NOAA and Northrop Grumman will release the first-ever high definition sonar images of the USS Monitor shipwreck site during a media briefing on Saturday, March 7. The briefing will include presentations from
NOAA and Northrop Grumman will release the first-ever high definition sonar images of the USS Monitor shipwreck site during a media briefing on Saturday, March 7. The briefing will include presentations from members of the research team. Reporters will also have the opportunity to tour the Batten Conservation Complex, the primary conservation facility for artifacts recovered from the Monitor, including the revolving gun turret, Dahlgren guns, and steam engine.
In September 2025, members of Northrop Grumman’s Technology for Conservation team, along with scientists from NOAA and Stantec, deployed an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) with an advanced sonar system, µSAS, to capture high-resolution imagery of the Monitor shipwreck site off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The fine-scale sonar scans will be used to help the public explore, understand, and protect NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Scientists from SEARCH participated in some of the planning meetings.
NOAA designated the wreck of the USS Monitor as the nation's first national marine sanctuary on January 30, 1975. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages the shipwreck through long-term monitoring, research, and public engagement. Once a marvel of 19th-century naval engineering and a weapon of war, Monitor continues to serve the nation today
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