#monitornationalmarinesanctuary

We are ready to dive in!

Tune into the Valor in the Atlantic mission, taking place in Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. The NOAA ship, Nancy Foster, has departed and the mission is scheduled to end on May 25, 2022. This is the first in-depth, multidisciplinary survey of the iconic Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, and surrounding shipwrecks since the 2002 expedition. What will we find this time?

Visit the Valor in the Atlantic livestream:

Are you as excited for the Valor in the Atlantic mission as we are?

Tomorrow we will be returning to the resting place of the USS Monitor, America’s first national marine sanctuary, as we celebrate the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Civil War vessel, which sank 160 years ago, will be visited with state-of-the-art technology and systematically surveyed for the first time since Monitor’s turret was recovered in 2002.

Watch our press briefing before we dive in tomorrow with GFOE:

Announcing: Valor in the Atlantic Expedition

Beginning May 15, the public can join NOAA scientists and partner researchers as they explore the shipwreck of USS Monitor, natural reefs, and the maritime cultural landscape off the North Carolina coast.

The two week mission–titled Valor in the Atlantic–will use state-of-the-art underwater drones and other technologies to explore notable sites surrounding America’s first National Marine Sanctuary. The Global Foundation of Ocean Exploration is providing much of the technology for the mission, which will be live streamed in real-time to the public from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster.

Collaborating with dozens of museums, aquariums, educators, and other organizations, the broadcast will showcase nationally significant sites located in the waters off the North Carolina coast and their biological communities to students, educators, scientists and the public, literally bringing the wonders of these ocean treasures to life.

The mission will run May 15 through May 25, 2022 as weather and dive conditions permit.

Valor in the Atlantic 2022: Return to USS Monitor Will Stream Live

On August 5, 2002, nearly 140 years after the sinking of the historic Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, Monitor’s gun turret was raised 240 feet from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

During this act to recover the significant Civil War naval artifact, US Navy divers discovered the remains of the Monitor crew that were also recovered with the ship’s turret. The two sailors were later buried, with full military honors, at Arlington National Cemetery.

Next week, NOAA will be conducting the first in-depth, multidisciplinary survey of the iconic Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, since this remarkable expedition. Join us on May 15 as we continue to explore the Monitor and surrounding historic shipwrecks during the Valor in the Atlantic project in partnership with the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration.