The Monitor Boys: The Crew of the Union's First Ironclad

(Dive Travel Business News - January 10, 2012) -- As we approach the 150th anniversary of the historic sinking of the USS Monitor, there is a renewed interest in the book "The Monitor Boys" published in 2011.  Historian John Quarstein has painstakingly compiled bits of historical data gathered through years of research to present the first comprehensive picture of the lives of the officers and crew who served faithfully in an iron ship unlike any vessel previously known. 

The United States Navy's first ironclad warship rose to glory during the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, but there's much more to know about the USS Monitor. "The Monitor Boys," a moniker the men gave themselves, is a reflection of how these hundred-odd souls were bound together through storms, battles, boredom and disaster. Just living aboard the ironclad took uncommon effort and fortitude. Their perseverance through the heat, stress and un-seaworthiness that defined life on the ship makes the study of those who dared it a worthy endeavor. Many recognized that they were part of history. Moreover, the Monitor Boys were agents in the change of naval warfare.

Following Quarstein's compelling narrative is a detailed chronology as well as appendices including crew member biographies, casualties and statistics and dimensions of the ship. Readers can dive into the world of the Monitor and meet William Flye, George Geer and the rest of the men who risked everything by going to sea in the celebrated "cheesebox on a raft" and became the hope of a nation wracked by war. 

Today, the remains of the USS Monitor rest on the ocean floor off North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the ship sank in a storm on December 31, 1862. Discovered in 1973, the Monitor wreck site was designated the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The purpose of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is to preserve the historic record of this significant vessel and to interpret her role in shaping US naval history.

Because of its location and challenging environment, few members of the public have seen the remains of the USS Monitor. Private research diving permits for civilian divers are only available by approval through the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

The Mariner's Museum in Virginia is the repository for all the Monitor artifacts, as well as a full replica of the USS Monitor . During the 1990's, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, in collaboration with the Mariner's Museum and the US Navy, retrieved the ship's engine and turret from the USS Monitor for preservation. 

Hardcover copies of "The Monitor Boys" are available for $24.99 at Amazon.com or your local independent bookstore or dive retailer.

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