Memorial for Monitor Sailors

From the Dec. 30, 2012, Outer Banks Voice "Memorial dedicated for sailors of ironclad Monitor."

The NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and US Navy dedicated a memorial Saturday at the Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia, for the sixteen Union sailors who died when the ship sank off Cape Hatteras, NC,  on New Year's Eve 1862.

The USS Monitor was involved in the historic battle of the ironclads against the CSS Virginia on March 9. 1862.  This was the first time iron ships had battled each other.  A little over 9 months later, the Monitor met its doom.

Two skeletons were found in the Monitor's turret when it was removed from the wreck.  No trace of the other 14 has been found.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation paid for the memorial design and installation, which is near the site of the famous battle with the Virginia.

The Monitor's wreck is 240 feet deep about 16 miles south of Cape Hatteras.

Something Else to See.  --Old B-Runner