Submerged NC: Raising the USS Monitor Turret – The U.S. Navy's Role in MONITOR Expedition 2002

January 31, 2023

Join us for a snapshot of the overall Monitor story, telling the role that the U.S. Navy played in the salvage and recovery operations during MONITOR Expedition 2002. As told by CAPT Bobbie Scholley, the Navy's On Scene Commander for the operation, you will hear how the Navy partnered with NOAA and The Mariners' Museum to plan and execute a historic diving operation off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 240 feet below the surface, to recover the unique revolving gun turret from the wreckage of USS Monitor.

Hear about the technical, environmental, and sometime emotional challenges that the team had to overcome to lift the 200-ton turret successfully to the surface and move it to The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Learn how the Navy used two different types of deep ocean diving systems, Surface Supplied Mixed Gas and Saturation Diving, to accomplish the tremendous amount of work required to prepare the turret for lifting. Discover how the U.S. Navy's diving procedures were modified and evaluated during this operation and then ultimately approved for future use by the Navy.

See how over 150 Navy divers, led by Capt. Bobbie Scholley, worked with NOAA, The Mariners' Museum, the Wotan barge crew, and contractors to form a strong, cohesive team. Learn how this team quickly came together in hazardous conditions during the 45 days and nights of operation to beat the approaching hurricane season to ultimately recover the turret from the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."