Iron from the Deep: The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor [Hardcover]

Robert E. Sheridan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

Robert Sheridan has been of the Monitor story since the 1970s, when his research vessel first made sonar contact with the long-lost wreck of the famous Civil War ironclad, and he collected the first identifiable artifact. In this book he combines his firsthand perspective of the Monitor's discovery and efforts to save her artifacts with an authoritative history of the ship that revolutionized naval ship design. Opening chapters discuss the ship's construction, her successful battle with the Merrimac in 1862 that spelled the end of wooden warships, and the Monitor's sinking later that year off Cape Hatteras. Comments from the secretary of the Navy who spurred the building of the Monitor, the captain who ordered her into action and the young lieutenant who survived the sinking, add color to these historically significant events. In addition to his personal account of the discovery of the Monitor, Sheridari addresses the issue of controls over the wreck and recovery proposals. He describes his nearly twenty years of lobbying to convince Congress that the Monitor's deterioration called for action The book's final chapters chronicle the raising of artifacts from this national treasure. Although several books have been written about the dramatic history of the Yankee ironclad, and several others have been published about attempts to recover her, this is the first to cover both subjects in detail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sheridan has written a remarkable volume." -- Civil War Book Review, Summer 2004

About the Author

Robert E. Sheridan is a professor of geological sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey and one of the discoverers of the wreck of the Monitor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155750413X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557504135
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #809,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest nautical book ever, August 28, 2005

By 

D. Bright "DeepWreckDiver" (Northeastern USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iron from the Deep: The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor (Hardcover)

The USS Monitor was a very revolutionary vessel that was the prototype for all military vessels today. The discovery of the Monitor was not by salvors or divers that regularly dive the Graveyard of the Atlantic but was found by a group of geological and oceanographic scientists that were conducting topographical measurements on the ocean floor. The wreck was discovered in 1973 by the lead scientists Robert Sheridan, Harold Edgerton, Gordon Watts and John Newton and several members from Duke, University of Delaware and University of Rhode Island. One of the best nautical books that you will ever read is Robert Sheridan's book on the discovery of the Monitor entitled Iron from the Deep - The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor. The interactions between the the academic world, the military and the government is a a unique glimpse into the maniacal world of bureaucracy and ego. Although there is a fair amount of science, it is extremely interesting and lends credibility for the discovery and identification of the Monitor. I find it quite interesting that the story of the finding and recovery of the Monitor has always downplayed the role of these fine scientists. Hopefully, with the new Monitor Center, their scientific exploits and their significant role in the discovery of Monitor will be captured for the generations of future marine scientists. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in shipwrecks.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Monitor Afficionados Only, October 30, 2010

By 

Maurice Cory - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iron from the Deep: The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor (Hardcover)

If you are fascinated with John Ericsson (a real character AND a geniius --do they make them like that anymore?)and his Monitor, you will love this book. Nothing left out here. Sometimes it veers on the minutae of recovery too much and the writing tends to be dry and who needs the experience of an 8th grade class writing for recovery? But the references are great for further reading.