Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

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On January 30, 1975, Congress designated Monitor National Marine Sanctuary off the North Carolina coast as the nation's first national marine sanctuary. The sanctuary protects the wreck site of the USS Monitor, 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. The USS Monitor fought for the Union in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads. The battle ended in a draw, but it initiated the dawn of iron warships. Today, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary protects the Monitor shipwreck for future generations and works to share this iconic vessel’s historical and cultural legacy.

Learn more about Monitor National Marine Sanctuary at monitor.noaa.gov.

Map of the North Carolina coast showing the location of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Arrows point to Nags Head and Hatteras. A single teal dot in the open water is labeled 'Monitor National Marine Sanctuary' at the bottom right.
This graphic map of the North Carolina coast showing the location of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, indicated by a small teal dot in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Cape Hatteras.

Quick Facts

Location: 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Protected Area: 1 square miles

Designation: January 1975

Habitats:

  • Artificial reef
  • Open ocean

Key Species:

  • Amberjack
  • Black sea bass
  • Corals
  • Dolphins
  • Manta rays
  • Red barbier
  • Sand tiger shark
  • Scad
  • Sea anemones
  • Sea urchins
  • Stingrays

Sanctuary Highlight

aerial view of a research vessel with a crane deploying equipment over the side
Read

Capturing New Views of USS Monitor Through High-Resolution Ocean Mapping

In September 2025, researchers at Monitor National Marine Sanctuary partnered with engineers from Northrop Grumman to complete the highest-resolution scan of the historic shipwreck ever conducted—producing detailed imagery, three-dimensional models, and other digital data products that will soon be shared with the public.

Multimedia

Our Planet is an Ocean Planet: Earth Is Blue.

No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands. We hope these images and videos from National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green—it's blue.

A vintage-style educational poster of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. The illustration depicts a hard-hat diver shining a light on the sunken USS Monitor ironclad. The shipwreck is shown upside down on the ocean floor, surrounded by sand tiger sharks, schools of fish, and an ROV. The top of the poster features 'Monitor National Marine Sanctuary' in bold text.
360-degree underwater panorama of the USS Monitor shipwreck on the seafloor, showing the ironclad's hull covered in marine life and surrounded by schools of fish.
A sand tiger shark swims past the coral-covered shipwreck of the USS Monitor on the seafloor
Diver looking at the wreck of the Monitor
people working on the uss monitor engine
wrought iron shot tongs from the wreck of the uss monitor

National Marine Sanctuary System

national marine Sanctuary system map

Safeguarding America's Premier Marine Places

From Washington state to the Gulf of America and from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Islands, the National Marine Sanctuary System protects 18 underwater parks spanning over 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. By investing in innovative solutions, we strengthen these iconic places to address 21st-century challenges while supporting America's commerce and tourism. These unique locations inspire people to visit, value, and steward our nation’s iconic ocean and Great Lakes waters.