DATE: Wednesday, November 12, 1997          TAG: 9711120006

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

A PRICELESS RELIC RAISE THE MONITOR

Caretakers of the ironclad Monitor, whose remains are rapidly deteriorating in 230 feet of water off the North Carolina coast, made a strong plea before a congressional subcommittee last week to raise what remains of the Civil War ship before it is lost forever.

An official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the Union warship's hull is near collapse. Recovery of Monitor's significant remains - including its four-bladed propeller, cannons, engine and, most cherished of all, it's cheese-box gun turret - could cost more than $20 million and take more than four years.

The remains should be recovered, and as soon as possible. The Monitor was a ship of unique design, and it played a storied role in the War Between the States and the history of Hampton Roads. Its battle with the CSS Virginia (nee U.S. Navy's Merrimack) took place in our waters. It would be unforgivable to allow this relic to rot away on the ocean floor.

But one significant element of the recovery plan merits further discussion. Pilot staff writer Paul Clancy reported last week that the Monitor's remains, if recovered, would be displayed at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News.

The Mariners' Museum is admittedly among the finest museums of its type in the United States, if not the world. But the Monitor was born and bred as a fighting machine of the (then-divided) United States Navy, and Norfolk remains that Navy's greatest port. A strong argument can be made that Norfolk - specifically, Nauticus - would be a more fitting place for such a display. Especially if the venue acquires the battleship Wisconsin as a permanent attraction and is transformed into a center for Navy history.

The Monitor's turret and guns would make a perfect cornerstone for such a collection. At the minimum, the economic viability of such a plan deserves very serious study.

In deciding how to display the Monitor's remains, the controlling authorities should keep two issues in mind: Where would such a display make the most sense in terms of honoring the sailors who followed its traditions? And where would this most fascinating of naval artifacts be most readily accessible to the greatest number of citizens who pass through the region as tourists each year?

It's a debate that should be engaged. Arguing Norfolk's case would require the city to determine whether a reoriented Nauticus can be successful and to sell the new vision. The group studying the future of Nauticus is looking in a different direction, but the confluence of Wisconsin and Monitor opportunities should give them pause.

Thus far, there's been a lack of clarity about the mission and concept of Nauticus. A Navy history museum bookended by Monitor and Wisconsin would leave no one in doubt as to the institution's focus.

But, first, all concerned should lobby for an expeditious recovery of Monitor's remains, before it's too late. More than a rusting relic is at stake. A nation that lacks interest in preserving its own past may not have much of a future.

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