NEWPORT NEWS— History and technology will converge Saturday, March 7, when The Mariners’ Museum and Park hosts its annual Battle of Hampton Roads Commemoration Day, featuring the first public unveiling of high-resolution sonar imagery of the USS Monitor.
In partnership with NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and Northrop Grumman, the museum will present new three-dimensional digital reconstructions of the Monitor as it appeared in 1862, along with detailed scans of the wreck as it rests on the ocean floor.
The imagery was captured using an uncrewed underwater vehicle equipped with Northrop Grumman’s micro synthetic aperture sonar. According to organizers, it marks the first fine-scale sonar survey of the Monitor. The system can penetrate low-visibility conditions to generate high-resolution images of the wreck and surrounding debris field, including views of the hull and internal structure.
Museum officials said the technology offers new opportunities for researchers, historians and the public to study and protect one of the nation’s most significant Civil War shipwrecks. The unveiling coincides with the sanctuary’s 50th anniversary.
“By unveiling this new technology alongside hands-on STEM activities, we’re showing the community that history and innovation go hand in hand,” said Will Hoffman, director of conservation and chief conservator at The Mariners’ Museum and Park. “These experiences provide visitors a new window into the past, enabling people to engage with USS Monitor through a different lens and potentially drawing in new audiences of all ages.”
A featured presentation, “Exploring Monitor with 21st-Century Technology,” will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Explorers Theater. Representatives from NOAA and Northrop Grumman will discuss the mission, share the imagery and explain how the technology enhances understanding of the ironclad and the Battle of Hampton Roads.
Interactive activities throughout the museum will include a life-size sonar and mapping floor game, remotely operated vehicle demonstrations, engineering challenges for children, a virtual reality experience exploring the wreck site, a themed scavenger hunt and gallery talks with museum staff.
Guests ages 10 and older may tour the museum’s Wet Lab from 1 to 3 p.m., where the Monitor’s gun turret and other recovered artifacts are undergoing conservation. A lecture will also highlight the life and leadership of Rear Adm. John Lorimer Worden, who commanded the Monitor during the Battle of Hampton Roads.
Additional information and registration details are available on the museum’s website.