USS Monitor Technology for Conservation
Explore the USS Monitor through sonar scans, an interactive timeline, and animations.
Northrop Grumman's Technology for Conservation (T4C) program and Stantec teamed with Monitor National Marine Sanctuary to use an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) to capture high resolution sonar images of the USS Monitor shipwreck. These fine-scale scans highlight how advanced technology can enhance and expand our understanding of the shipwreck and continue Monitor's legacy of innovation for future generations. This site showcases findings from μSAS™ (micro-SAS) scan results alongside an interactive timeline, animations, Monitor-related milestones, and Monitor's role supporting a thriving ecosystem.
Public-private partnerships like the one between Nortrop Grumman, Stantec, and Monitor National Marine Sanctuary help support the sanctuary's role as steward of Monitor's historic legacy and as a testbed for new technologies. Monitor was a technological marvel of its day, and it continues to serve the nation today through technology, innovation, and education.
All activities were conducted under permit number MNMS-2025-001
USS Monitor Models
Built as a prototype for a brand new type of warship, USS Monitor was continually improved during its brief life afloat in 1862. These improvements included three different deck layouts as the U.S. Navy responded to the lessons learned during the Battle of Hampton Roads and updated its general sea characteristics.
March 1862
This model represents the USS Monitor from the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862. (Credit: Northrop Grumman)
July 1862
This model represents the updates made to USS Monitor after the battle with CSS Virginia with a modified pilot house at the bow and extended air intake vents and smoke boxes towards the stern. This is the deck layout seen in the historical images from 1862. (Credit: Northrop Grumman)
December 1862
This model represents the USS Monitor in November 1862 after visiting the Washington Navy Yard where repairs and further improvements were undertaken. A telescoping smokestack and taller air ventilation boxes were fitted, which improved efficiency. This is how the USS Monitor appeared the night it sank on Dec. 31, 1862. (Credit: Northrop Grumman)
Final Voyage Animation
After analysing the archaeological data at the shipwreck and discoveries made during artifact conservation, NOAA believes the vessel sank by going down by the stern (rear) and rolling to starboard (right side) as it slipped beneath the waves. As the vessel overturned, the tip of the stern and the starboard side struck the seafloor, crushing the stern structure, armor belt, and rudder. The turret then separated from the hull, flipped upside down, and the hull ultimately came to rest inverted on top of the turret. Although 47 members of Monitor's crew were rescued, 16 of the ship's sailors tragically lost their lives at approximately 1:30 a.m. on the night of Dec. 31, 1862.
Habitat Model
As part of its Technology for Conservation initiative, Northrop Grumman created a visualization to depict how the shipwreck of Monitor looks today. The reef 3D representation demonstrates how the ocean floor around Monitor is like an underwater desert; however, the shipwreck is a living reef full of fish and invertebrates. This thriving ecosystem grew from the wreck of the iconic Civil War ironclad - from a vessel of war to an island of life.
Sonar Data
µSAS, High-Performance Sonar Technology
µSAS™ (pronounced micro-SAS) is a first-of-its-kind synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), which allows underwater vehicles to capture precise and high-resolution data products from the ocean and seabed. By collecting and processing sonar information in real time, µSAS™provides situational awareness to support informed mission decisions.
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor, looking at the bow and forward section of the wreck captured by Northrop Grumman using μSAS™.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor, looking at the stern of the wreck with the boilers and inner framework of the armor belt captured by Northrop Grumman using μSAS™.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor, showing the entire wreck site captured by Northrop Grumman using μSAS™.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor with enhanced focus via despeckling completed by Northrop Grumman. This image depicts the entire wreck site with the bow to the right and the ship's boilers can be viewed at the stern of the wreck.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor with enhanced focus via despeckling completed by Northrop Grumman. This sonar image depicts the entire wreck site including a portion of the armor belt removed by the U.S. Navy in 2002 in order to recover the turret.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Bathymetric view of USS Monitor with enhanced focus via despeckling completed by Northrop Grumman. This sonar image is a close up view of the wreck where a portion of the lower hull towards the bow can be seen with the remnant of the ship's keel.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
CSAS, Circular Synthetic Aperture Sonar
Circular synthetic aperture sonar (CSAS) provides cues into the temporal nature of the sonar and stitches all 360 degrees together, enabling researchers to identify areas of the shipwreck that would be shadowed in a survey and revealing detail that isn’t seen in a single orientation.
This model represents Northrop Grumman's µSAS™ data (pronounced micro-SAS), a first-of-its-kind synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), collected at the USS Monitor shipwreck and paired with their advanced data processing and visualization technologies to create an immersive 3D representation of the site. Credit: Northrop Grumman
Image of USS Monitor, captured by Northrop Grumman using circular SAS scanning technique.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Image of USS Monitor, captured by Northrop Grumman using circular SAS scanning technique. Circular synthetic aperture sonar (CSAS) provides cues into the temporal nature of the sonar and stitches all 360 degrees together, enabling researchers to identify areas of the shipwreck that would be shadowed in a survey and revealing detail that isn't seen in a single orientation.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Image of USS Monitor, captured by Northrop Grumman using circular SAS scanning technique. This is a closeup view of the shipwreck using CSAS data where the entire shipwreck site can be seen including a portion of the armor belt that was removed by the U.S. Navy in 2002 in order to recover Monitor's turret.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
USS Monitor AUV Survey 2025 Video
This video features the Fall 2025 collaborative mission between NOAA and Northrop Grumman that served to provide the latest data, sonar imaging, and video representation of the USS Monitor. The video includes information about the importance of the USS Monitor, the act of surveying the shipwreck with new technologies, the importance of preserving the history of shipwrecks in the Atlantic, and how the new data can now be shared to the public.