Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

Description:

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated the nation's first national marine sanctuary on January 30, 1975. The site was the wreck of the USS Monitor, a Civil War vessel that lies off the coast of North Carolina. The Monitor was the prototype for a class of U.S. Civil War ironclad, turreted warships that significantly altered both naval technology and marine architecture in the nineteenth century. Designed by the Swedish engineer John Ericsson, the vessel contained all of the emerging innovations that revolutionized warfare at sea. The Monitor was constructed in a mere 110 days.

Directions:

16 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Address:

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

c/o The Mariners' Museum

100 Museum Drive

Newport News VA 23606

Phone:

(757) 599-3122

Email:

monitor@noaa.gov

Organization:

NOS - National Ocean Service