Investigating the remains of the U.S.S. Monitor

The location and identification of the remains of the U.S.S. Monitor focused renewed attention on the celebrated warship and stimulated extensive interest in salvaging the wreck. To ensure that the vessel would be preserved for systematic investigation and responsible development, preservation-conscious government agencies, institutions, and organizations cooperated to nominate the ship to the National Register of Historic Places and designate its present location the nation's first marine sanctuary. Since that designation the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, charged with management responsibility for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources have worked closely to develop a sound management program.