Press Contact: Andrew Shepard 910/962-2441, [email protected]
Wilmington, NC. -- Soon after its battle with the Confederate ironclad, C.S.S. Virginia, the Union ironclad USS Monitor sank in stormy seas 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. in 1862. In the 1970s, the wreck site became the nation's first National Marine Sanctuary. Now, time and the sea are taking her apart. Teams of divers, led by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's National Undersea Research Center, will soon begin the final stages of retrieving major portions of the wreck for permanent display in a safer home ashore.
The goals of the 2001 operation are to map and recover small artifacts in and around the wreck, recover the ironclad's engine, and begin preparations for future recovery of the gun turret. The U.S. Navy will carry out the heavy lifting. The other tasks, which go on before and after the Navy's work, will be carried out by divers from UNCW, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), East Carolina University, the Cambrian Foundation, and the Mariner's Museum, site of the USS Monitor exhibit.
Phase I of the 2001 operations begins March 25 and continues until April 13 when dive teams will make observations and measurements needed by Navy engineers and salvors to carry out the engine recovery. During Phase II in June and July, the Navy will place a barge over the top of the wreck and recover the engine. The final stage of this year's efforts, which will take place from July to September, will prepare for the turret recovery in 2002.
Advanced diving technology, including use of special breathing gas mixtures and specialized equipment, is required for divers to safely reach the wreck sitting 240 feet beneath the surface. "Led by UNCW's undersea research center, the Sanctuary will be able to carry out the advanced diving activities that will be done outside the Navy's heavy lift operation," noted Doug Kesling, the expedition diving safety officer for UNCW's National Undersea Research Center and dive supervisor for the non-Navy diving operations. The UNCW team will be working from UNCW's 63-foot Research Vessel Cape Fear.
The R/V Cape Fear is a fast, comfortable vessel available for research, training, and educational cruises in waters from near-shore to the continental slope. The vessel is equipped with DGPS, Loran, 72-mile radar, SSB and VHF radios, a colorscope fathometer, and a cellular phone. The R/V Cape Fear is constructed of fiberglass and features six independent watertight compartments. The aft work area deck is 600 square feet with a canopy covering 75 percent of the area.
A water level dive platform provides easy and safe access to the water. A steering station on the aft work deck allows the vessel captain to maneuver the vessel to accommodate science operations. Hydraulic connections, an A frame, a winch, and an onboard nitrox mixing station provide additional capabilities for scientific research projects.
UNCW will also provide a hyperbaric chamber for safety purposes. In the case of a diving incident, such as the bends, the high-pressure chamber will be used to treat victims in a controlled environment back on shore.
Interesting related websites to check out include www.uncwil.edu/nurc/contact, www.uncwil.edu/cmsr/capefear, www.owuscholarship.org/people/kesling, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/monitor, and monitor.nos.noaa.gov. A photo of Doug Kessling suitable for downloading can be found at the UNC Wilmington News & Events site http://www.uncwil.edu/news and click on "for the media."
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For more information on the 2001 Monitor Expedition and UNCW's National Undersea Research Center, contact Mr. Andrew Shepard, associate director, National Undersea Research Center at UNCW, 5600 Marvin Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC 28409. 910-962-2441, [email protected]. RV Cape Fear Capt. Dan Aspenleiter can be reached at 910/617-5173 (cell phone) or leave message at 910/962-2436. Contact Dina Hill at the Monitor Sanctuary Office at 757/591-7352.
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