor to the celebration of the discovery of the famed ironclad USS Monitor 50 years ago this month.

The last days of August are the culmination of a yearlong effort to mark the anniversary. Offerings will include a webinar led by USS Monitor expert John Broadwater.

“We had planned for all of our celebrations to be virtual (in order) to reach a national audience,” said Tane Casserley, the sanctuary’s research coordinator. “Keeping in the spirit of USS Monitor being a marvel of technology and innovation, the sanctuary plans to continue that theme by using the newest technologies to celebrate the 50th anniversary.”

The USS Monitor, which fought the ironclad CSS Virginia in March 1862, ending the supremacy of wooden ships in combat, sank months later off Cape Hatteras, N.C., with 16 lives lost. The ironclad was located by a team of researchers on Aug. 27, 1973. The signature turret and hundreds of other artifacts have undergone conservation in recent years.

3D models of worm wheel, boot and gun tool (MNMS)

Virtual artifact collection – available now

NOAA now offers two web links (here and here) for accessing a selection of artifacts that have undergone or are still receiving treatment at the Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News.

A hammer, anchor, powder scooper, Wellington-style leather boots, various gun tools, wheel and other iconic artifacts were scanned earlier this year at the museum in a collaborative project involving the University of West Florida.

“The completed scans are available for viewing online and as a download for home 3D printing,” said Casserley.

“Monitor’s artifacts are quite fragile after their conservation process has been completed and by virtually recreating and 3D printing the artifacts, (the sanctuary) can quite literally put history in people’s hands all while ensuring the safety of the original artifact.”

Visitors to the web pages can load the models and then rotate them. The models can be downloaded as STL files.

Virtual model of turret allows viewers to rotate image and press numbers for details (NOAA)

360-degree video – debuted Friday (Aug. 25)

The immersive experience brings people “virtually down to the ocean floor to see the shipwreck itself and its incredible marine life.”

The video shows multiple angles of the ironclad, which landed upside down, teeming with colorful marine life.

“Transformed from a weapon of war to an island of marine life, Monitor continues to serve as habitat for a wealth of marine life. Dive in to see sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and more,” NOAA says.

NOAA has produced a number of such videos and gives these instructions to reviewers:

“If you're on a desktop, click and drag to experience in 360 degrees, or pair your phone with your virtual reality headset. For the best viewing experience, watch the video in high-definition: click the gear symbol in the lower right corner, then select any of the HD options that pop up when you click ‘Quality.’”

John Broadwater webinar – 1 p.m. ET Aug. 31

Broadwater, a maritime archaeologist and author, has been on numerous USS Monitor expeditions and is former superintendent of the sanctuary. An overview of the webinar includes this description:

“Discover why the shipwreck was difficult to locate and learn about the expeditions to find it. Go back in time to August of 1973, when John G. Newton led a team of scientists in search of the elusive shipwreck. Learn why it continued to be difficult to identify once they thought they found it and what finally convinced the team it was indeed the USS Monitor.”

Broadwater told the Picket he will speak on the webinar about high interest in the Monitor back then. “The moon and planets must have been aligned, because at least three different groups chose 1973 to search for the Monitor,” he said in an email. “I was in charge of one of the groups looking in the wrong place, because we believed the story published by Robert Marx, who claims to have found Monitor near Cape Hatteras lighthouse in the 1950s.”

Register for the webinar here.

Fans of the ironclad can follow all activities on the sanctuary’s Facebook page.

PICKET COVERAGE OF USS MONITOR

-- Cathryn Newton: At 16, she was the youngest crew member. She says the find was a group effort.
-- John Harris: He became a hang glider pilot and founded Kitty Hawk kites. But first, he ran the 1973 expedition's underwater camera system.
-- Go deep for 50th anniversary of USS Monitor discovery: Printable 3D artifacts, webinar and a 360-degree video of ironclad's resting place
-- USS Monitor: Navy recognizes Virginia museum for cleaning of ironclad's two Dahlgren guns, which are still being conserved
-- The USS Monitor overcame doubters. Its crew trusted the ironclad, even during the terrible storm that sank the famous ironclad.
-- What do USS Monitor, Jimmy Fallon have in common? Saugerties, NY. This town morphed from industrial 'Inferno' to a cool tourist spot

Picket exclusive: These two sailors went down with the USS Monitor. Now you can see items they carried or were found near them

(Civil War Picket photos)

They are the kinds of things one might carry in a pants pocket: A rubber comb to tame a lock of hair, a small pocketknife, a wisp of string and a stray button that needs reattaching.

While seeming so ordinary, two dozen artifacts under glass at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Va., tell an incredible story filled with mystery, hope and terror -- a very human story.

Sixteen crew members perished when the Federal ironclad USS Monitor sank during a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C., on Dec. 31, 1862. At the time, it was being towed to a new duty station -- nine months after its famous clash with the CSS Virginia a few miles from the museum. Nearly 50 men were rescued.

The exhibit, which opened last year, showcases items found in the turret. “These objects were found in context with human remains,” says Tina Gutshall, conservation administrator with the museum’s USS Monitor Center. The exhibit is in a gallery that includes two large replicas of the turret; one depicts how the inside looked 140 years later.

The turret was raised by U.S. Navy and other divers in 2002 and brought to Newport News. The museum and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, removed tons of silt and made the discoveries.

Despite advanced forensics testing and physical descriptions of sailors noted during their Civil War service, the identities of the two crew members remain unknown. Sailor 1 is believed to be William H. Eagan or Jacob Nicklis (Nickles). Sailor 2 is likely either William Bryan or Robert Williams.

“They all speak to me,” USS Monitor Center director emeritus John Quarstein said of the items, which are accompanied by facial and skull reconstructions made during the federal government’s quest to find descendants through a DNA match.

Image courtesy of Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

(Civil War Picket photo)

At top and center in the small exhibit are two pieces of footwear (above). Sailor 1 was found with a mismatched boot and shoe.

“At the moment leading up to the sinking, my hunch is these men were putting anything on that was dry,” said David Alberg, superintendent of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

In the chaos, crew members scrambled out of the turret, with the goal of being rescued by the USS Rhode Island. They left a jumble of clothing, shoes and items.

Among the artifacts is a bent spoon that has the initials “JN.” It likely belonged to Nicklis, a 21-year-old sailor from Buffalo, New York. Quarstein believes the utensil was struck by a heavy object – perhaps two Dahlgren guns -- when the Monitor plunged 236 feet and hit bottom.

“There are a lot of spoons and other objects found in the turret. You can imagine the chaotic situation. Some are desperately trying to keep the Monitor afloat, and the last pump of the Worthington pump was the death knell.”

Image courtesy of Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

Almost immediately after the Monitor hit bottom, the coal stores gave way and sealed in those who could not escape. The two skeletal remains include bone breaks caused by the cannon striking them.

“They died very swiftly, though the ride down was clearly a terrifying 20 to 30 seconds,” Alberg told the Picket.

Officials spent more than a decade studying the bones and trying to determine to whom they belonged. They asked the public to look at photos, go through the attic and review family histories. “Trying to get people to come forward with a match with maternal DNA, didn’t happen,” Alberg said.

The two remains were buried in March 2013 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. While it may be a long shot, there’s a chance their identities may be known one day.

For Alberg, who was present at the burial, it might be better that they remain unknown.

“They belong all of us together.”

The Picket visited the museum in March and conducted interviews during and after that visit. Here are summaries of the items, based on museum descriptions and those conversations. Artifact photos are courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va. The description of each artifact is below or next to the photograph. Please click each image to enlarge:

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

WELLINGTON LEATHER BOOT, LEFT FOOT

The brown boot, found on the feet of Sailor 1, is in fragile condition. The upper portion of the boot was not attached. “It is possible that the detachment is contemporary with its original use and not related to deterioration after the wreck.” This crew member was wearing two different shoes at the time of the sinking. Remnants of a sock were found in the boot.

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

LEATHER SHOE, RIGHT FOOT

This was the other piece of footwear worn by Sailor 1, showing he may have grabbed what was nearest while trying to escape. “The shoe is made of leather, brown in color with heavy iron staining and in fragile condition yet structurally stable in general." There may be residue of human tissue on the item.

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

RUBBER HAIR COMB

This comb was found by the tibia of Sailor 2. It was made by India Rubber Company, with a May 1851 Goodyears patent. One side has a U.S. Navy inscription. 

GOLD RING

This is possibly a wedding band and is in excellent condition. It was found on the third finger of the right hand of the sailor, possibly worn by Jacob Nicklis. The gold ring has a sealed joint at the back and is decorated with a pattern of swirls, lines and crescents. “Some of the decoration is fairly crude indicating that the ring may have been decorated by the crewman himself or a non-professional jeweler.” Nicklis never married. “There is no way we can really know is it a wedding ring or not,” said Quarstein.

SILVER SOUP SPOON

This Rogers & Bros. decorative spoon bears the initials “JN,” indicating it is more than likely the property of ordinary seaman Jacob Nicklis, 21, of Buffalo, New York.Nicklis came on board the USS Monitor on Nov. 7, 1862, when it was undergoing repairs at the Washington Navy Yard. In a letter to his father, Nicklis said while he did not care for his accommodations on the Monitor's berth deck, he conceded that he at least had "plenty to eat and drink" including rations of sea biscuits and "what they call coffee." 

The bent spoon has a significant dent on one edge, indicating it may have been smashed when the Monitor struck the bottom and heavy objects were dislodged. The spoon was found near the left femur. The location, according to the museum, suggests placement in the front left pocket.

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

SPOON STANDARD SIZE

Rogers Bros. is stamped on the back of the handle, and the front has the initial “S.” After treatment, the shiny silver utensil is free of all debris and in excellent condition. 

BRASS BUTTON

The copper alloy button with four recessed holes is in excellent condition. It was found near the wrist of Sailor 1.

The button was likely a part of the uniform worn by crew members aboard Monitor. There is no textile associated with the button.

Images courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

SKELETON KEY

This was found among pockets for Sailor 2. The main key body is tubular with outstanding rings and detail. The tooth of the key, which was made of copper alloy, is perpendicular to the key body. This object is in extremely fragile condition. 

FLYING EAGLE COIN

This coin was with other items in Sailor 2’s pocket. It is a Flying Eagle coin, one of the first small pennies made in the US. It is made of German silver and is in fair and stable condition.

The edge of the coin is uneven and irregular and no design is discernible on either face. The surface of this coin is eroded beyond recognition of any design or lettering.

LIBERTY HEAD HALF PENNY

This corroded/eroded coin may have been minted in 1813. It is made of copper and is in extremely fragile condition. The edge of the coin is jagged, uneven and irregular.

Although details are difficult to discern, the coin has a decorative serration around the front edge. On the back is what remains of the words HALF PENNY. The coin and other items were together in a pocket.

WOOL FIBERS

This wool string fragment was recovered from the mouth of Sailor 1 in 2002. The string appears to be braided in some areas and frayed throughout. The string is approximately 8” long when laid out straight. The dark brown string is in good condition after treatment.

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

SILK FIBERS

Three separate masses are made of wool, silk and another unidentified vegetal fiber such as linen, flax or hemp.

BONE BUTTON

This is one of nine buttons recovered from the dredge spoil around Sailor 1‘s hand area. The button is dark brown in color and in good, yet fragile, condition. The button has a concave center with four thread holes and is made of bone. 

MOTHER OF PEARL BUTTON

This four-hole mother of pearl button was found with other items in what was the pocket of one of the crew members. The button holes are filled with green concretion and may contain traces of thread. It at one point was concreted to a bone button.

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

WOOD KNIFE HANDLE

These wooden pieces appear to have belonged to a knife rather than a fork or spoon due to the flat shape. Each half of the handle has a 3/16" diameter hole in the butt, as well as four small pin holes. There is no metal remaining and the two halves have separated. 

Image courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, Va.

POCKETKNIFE HANDLE

These knife handle parts are made of bone and still have some visible iron staining from the blade. “The exterior faces of the handles, those that were not against the bolster lining, have a gnarled, uneven surface, similar to antler. The interior faces of the handles are mostly smooth with visible saw marks related to manufacturing.” The museum says the artifact was concreted with other contents from one of the sailor’s pockets.

(Picket photo)

Coming soon: When it was launched, many didn’t think the USS Monitor would meet success. They were wrong. A closer look at the crew and the ironclad’s history.