Posts from Will Hoffman

USS Monitor Center

National Treasure

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As concretion removal on the turret has continued, a host of new finds have been discovered!!! The focus of concretion removal has shifted around a bit during the last several weeks (look at previous blog posts). We began work with the documentation and removal of the roof stanchions, which then moved to the excavation of concretion between the roof rails and beams, and currently to the removal of corrosion and concretion in and around the nutguards.

The following images show the variety of discoveries we found during the excavations.   Read more

USS Monitor Center

Summer Roofers

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After the removal of remaining roof stanchions on the turret (see previous post below), conservation staff shifted their work efforts to its interior.  Over the last several weeks we have been using an assortment of pneumatic and other hand tools to remove remaining concretion and loose corrosion products embedded in between the roof rails and on the main roof support beams.  The following link is a video put together by The Daily Press, which provides a good overview of the work.

http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/dp-nws-monitor-turret-20110730,0,7028584.story

USS Monitor Center

Sub-Stanchion-al !!!!!!

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In preparation for their removal from the turret, photographic documentation was undertaken to record the location and orientation of remaining roof stanchions (in situ in their mounting brackets), which once supported a canvas canopy above the turret.  In the photograph below taken in July of 1862, you can see the starboard side of the turret in the background with the roof stanchions and canopy clearly visible. (notice the dents near the gun port!!)

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USS Monitor Center

Completely Floored

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Last week, treatment began on a large fragment of cast iron flooring from  Monitor‘s engine room. The fragment was discovered in situ during large scale deconcretion efforts on the engine in December 2010.  In the images below, you can see the fragment in place on the engine being supported with straps while concretion was removed to separate it from the engine bed.

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