NOAA and the Navy hope to uncover the Monitor's second gun carriage soon. Both cannons, as depicted in this graphic, are upside-down in the Monitor's turret on the ocean floor. Graphic courtesy Jeff Johnston and Jim Kelly, Monitor Collection. Click image for larger view and detailed explanation.
The gun carriage, which can be seen in this photograph of the Monitor's turret , had not been seen in almost 140 years. Photo courtesy U.S. Navy. Click image for larger view and detailed explanation.
A Mystery is Solved!
July 12, 2002
Watch a video of the turret underwater. (mp4, 238 KB)
The Monitor Expedition 2002 team made an important discovery on July 11. Navy divers, working with archaeologists from NOAA, uncovered one of the 16,000-pound cannons within the gun turret of the Monitor.
For years, many historians and Civil War buffs have speculated that as the Monitor rolled over and sank, its two 11-inch Dahlgren cannons broke free of the turret, fell to the seabed, and were buried beneath sand or the Monitor’s hull. Others though, including NOAA’s sanctuary manager John Broadwater, and sanctuary historian Jeff Johnston, were confident that both cannons would be found inside the turret, still attached to their gun carriages.
Navy divers first uncovered a series of metal plates that Johnston immediately recognized as part of the recoil mechanism on the bottom of the carriage. That was all he needed to see to know that he was right. The cannons WERE inside the turret and attached to the gun carriages! Soon, divers had uncovered the muzzle end of the cannon barrel, which appears to be in line with the carriage.
Commander Bobbie Scholley called the discovery exciting, and an important piece of data for the expedition. This information is crucial to knowing if the cannons were inside the turret and how they are lying. Now, NOAA and the Navy can complete their plans for securing the cannons and carriages, which will allow them to make the final lift.
The team expects to uncover the second cannon today, along with the “port stoppers,” which are four-ton iron pendulums that covered the gunports when the guns were inside the turret.
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