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.”

On Picket first: USS Monitor conservators drain turret tank for first time since 2019, will conduct visual checks and maintenance inside beginning Thursday

The turret and its Dahlgren guns after its 2002 recovery in the Atlantic (The Mariners' Museum and Park)

Conservators later this week will be able to access the turret of the USS Monitor for the first time in more than five years, following Monday’s draining of the 90,000-gallon tank that surrounds the remarkable artifact.

The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Va., broadcast the four-hour draining – the first since 2019 -- on YouTube and took questions from those curious about the long conservation process.

For the next several weeks, the treatment solution will be drained and filled weekly, and conservators will have access to the turret interior for maintenance. They are expected to enter the turret Thursday.

"On the days the conservators are physically working in the turret tank, they will stop occasionally throughout the day to run the sprinklers in the tank, in order to keep the turret saturated and prevent drying," said Tina Gutshall, The Mariners' grants administrator. "The rest of the year, the tank stays filled."

One benefit will be for museum visitors to see the empty turret on March 8, the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads between the Union ironclad Monitor and CSS Virginia.

Following that, a new treatment solution will be incorporated into the turret tank, The Mariners' said.

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.

A live chat during the draining brought a host of questions, including the goal of conservation, other shipwrecks, the sophisticated design of the turret and more. One commenter said an ancestor was a carpenter who worked on USS Monitor’s interior wood components.

Will Hoffman, chief conservator, participated in part of the chat, saying he and his colleagues were excited about getting inside the turret during the next several weeks to assess the treatment and clean the electrolytic reduction system that removes salt.

Cannon damage on USS Monitor after clash with Virginia (Library of Congress)

The turret was raised off Cape Hatteras, N.C., by U.S. Navy and other divers in 2002 and brought to Newport News. It is positioned upside down.

The chat and YouTube presentation asked for donations and support for the long-term project.

The next step is to flip the turret and treat it with dry ice. The conservation of the turret could be complete within 10 years, but officials have no firm timetable.

Crews have worked inside the turret during previous drainings, but most were several years ago. The long-term aim is to put the turret on display at the museum with other Monitor artifacts.

“We are working closely with NOAA to encourage support from industry experts on the technical expertise and to raise the funds to make this next monumental step a reality,” Hoffman said in the chat.

A major point of study is whether it is best to treat the turret as is (a large ring), or to take apart the 198 wrought iron plates, which are in bolted layers of eight, to get at them separately. "We do not plan to take the armor ring apart, but aim to disassemble the roof assembly once the turret has been rotated," conservators said in an email to the Picket.

I asked Jeff Johnston, who was a historian and program specialist with NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, about the significance of Monday’s tank draining.

Erik Farrell uses special drill in Dahlgren bore in early 2020 (Mariners' Museum and Park)

“It allows the conservators a chance to inspect how the conservation is progressing, replace any anodes that need it, and/or reposition anodes for better treatment where necessary,” he said. “They can inspect the turret and clean up any generated sludge. It's also a great opportunity for museum visitors to get a good look at the turret while the maintenance is happening.”

Additionally, Johnston said, conservators have the option of dry ice blasting to help the electrolysis better reach the surface metals and reduce rust. The museum said this week that approach continues to be the plan.

"Full dry-ice cleaning will follow the turret rotation, which is still in the planning phase," conservators said.

The Mariners’ Museum and Park displays hundreds of Monitor items, including the anchor and engine, recovered since 1973.

Turret after draining several years ago (Courtesy of The Mariners' Museum and Park)

Many artifacts, including the 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, while it was being towed.

One commenter wondered how the ironclad’s crew coped with the concussive forces generated when the Virginia’s shells struck the turret.

“​​It is incredible to imagine what it would have been like inside the turret during the Battle of Hampton Roads,” the park replied. “It was hot, the ships were exchanging fire and the turret was spinning continuously.”

USS Monitor Center director emeritus John Quarstein told the Picket several sailors and officers were concussed during the battle, including chief engineer Alban Stimers. “When the first shots from the CSS Virginia struck the turret's side, everyone in the turret then knew that nothing could harm them.”

Quarstein (left), who routinely gives lectures on USS Monitor and other Civil War vessels, says the ironclad was truly a revolutionary warship.

“So many sections of the little ship that saved the nation, especially the turret, reinforce the fact that the Civil War is the first industrial war which changed America forever.”

On March 6, 1862, the new Union ironclad – its radical design dubbed “Ericsson’s folly” by its doubters -- steamed down New York City’s East River for the short journey to Virginia. There were doubts about whether the Monitor could withstand the seas and intense enemy firepower; it fired only two cannons from the revolving turret.

But the small ship quickly challenged the heavily armored CSS Virginia upon arrival and ended the latter’s rampage against Federal ships. The stalemate foreshadowed the end of wooden warships.

Editor's note: I will update this post with photographs from this week when they become available.