NOAA to dedicate USS Monitor Trail sign in honor
of the 40th anniversary of USS Monitor discovery

Media and public invited to attend dedication ceremony

On August 27, NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will dedicate the first of five USS Monitor Trail signs in Beaufort, N.C. The trail will eventually extend to New York. This sign honors the 40th anniversary of USS Monitor discovery resting in approximately 230 feet of water, and the team that located it 111 years after it sunk 16 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

In August 1973, John G. Newton of Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C., led a research mission aboard the Duke University Research Vessel, Eastward, in search of the USS Monitor. Using sonar technology, researchers surveyed 96 square miles of seafloor. A second visit to the two wrecks in April 1974 confirmed the identification of the Monitor.

Funded by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, this is the first of the trail signs to be dedicated. In coming years, signs will be placed at locations in Virginia, North Carolina and New York that have significant historical connection to Monitor.

What:		Dedication of USS Monitor Trail sign, 40th anniversary of USSMonitor discovery. The event is open to the public.
When:		Tuesday, August 27, 5 p.m. Members of the media are invited to view the sign 30 minutes prior.
Where:		North Carolina Maritime Museum 315 Front Street, Beaufort, N.C. 28516
Who:		David Alberg, superintendent, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Cathryn Newton, daughter of John Newton Richard Stanley, Mayor of Beaufort Local city and state officials (invited)

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On the Web:

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA's Maritime Heritage Program