March 6, 2003 — Last summer, America watched as NOAA and the U. S. Navy raised the iron turret that distinguished the famed warship Monitor, slumbering for more than a century in what is now the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

Within weeks, the location of the Portland, lost in a New England gale in 1898 with 192 souls aboard, was confirmed by NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary researchers. Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), scientists secured dramatic video footage of the wooden side-wheel steamer in its deep-water resting place.

Off the coast of California, a much-discussed 15-year-old shipwreck was investigated and recorded by NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary researchers. Sediment samples and information collected on the mission may answer questions about potential environmental impacts from the wreck’s toxic cargo.

Protection of historic shipwrecks and other submerged archaeological sites within the boundaries of NOAA’s 13 national marine sanctuaries has always been an integral part of each sanctuary’s management plan, but recent landmark discoveries have captured the attention and ignited the imagination of the American public.

Why now? Officials cite the sanctuaries’ directed focus on submerged cultural resources and cooperative strategic partnerships.

“NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program is pleased to be leading America’s efforts in exploring our underwater history,” said Daniel J. Basta, director of the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

“We are focusing on our maritime heritage because interest in the topic connects a wide base of Americans,” he said. “By understanding our common connections to the oceans and Great Lakes we are fostering the common values of conservation and stewardship of our coastal and deep water areas.”

“Our explorations are made possible through strategic partnerships with other agencies, institutions, private concerns and the scientific community,“ said Basta. “We are able to share invaluable resources, knowledge and technology to achieve unprecedented results.”

Never before has the Sanctuary Program’s exploration and documentation of submerged cultural resources been so dynamic. And never before have the results been so significant and far-reaching. The National Marine Sanctuary Program's Submerged Cultural Resources Program, formally created in 2002, provides a structure that includes components for exploration, protection, management, research and education. The NMSP works in partnership with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, which supports many sanctuary expeditions. In addition, recent sanctuary expeditions have included public and private institutions and other agencies, such as the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.

The public is more involved than ever, as well. Thanks to the technology of manned and unmanned deep-water submarines, dramatic underwater photos and video footage of sanctuary missions are seen across the nation in news reports and public displays. Today, with the immediacy, speed and reach of the Internet, sanctuary explorations are followed by millions at the Ocean Explorer Web site.

• Pacbaroness, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
  The wreck of the Pacbaroness occurred in 1987 and had not been visited since initial surveys in 1987 and 1988. The 562-foot commercial bulk carrier Pacbaroness collided with the auto carrier Atlantic Wing in 1987 and foundered with a combined volume of 378,943 gallons of fuel and lubricating oils and 21,000 metric tons of finely powdered copper concentrate onboard. Although the shipwreck lies outside the sanctuary boundary, there is a concern that the toxic cargo and fuel oils could pose a threat to sanctuary marine resources. In cooperation with the U.S. Navy, researchers from NOAA and University of California Santa Barbara used a remotely operated vehicle to conduct the mission. Scientists observed marine life on and around the 1,400-foot deep wreck. Working around the clock, researchers video documented, photographed and collected sediment samples for chemical and biological analysis. From this expedition, researchers will be able to begin to map and characterize the site. This new information makes it possible for researchers to conduct future missions to the wreck to monitor potential threats to the environment. The reconnaissance dives were part of a larger NOAA exploration cruise, Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002. Assessing this and other sanctuary shipwreck sites will help determine further steps necessary to ensure that the marine ecosystems are protected.
  
  
• Portland, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
  On August 29, 2002, NOAA confirmed that New England’s most sought-after and mysterious wreck, the steamship Portland, lies within the boundaries of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The confirmation of the Portland’s final resting place was the successful culmination of a joint research mission conducted by the Stellwagen Bank NMS and the National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut. Dubbed “New England’s Titanic,” the Portland went down with all 192 passengers and crew during a gale on November 27, 1898. Discovery of the wreck site was first reported in 1989 by the Massachusetts firm American Underwater Search and Survey, but further study was needed to confirm the wreck’s location and identity. Using the latest technology and research methods, including multi-beam and side-scan sonar, and an ROV armed with a high-quality video camera, the Portland expedition team was able to determine conclusively that the wreck is indeed that of the ill-fated steamship. Due to its location within the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary, the wreck of the Portland receives federal protection and may not be moved, removed or otherwise disturbed.
  
  
• Thunder Bay Exploration 2002
  Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve scientists from NOAA, the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries and the Institute for Exploration conducted a two-week expedition at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve off the coast of Alpena, Mich. Exploring targets identified in 2001, the expedition team discovered two previously uncharted shipwrecks, including a 19th-century wooden schooner. The team also collected video and photographs of 15 known shipwrecks. All of the images will be used to further study the shipwrecks and for future public interpretation, including a new shipwreck exhibit planned for Thunder Bay’s sanctuary headquarters. In addition to surveying shipwrecks, the team documented several offshore limestone sinkholes. The sinkholes were on land during low lake levels 8,000 to 10,000 years ago when the earliest Native Americans inhabited the upper Great Lakes. Scientists will analyze the video to determine the composition of objects located in the sinkholes. Robert Ballard, founder and president of the Institute for Exploration, participated in a portion of the expedition and made a public presentation on his efforts to help bring the National Marine Sanctuaries experience to the public.
  
  
• Monitor Turret Recovery Expedition 2002, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
  In March 1862, a warship unlike any other entered service in the U.S. Navy. It was the USS Monitor, an ironclad ship that featured the world’s first armored revolving gun turret. Built in a mere 110 days, the Monitor is credited with saving the Union from the advances of another ironclad, the Confederate CSS Virginia. But while the Monitor survived an epic, four-hour battle with the Virginia, with only minor damage, it foundered in a December 1862 gale off Cape Hatteras, N.C. The Monitor remained lost until a team of researchers located the wreck in 1973. Two years later, the wreck site became the nation’s first national marine sanctuary, administered by NOAA. During the summer of 2002, NOAA and the U.S. Navy teamed up to recover the Monitor’s famous turret and its two 11-inch smoothbore Dahlgren cannons. After working around the clock for 41 days, NOAA and the Navy succeeded in raising the turret and cannons, a total lift weight of 236 tons. The effort marked the end of a multi-year effort by NOAA, the Navy and the Mariners’ Museum to preserve key components of the revolutionary ship before seawater corrodes the vessel beyond recognition.
  

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA and NAVY BRING TURRET OF USS MONITOR TO SHORE
World’s Most Famous Artifact from Civil War Ironclad Reaches U.S. Shores

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary Releases New Shipwreck Images on 104th Anniversary of Portland Loss (November 26, 2002)

NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA’s 13 national marine sanctuaries

NOAA's Submerged Cultural Resources Brochure

National Marine Sanctuary Program

NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration

Ocean Explorer website

M/V Pacbaroness Ship Wreck

Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002

Steamship Portland Ship Wreck

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve

Shipwrecks of the Thunder Bay Region

Monitor Turret Recovery Expedition 2002

USS MONITOR RECOVERED AND UNDER STUDY
The Civil War Ironclad Reveals its Long-held Secrets

NOAA, NAVY RAISE TURRET OF USS MONITOR
Civil War Ironclad from Graveyard of the Atlantic

NOAA AND THE MARINERS’ MUSEUM SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE FIRST PHASE OF MONITOR
TURRET EXCAVATION

NOAA, NAVY, THE MARINERS' MUSEUM BEGIN EFFORTS TO RAISE
USS MONITOR'S TURRET

Monitor Collection

Media Contact:
Glenda Tyson, NOAA's Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066