Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Ramping Up to Save the USS Monitor's Turret-- Part 3: Looking for Dents

Since the turret recovery/conservation project started in 2002, some 760 objects have been found.

A five person team using chisels, hammers and small pneumatic tools will be removing scale-like layers of marine concretion.  Several times a day, the turret walls will be wet down with purified water.  Each Friday, the tank will be refilled with water to protect it over the weekend and then it will be drained again on Monday.

Once finished, the turret's newly exposed interior and exterior walls will be scanned through a 3-D photogrammerty process, to record the progress of the electrolytic reduction and descaling treatment.

In doing this, conservators hope to be able to gather information on Confederate shot, bolt and shells which hit the turret during its battle with the CSS Virginia in March 1862 and the confrontation with Drewry's Bluff two months later on the James River.

--Old B-Runner

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