Propeller Damage
NOAA archaeologists discovered that three propeller blades were heavily damaged. Historical accounts state that the engine was shut down the night it sank -- the ship was under tow by the USS Rhode Island and the propeller was not turning. When she sank, the USS Monitor landed upside down on the seabed with the propeller projecting up from the inverted vessel. The propeller was probably damaged sometime after leaving the Washington Navy Yard in November 1862, but before the engines were shut down on December 30, 1862.
Propeller Damage
NOAA archaeologists discovered that three propeller blades were heavily damaged. Historical accounts state that the engine was shut down the night it sank -- the ship was under tow by the USS Rhode Island and the propeller was not turning. When she sank, the USS Monitor landed upside down on the seabed with the propeller projecting up from the inverted vessel. The propeller was probably damaged sometime after leaving the Washington Navy Yard in November 1862, but before the engines were shut down on December 30, 1862.