Raising The Monitor

On March 9, 1862, off the sandy coast of Hampton Roads, Virginia, the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia (better known as the Merrimac) pounded each other's sides with cannonballs for over four loud and historic hours. The first naval battle between ironclad ships was an even match. The fast and maneuverable Monitor lacked size and strength, and the immense Merrimac had more firepower, but was clumsy and sluggish. The battle ended in a draw.

The two ships were fated to never meet again. Nine months later, the Monitor sank during a storm off of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras in an area of the ocean aptly named the "Graveyard Of The Atlantic."

The wreck of the Monitor was discovered in 1973, and smaller components such as the propeller and steam engine have been removed from the sunken ship over the years. But concentrated efforts to recover other key artifacts and, most important, the Monitor's innovative revolving gun turret -- the first of its kind -- proved elusive. Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Navy, and The Mariners' Museum combined their resources to retrieve what they could from the now-fragile Monitor, which will soon disintegrate entirely.

On the morning of August 6, the ship's famous gun turret was finally raised. The turret is expected to be moved to a display tank at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, where it will begin a 10-year preservation process. Other items recovered during the six-week expedition included working thermometers, a lantern chimney, hydrometers, and a full human skeleton(!).

For further insight into the Civil War and other exciting nautical recovery operations, peruse the titles below!

The Civil War: A Narrative
by Shelby Foote
This three-volume set is considered by many to be one of the most definitive statements on one of the most defining and debated events in American history. The widely respected Foote, who rocketed to fame due to his colorful commentary in Ken Burns' blockbuster PBS Civil War documentary, details the history of the bloody conflict over the course of three engrossing volumes: Fort Sumter To Perryville, Fredericksburg To Meridian, and Red River To Appomattox. Foote is an accomplished historian who also happens to be a fantastic storyteller, and his non-fiction epic is for Civil War novices and obsessives alike.

Under Two Flags: The American Navy In The Civil War
by William M. Fowler Jr.
Fowler, a director at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston and a professor of maritime history at the Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies in Mystic, CT, provides a fascinating look at an oft-neglected aspect of Civil War history: the story of the Union Navy. From the early stages of the war when the Union clumsily pursued Confederates…through the Louisiana bayous…to the later, more sophisticated ironclad warships…Fowler relates the gripping story of how an awkward group of disheveled boats and inexperienced sailors evolved into a powerful nautical force.

Confederates In The Attic
by Tony Horwitz
Although the Civil War was obviously over long ago, physical and psychological ramifications from the conflict can still be felt all over the mid-Atlantic and Southern states. In his often hilarious but sometimes disturbing and frightening book, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Horwitz travels to historic Civil War sites throughout the South to investigate this controversial phenomenon. On some of his travels he's accompanied by the unforgettable Robert Lee Hodge, a "hardcore" Civil War re-enactor whose interest in the subject borders on an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Famous for playing dead soldiers because of his ability to "bloat" on demand, Hodge also maintains a diet to make himself look close to starvation, and soaks his uniform's buttons in urine in order to recreate a unique sheen.

Ship Of Gold In The Deep Blue Sea
By Gary Kinder
One of the wonderful aspects of Kinder's captivating book is that it succeeds on two levels. On the one hand, it's the suspenseful story of a young Ohio engineer who overcomes mountains of red tape and adversity from competitors, the law, and the weather to recover riches from the ocean floor using new, ground-breaking equipment. On the other hand, it's the intense and tragic story of the Central America: a ship that was carrying 600 people and an estimated 21 tons of gold bars and coins when it sank off the coast of Georgia during a hurricane in 1857. Four hundred people lost their lives, and a host of fortunes were lost for over 130 years. Kinder skillfully weaves both narratives together into a page-turning, non-fiction adventure.

Raise The Titanic
by Clive Cussler
Look up the definition of "beach book" in the dictionary and chances are you'll see one of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels. Raise The Titanic, the fourth and best-known Dirk Pitt book, may be a little dated these days, but that doesn't mean it's lost the capacity to entertain. A globe-trotting, out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire adventurer not unlike Indiana Jones, Titanic finds Pitt trying to recover the famous cruise ship in order to stop the Soviets from recovering a secret cache of byzanium and taking over the world. It's insane, imaginative summer fun at its best.