Directions
16 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Phone
(757) 599-3122
Activities
HISTORIC & CULTURAL SITE, INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS, VISITOR CENTER
Camping Reservations
Reserve your campsite at these camping areas:
Hiking Trails
Looking for nice hiking areas to take a hike? Choose from these scenic hiking trails:
Related Link(s)
More Virginia Recreation Areas
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Facebook page
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Map
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated the nation’s first national marine sanctuary on January 30, 1975. The site was the wreck of the USS Monitor, a Civil War vessel that lies off the coast of North Carolina. The Monitor was the prototype for a class of U.S. Civil War ironclad, turreted warships that significantly altered both naval technology and marine architecture in the nineteenth century. Designed by the Swedish engineer John Ericsson, the vessel contained all of the emerging innovations that revolutionized warfare at sea. The Monitor was constructed in a mere 110 days.
