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Newport News Sector President
Mike Petters (right) watches as his wife, Nancy,
chalks her initials on to the keel authentication
plate for the USS Monitor replica on
March 6 at The Mariner's Museum. Also pictured
is John Hightower (center), museum president and
CEO.
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Newport News welder Ruel E. Scott
(X18) welds Nancy Petters' initials on to the
keel authentication plate.
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Newport News President Mike Petters,
Nancy Petters, Mariners’ Museum President John
Hightower and welder Ruel E. Scott watch as the
keel unit is placed.
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Newport News riggers move the
keel unit into place. When finished, the replica
will be the centerpiece of the $30 million USS
Monitor Center, scheduled to open on March 9,
2007. (Photos by Chris Oxley)
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Click here
to see the keel unit transported to the museum
in preparation for the ceremony.
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Newport News, Va.—Sunday, March 6, 2005—The Mariners’
Museum and employees from Northrop Grumman Newport News
today proudly placed the 18-ton “keel unit” for the
full-scale replica of the Civil War ironclad USS
Monitor on its new home as the centerpiece to the
$30 million USS Monitor Center opening March
9, 2007. Representatives from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the Museum’s partner
in the USS Monitor Center project; the City of Newport
News; U.S. Navy; and Congress joined in publicly recognizing
Northrop Grumman Newport News and its employees for
their commitment to construct the 173-foot replica of
the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. Northrop
Grumman has donated $1 million in financial and in-kind
support to the $30 million USS Monitor Center Capital
Campaign, which currently stands at over $20 million
raised.
During the ceremonial keel laying, Northrop
Grumman Newport News President, Mike Petters’ and his
wife Nancy represented all of the shipyard’s employees.
Mrs. Petters authenticated the Monitor replica
by chalking her initials onto a metal plate. Her initials
were then welded onto the plate and permanently affixed
to the Monitor replica.
“Northrop Grumman’s involvement in the
USS Monitor project at The Mariners’ Museum
has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said the Mariners’
Museum President and CEO, John B. Hightower. “The Monitor
project would simply not be possible without the shipyard’s
involvement. From welding, rigging, chemistry coating
experts, metallurgists and financial support, the help
from Northrop Grumman has been invaluable.”
Since 2000, Northrop Grumman Newport
News employees have volunteered help and expertise to
the Monitor recovery project by off-loading
artifacts at shipyard piers and docks, constructing
conservation tanks at The Mariners’ Museum and performing
topographical ultrasonic inspections and X-rays of the
recovered items. Northrop Grumman also made a $250,000
contribution to the USS Monitor Center Capital Campaign
in 2004.
“The shipyard has a shared history with
The Mariners’ Museum that dates back to the museum’s
inception in 1929. Today, we begin a new chapter in
that history and we’re privileged to be part of this
effort to preserve our nation’s past as we continue
to build ships for its future,” said Mike Petters. (To
read Mike Petters' full remarks, click here)
“Because I am a former Navy wife and
a present ‘shipyard’ wife, I am so happy that such great
pains are being taken to give our community a real glimpse
of what it was like to be on board a great ironclad
ship. And it is because I am a teacher that I am especially
thrilled about the educational opportunities that a
full-scale replica of the Monitor will bring,”
said Nancy Petters. (To read Nancy Petters' full remarks,
click here)
“NOAA is proud to join with The Mariners’
Museum in acknowledging the substantial contribution
of Northrop Grumman Newport News to the USS Monitor
Center,” said NOAA General Counsel James R. Walpole.
“The full scale replica of the USS Monitor will
bring this Civil War icon to life for this and future
generations.”
Rear Adm. David Architzel, commander,
U.S. Navy Operational Test and Evaluation Force, applauded
Newport News’ trades workers for their work on the replica.
“Your efforts will provide generations not just with
the history of a great sea battle, but with the knowledge
and constant reminder of what our industrial base has
and will continue to do towards keeping our Navy at
the cutting edge of technology and innovation,” he said.
(To read Rear Adm. David Architzels full comments, click
here)
In 1987, The Mariners’ Museum was designated
by NOAA, on behalf of the federal government, as the
repository for artifacts and archives from the USS
Monitor. Working jointly with NOAA and the U.S.
Navy, the Museum has received over 1,100 artifacts from
the Monitor, including the steam engine, propeller
and revolving gun turret.
On March 9, 2007, exactly 145 years after
the historic clash between the Civil War ironclads USS
Monitor and CSS Virginia, The Mariners’
Museum and NOAA will open the doors to one of the premier
Civil War attractions across the nation—the USS Monitor
Center. This dramatic new $30 million, 63,500-square-foot
facility will enthrall families with exciting exhibits,
bring students face-to-face with history, house state-of-the-art
conservation labs and offer historians rich resources
for research.
At the heart of the USS Monitor Center
is the exhibition—a melding of artifacts, original documents,
paintings, personal accounts, interactives and environments
that will pique all five senses. The strategies, people,
technology and science behind the historic circumstances
surrounding this story will be displayed in a way the
public has never before seen. The full-scale replica
will serve a major role in this portion of the Center
by allowing visitors to walk on and under the Monitor,
experiencing first-hand how simple, yet innovative the
warship really was.
This past October, The Mariners’ Museum
in partnership with NOAA, broke ground for the new Center.
The Mariners’ Museum is conducting a $30 million capital
campaign for the USS Monitor Center. NOAA’s National
Marine Sanctuary Program has provided $9.5 million in
federal funds contributing toward the $20 million that
will be raised from public sources. The Mariners’ Museum
is conducting a $10 million private sector campaign
raising funds from corporations, foundations and individuals
across the nation. Currently, over $20 million or 69%
of the total $30 million has been raised. For more information,
visit www.monitorcenter.org.
CONTACT:
Jennifer Dellapenta
Northrop Grumman Newport News
757-380-3558
Jennifer.Dellapenta@ngc.com
Justin Lyons
The Mariners' Museum
(757) 591-7738
