The turret is located in the Museum's USS Monitor Center conservation wing and has been undergoing conservation since its recovery in 2002 by NOAA and the U.S. Navy. The turret core sample will provide scientists with specific details about the level of corrosion throughout the 120-ton artifact.
Northrop Grumman Newport News supervisors and technicians provided the manpower to drill the sample. Desmond Cook, Old Dominion University physics professor and corrosion expert, will be providing the analysis details of the sample.
"This was a significant step in the successful and positive partnership between The Mariners' Museum and NOAA to conserve one of this country's greatest artifacts," said David Krop, Monitor conservation project manager. "Removing this sample is similar to taking a biopsy and examining it to obtain a glimpse into the overall state of the object. This will narrow our focus and give us an overall understanding of what long-term processes we should put in place."
"The question all along has been whether or not we'll have to take the turret completely apart to conserve it," said Jeff Johnston, historian with NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Program. "Once Desmond, the Museum and NOAA finish the analyses, we should have a pretty good picture as to what the answer to that question is."
After months of planning, Northrop Grumman Newport News employees carefully inserted two small rods into what would be the core sample. They then attached a guide on the turret's exterior wall and began cutting through the eight, one-inch thick layers that make up the turret. Six hours later the sample was ready to be removed.
"The layers of the turret were in such remarkable condition," said Krop. "They were beautiful, solid and appear to be in really good shape. Even the iron filings recovered during the coring process looked new."
Over the next 30 days, Cook will perform various analyses on the core sample. One of the main questions is how far salts from the seawater have permeated the turret wall.
The Civil War ironclad USS Monitor fought the most famous naval duel of the 19th century against the Confederate ironclad Virginia in Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862. Their legendary battled ushered in the iron age of naval warfare. The Monitor's unique feature was its revolving gun turret that rested amidships of the vessel. On December 31, 1862, the ironclad sank during a squall off the coast of North Carolina. Almost 100 years later, scientists discovered the wreck, which became the nation's first national marine sanctuary in 1975. In 1987, NOAA designated The Mariners' Museum as the repository for all artifacts and archives from the USS Monitor. Since then, The Mariners' Museum has received over 1,200 artifacts from the vessel, including the steam engine in 2001 and the revolving gun turret in 2002.
On March 9, 2007, exactly 145 years after the historic clash between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, The Mariners' Museum and NOAA will open the doors to one of the premier Civil War attractions in the nation-the USS Monitor Center, currently under construction. This dramatic new $30 million, 63,500-square-foot facility will enthrall families with exciting exhibits, bring students face-to-face with history, house state-of-the-art conservation labs and offer historians rich resources for research.
The Mariners' Museum, in partnership with NOAA, broke ground for the new Center in 2004. The Mariners' Museum is conducting a $30 million capital campaign for the USS Monitor Center. NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program has provided $9.5 million in federal funds contributing toward the $20 million that will be raised from public sources. The Mariners' Museum is conducting a $10 million private sector campaign raising funds from corporations, foundations and individuals across the nation. Currently, over $27 million of the total $30 million has been raised. -- www.mariner.org
Posted February 20th, 2007 by ruzik_tuzik
