NOAA Finds 160-Year-Old Shipwreck on NC Sea Floor

The fledgling ironclad Union Navy warship USS Monitor foundered and sank 16 miles off the North Carolina coast on New Year's Eve 1862, at the height of the Civil War, after being overwhelmed by a storm.

Sixteen men perished, many of whom were killed by the ship's turret as it sank to the sea floor.

USS Monitor

The warship's wreckage was discovered in 1973 and became a National Marine Sanctuary in 1975.

The shipwreck has been visited several times since then as part of various expeditions to recover the turret, propeller, and other artifacts for preservation, many of which required the use of over 100 divers.

The NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries partnered with the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration on the latest expedition, Valor in the Atlantic, to investigate the shipwreck and gather data on the wide variety of marine life that exists there, as well as the deterioration of the ship's hull.

An ROV, or remotely operated underwater vehicle, was used to survey the site, and it discovered something unprecedented: the ship was in much better shape than had been expected in the wake of storms and even hurricanes.

The team discovered that the Monitor has managed to avoid being overwhelmed by the time and marine life over the last 160 years.

The wreck is in amazing condition, according to Tane Renata Casserley, resource protection and permit coordinator at the NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, after being on the seafloor for 160 years and weathering all of the environmental conditions off Cape Hatteras, which includes extremely strong currents and hurricanes.

The state has seen more than 300 hurricanes since 1851.

The Monitor's iron hull and armor belt, which were designed to withstand the rigors of war, have now enabled it to provide a stable habitat in its new role as an island of life, according to Casserley.

He went on to say that seeing the transformation at the ocean's bottom is incredible.

Casserley also mentioned that the Monitor had so much marine life that it was difficult to see the shipwreck.

This exceptionally well-preserved wreck and its new aquatic crewmates provide a rare glimpse into the inner workings of an ironclad during the Civil War, as well as a wealth of information for biologists exploring how wrecks can become marine life hotspots, Newsweek reported.

According to a tweet from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the wreck site has healthy corals that are swarming with life, along with predators like tiger sharks.

In their tweet, NOAA pointed out that this is the first time the world has seen the Monitor, with the current type of technology, in nearly 20 years.

The team is proud and eager to be back.

Shipwrecks to Marine Ecosystem

According to a UN estimate via Marine Insight, at least three million shipwrecks are strewn across ocean floors around the world.

These historical monuments contribute significantly to a healthy marine ecosystem and support the growing recreational dive tourism industry, in addition to being important cultural sites.