RECOVERED SILVERWARE FROM USS MONITOR REVEALS NAMES OF
FOUR CREWMEMBERS
Several Pieces On Display at The Mariners' Museum In Newport News

December 30, 2002 — Continuing the time consuming process of excavation, archaeologists and conservators from NOAA and The Mariner's Museum successfully recovered 24 pieces of silver tableware from the turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, several of which are now on display at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va. Conservation of the silverware has revealed the names of four crewmembers. (Click NOAA image for larger view of fork recovered from USS Monitor gun turret. Click here for high resolution version of this image, which is a large file. The fork has "USN" engraved on it (U.S. Navy) and the initials "SAL". It may have belonged to Third Assistant Engineer Samuel Augee Lewis, who was lost when the Monitor sank.)

These discoveries support the theory established by NOAA that objects from the ship's galley fell into the turret when the vessel rolled over while sinking. "The galley was located almost directly below the turret's position on the Monitor's deck. Finding these objects in the turret support our theory and explain why we are recovering such a large amount of silverware, as well as a copper tea kettle," said John Broadwater, manager of the NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and director of the turret excavation.

Twenty-four pieces of silver-plated or silver-washed tableware have been recovered since excavation began on Aug. 26, 2002. Five pieces are engraved with either the names or initials of a crewmember or officers aboard the Monitor.
Those pieces include:

The initials "JN" on a spoon, which match the name of Seaman Jacob Nicklis.
The initials "SAL / USN" on a fork and spoon, which match the name of Third Assistant Engineer Samuel Augee Lewis.
The name "G. Frederickson" on a fork, which matches the name of Master's Mate George Frederickson.
The initials "NKA" on a teaspoon, which match the name of Ensign Norman Knox Attwater.

All four crewmembers were among the 16 who were lost the night the Monitor sank on Dec. 31, 1862.

The other 19 pieces of silverware include forks, dinner forks, handles from knives, teaspoons, serving spoons and a salt or condiment spoon. All 24 pieces of silverware have been, or are being, conserved by Mariners' Museum Chief Conservator Curtiss Peterson using a process called electrolytic reduction. This procedure helps remove organic encrustations from the surface and corrosive chloride compounds from the interior. The Museum is now exhibiting the silverware that has completed the conservation process.

"These pieces make up a wide range of nineteenth-century tableware in that some are copper with a silver wash or silver plated," said Peterson. "It took a couple of weeks to remove the corrosion before they were polished with a low abrasive polish and lacquered to decrease the chances of them tarnishing again."

The turret joins hundreds of other artifacts recovered from the Monitor that are undergoing conservation at The Mariners' Museum. The turret, vessel's engine, condenser, propeller and propeller shaft are now on exhibit within the museum's Monitor Conservation Area. The turret is expected to take 12 to 15 years to conserve.

In 1987, NOAA designated The Mariners' Museum as the custodian of the artifacts and archives of the USS Monitor. As custodian, The Mariners' Museum is charged with housing artifacts and providing conservation, interpretation and education. These efforts will be greatly enhanced in 2007 when The Mariners' Museum, in collaboration with NOAA, will open a new $30 million USS Monitor Center. The USS Monitor Center will be home to the priceless artifacts recovered from the historic ship and a worldwide resource for exhibitions, conservation, research and education related to the Monitor and the larger story of the naval history of the Civil War.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase public awareness of America's maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. The NOAA National Ocean Service manages the National Marine Sanctuary Program and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation's coasts and oceans.

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Monitor Expedition — You can follow the expedition's history, see the latest photos and read daily logs.

NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

USS Monitor Recovered and under Study
The Civil War Ironclad Reveals its Long-held Secrets

NOAA's National Ocean Service

NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program

Media Contact:
Michelle Fox, NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, (757) 591-7352
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Fox, NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.)