Situated 16 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary protects the shipwreck of the famed Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor. Over the last 40 years NOAA has been honoring the men of USS Monitor, its legacy with the United States Navy, and its impact on world events. This presentation will discuss NOAA’s use of cutting edge science to preserve this iconic piece of Civil War history and how these efforts have led to a greater understanding of North Carolina’s shipwrecks, in particular how World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic came to America’s shores. NOAA’s goal is to protect these fragile historic resources for future generations, and to preserve the memory of the brave Allied service men and U.S. merchant mariners who fought to rid the world of tyranny. From the U.S. Civil War to World War II, this presentation will highlight NOAA’s efforts to protect these fragile national treasures and their history above and below the waves.
 
About the Speaker:

Tane Casserley is a maritime archaeologist who specializes in 19th-century warships and deep-water archaeology. Casserley holds a graduate certificate in maritime archaeology from the University of Hawaii and a Master’s degree from the Program in Maritime Studies at East Carolina University. He has led NOAA archaeological expeditions in the Florida Keys, the Great Lakes, California, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, and the USS Monitor. He was most recently part of the ongoing research to document the maritime landscape of the WWII Battle of the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina. Casserley’s projects have used technical diving, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and manned submersibles.