From the Jan. 2010 The Civil War Round Table Newsletter.
The USS Monitor's two gun carriages were recently turned right side up for the first time since December 31, 1862.
On November 9th and 10th, a heavy crane lifted one carriage a day from conservation tanks at the Batten Conservation Laboratory Complex at the Mariner's Museum's USS Monitor Center.
The carriages were attached to a special A Frame cradle and rotated.
The carriages were pulled up in the turret in 2002. Both mounted XI-inch Dahlgren shell guns. Everything else in the turret was left in its upside-down state.
It sure will be interesting when they get around to the cannons. Supposedly the ship's cat was placed in the barrel of one when it went a bit crazy when it saw the water entering the turret.
AND, SPEAKING OF THE MONITOR
Earlier this year eBay had a three page handwritten letter by ship designer John Ericsson who designed the Monitor. The current bid at the time was $112.99. Bidding has closed and I'm not sure how much it ended up going for.
I'm Glad At Least They Were Able to Save the Turret. --Old B-Runner
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