On June 11, 2011, the USS Monitor was honored in a ceremony at The Mariners' Museum by the American Society for Metals (ASM) International with the ASM Historic Landmark award for the innovation of the USS Monitor’s ironclad construction. ASM International is a 98 year old organization with 37,000 members. The organization awards recognition to landmarks that have made significant contributions and uses of metal.

Nearly 60 people were in attendance for the ceremony including members of The Mariners' Museum staff, NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, and ASM International, as well as city officials Vice Mayor Madeline McMillan, City Manager Neil Morgan, and City Clerk Mable Washington Jenkins.

Before the ceremony, while refreshments were being enjoyed, I spoke with Stan Theobald and Jon Tirpak from ASM International. They stated how excited they were to have the USS Monitor join the over 120 other landmarks that have been awarded, including the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument. The reason for the recognition of the USS Monitor is because of the significance role the iron cladding played as a pivotal advancement of technology.

David Krop, Conservation Project Manager for the USS Monitor welcomed the attendees to the special ceremony and thanked those that made it possible. He followed with a brief history of the USS Monitor:

“The Civil War ironclad Monitor was conceived in the mind of Swedish American inventor John Ericsson and was later born in Brooklyn, NY. She got her sea legs plying the nearby waters while proofing her untested technology, most notably her unique side-lever steam engine and 120-ton revolving gun turret. Not long after, the little ironclad CSS Virginia. The hulking rebel ship subdued the Union fleet in Hampton Roads with her iron ram and powerful guns on March 8, 1862, and the Monitor was the only thing that stood between her crippled Navy brethren and the circling menace. On March 0, the world watched as iron and steam clashed at point blank range for 4 hours, about 10 miles from here. Although the battle was a draw, the technology of the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia forever changed the face of naval warfare.

So what happened next? Well, not much. The crew of the Virginia, hemmed in by land and sea, ran her aground off Craney Island in April of 1862. Rather than risk capture or surrender their vessel, they lit a fuse and sent the confederate ironclad beneath the water at the mouth of Elizabeth River.

The Monitor did not fare much better. Her crew sat in the heat and humidity of the James River for much of the summer. They battled mosquitoes and boredom. They suffered in the confines of the uncomfortable iron ship. According to letters home, it was 155 degrees in the galley. The men bickered and fought with each other, perhaps because they weren’t fighting enemy.

When their next big assignment finally appeared on the horizon, steam filled the boilers and excitement filled the men. That excitement, however, quickly faded. Shortly after leaving Hampton Roads en route to South Carolina, Ericsson’s ironclad met her fate in a violent storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC. Shortly before 1:00am on New Year’s Eve day, the Monitor disappeared beneath the waves, taking with her 16 of her brave crew.

But Monitor’s story did not end that night. Men and women searched for the ironclad and they ultimately discovered her final resting place. In the 1970’s the US government created the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the first in a series of national marine sanctuaries. NOAA, the US Navy, and other parties spent over 20 years studying the wreck, culminating in the miraculous recovery of the ship’s steam engine an iconic revolving gun turret in 2001 and 2002.

Today, the Monitor lives in the halls of The Mariner’s Museum. Her precious artifacts are undergoing a scientific conservation process to guarantee their long term stability. Conservators at this museum, in conjunction with archaeological partners at NOAA and many other important industries, are breathing new life into an old legend.

It is this unique blend of historic innovation and modern science and materials that attracted the attention of ASM International, a world leader in materials information. Now it is my pleasure to introduce Jon Tirpak, Past Trustee of ASM and FDMC Executive Director.”

Jon Tirpak, Past Trustee of ASM and FDMC Executive Director had this to say:

“Good afternoon! David, thank you for the kind introduction and welcome to this ASM International Historic Landmark Award presentation to the USS Monitor.

To our distinguished guests, the Vice Mayor of Newport News, Madeline McMillan, to the Central and Eastern Chapter Leadership and Chapter Members, to the leaders of the Mariners’ Museum, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and to other special guests, friends, and family, a deep and sincere welcome to this ceremony. Thank you for sharing in this celebration which is also another page in the history of the USS Monitor.

One of the duties of a Trustee, or in my case, Past Trustee of ASM International, is the opportunity to represent the Society on occasions such as these. I know President Mark Smith, Vice President Berndt and the staff and volunteers of the Society all share in this special occasion from afar. Fortunatly for us, Mr. Stan Theobald, Managing Director of ASM International travelled from Materials Park to join us here today.

Before presenting the actual Historic Landmark Award, let me comment briefly on the history of the award itself and the reasons why the USS Monitor was selected.

Originally the purpose of the Historic Landmark Award designation was to preserve our metallurgical heritage...and, to make people all over the world more aware of the many pioneering milestones of metalworking technology.

Our Society established this award in 1969 when ASM was known as the American Society for Metals.

In 1987 to reflect a growing worldwide membership and a technical scope that included ALL engineered materials, not just metals, we changed the Society’s name to “ASM International,” with the qualifying tag line, “The Materials Information Society.” At that time the scope of the Historical Landmark Award was also broadened to include ALL engineered materials.

The first ASM Historical Landmark Award was presented in 1972, marking the site of the first Heroult-type, electric steel-making furnace in the Western Hemisphere.

Over the past 39 years, more than 120 Historical Landmarks have been named, including the Union ironclad we honor today.

Thus far, ASM Historical Landmarks have been designated in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil…

They are located in Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom…

They are located in India and Japan…and, of course, they are located throughout the United States of America.

Some of my favorite sites include: The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond VA, which played a vital role in cladding the Monitor’s nemesis – the CSS Virginia!

Others include:

• The Free Institute of Industrial Science, Worcester, Massachusetts;
• The Saugus Iron Works in Saugus, Massachusetts;
• The Cast Iron Aluminum Cap perched atop the Washington Monument, and I presume you know where you can find that landmark;
• The Air Force Materials Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio which is where this fledgling metallurgist took wing

And one of my recent favorite additions to the list of landmarks: The Civil War submarine known as the H.L. Hunley located in Charleston, South Carolina.

Now, bringing us back to Newport News, the Monitor, and its rival the Virginia, represent significant advances in naval ship design and the application of iron.

Clearly the most obvious application was the cladding of the vessel itself, particularly the revolving turret sporting two eleven inch Dahlgren guns. John Ericsson, the Monitor’s designer, specified 8 inches of iron plate, bolted together with offset seams. Upon closer inspection of the structure, one realizes the hardening of the vessel was enabled through the combination of materials and design. Clearly, iron was inherently stronger than the wood it was designed to replace, but to further strengthen the vessel against the onslaught of enemy cannon fire; the plies were stitched together with through thickness bolts and offset seams, which created a shell impervious to the threat of the latest Confederate cannon.

Upon inspection of the dented but not breached turret after the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Union sailors documented each battle scar which one can see in the black and white photographs of the day or on the turret itself in the laboratory adjacent to this hall.

For the most part the Monitor was enabled by the innovative use of iron. This is the single most important application of materials in the vessel, with the rest of John Ericsson’s genius manifesting itself in the Monitor’s design.

To illustrate one structural detail addressed by John Ericsson’s brilliance, one can see the “nut guards” on the interior of the turret. Acknowledging the energy transfer from a cannon ball through the turret wall and bolts fastening the plates together, Ericsson realized the tremendous forces through the turret wall induced by the cannon fire would strip the nuts from the bolts creating lethal shrapnel within the turret. By placing plates over the fastened ends of the bolts on the interior of the turret, Ericsson protected the crew from nuts shorn from their mating bolts.

This is one of the many examples of Ericsson’s genius which is evident throughout this ironclad ship. For more details of the Monitor’s design, please explore the collection and displays here in the Mariners Museum.”

Mr. Tirpak invited William Cogar, President and CEO of the The Mariners' Museum and Dave Alberg, Superintendent of the Monitor National Marine Sancturary for a few remarks. Mr. Cogar expressed his gratitude and the gratitude of The Mariners' Museum staff for the award.

Members of the Central Virginia Chapter of ASM, NOAA, The Mariners' Museum unveiled the plaque in honor of the Monitor’s Award. The plaque read:

“ASM INTERNATIONAL

HAS DESIGNATED

USS Monitor

A HISTORICAL LANDMARK

With innovations such as a revolving gun turret, steam-driven propulsion, and its iconic ironclad construction, the USS Monitor heralded the arrival of the modern warship.”

“To these words, may I offer the congratulations of the members, officer, and staff of ASM International to The Mariners’ Museum, NOAA, and the stewards of the USS Monitor,” concluded Mr. Tirpak.

David Alberg, Superintendent of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary shared a few remarks about the enduring legacy of the USS Monitor.

David Krop closed the ceremony by recognizing the individuals at The Mariners’ Museum who devote their days and nights to conserving, stabilizing, and exhibiting the artifacts recovered from the Monitor:

Eric Nordgren, Senior Conservator

Elsa Sangouard, Conservator

Will Hoffman, Assistant Conservator

Gary Paden, Objects Handler and jack-of-all-trades

Mike Saul, Conservation Technician and artifact database guru

Tina Gutshall, Conservation Assistant and office manager

Gerry Hanley, long-standing volunteer researcher

Anna Holloway, Vice President, Collections & Programs and Chief Curator of the USS Monitor Center

“Monitor’s story is an American story and an international story as well. It is a unique blend of invention and innovation, iron and steam, heroism and bravery, machine and man. The Monitor embarked on an amazing journey in 1862, and almost 150 years later the ironclad continues to explore new horizons," he concluded.

The ceremony concluded with an invitation for a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Batten Conservation Laboratory. With the rare opportunity to see the USS Monitor’s 25-ton steam engine, which is currently undergoing extensive conservation efforts.

City Manager Neil Morgan and City Clerk Mable Washington Jenkins talk to Gary Paden, Objects Handler, about the cleaning process of the USS Monitor’s steam engine

The USS Monitor’s steam engine in the empty cleaning tank

Some of well over 250 tons of items being cleaned and preserved from the USS Monitor

Take time this summet to visit The Mariners' Museum for yourself, it's a fascinating place to learn about the area's rich history of the water.

Visit them online at: http://www.marinersmuseum.org/