Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Warner and U.S. Congressman Herb Bateman (posthumously) received National Marine Sanctuary Foundation(NMSF) awards during a gala tribute dinner, Oct. 25th, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.) provided keynote remarks for the event, which underscored the historic value of the nation’s oldest national marine sanctuary and the conservation of its maritime heritage artifacts. In addition, the evening kicked off a public service announcement campaign to conserve the artifacts of the USS Monitor.

Senator Warner was honored with the NMSF Stewardship Award for his leadership on marine environment and maritime heritage issues, particularly his strong support of funding for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. He has led the efforts to recover and preserve the most significant artifacts from the USS Monitor. He has also worked diligently to provide funds for the new USS Monitor Center at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia to ensure that the story of the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) is available for generations to come.

“It’s an honor to receive the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Stewardship Award, which I proudly share with my dear friend, the late Congressman Herb Bateman,” said Warner. “The preservation of the historic artifacts of the USS Monitor was an engineering challenge and a physical feat that guarantees that all Americans can appreciate the significant changes in naval warfare brought about by this vessel. Our national marine sanctuaries protect and recognize our unique American heritage, and it will continue to be a pleasure to work with the Foundation in the years ahead.”

The late Congressman Bateman was honored posthumously with the NMSF Stewardship Award for his integral role in the protection of the USS Monitor and the conservation of her artifacts. As a result of legislation he sponsored, several historically significant components of the Monitor, including the gun turret and Dahlgren guns, have been recovered from the seafloor. They will be displayed in the USS Monitor Center at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News. Congressman Bateman’s award will be accepted by his son, the Honorable Herbert Bateman, Jr.

"My father would have been so honored to receive this award and especially gratified to see the turret of the Monitor the day it was raised from the banks of the James River," said Bert Bateman, Jr., son of the late Herb Bateman. "The amazing progress in the preservation of the USS Monitor is really his dream coming true and this is a wonderful moment for our family and all of the team that made this dream a reality."

January 30, 2005 marked the 30th Anniversary of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, which was charged with the mission to protect the wreck of the USS Monitor, a prototype for a class of Civil War ironclad, turreted warships that revolutionized warfare at sea. The Monitor was designed by Swedish engineer John Ericsson and constructed in a mere 110 days. She met her fate in 1862 in a gale off the North Carolina coast where she rests today in 235 feet of water. Through underwater archaeology and state-of-the-art marine technology, the National Marine Sanctuary Program strives to keep history alive by preserving this significant part of our national maritime history.

“We are excited to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the first underwater area designated by the United States Government as a special place to be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of generations to come,” said John Broadwater, program manager for NOAA’s Maritime Heritage Program. “We are also pleased to honor two of the people most responsible for the success of the Monitor recovery and preservation efforts of recent years.”

During the summer of 2002, NOAA and dive teams from the United States Navy successfully recovered the Monitor's revolving gun turret, with the guns and hundreds of artifacts still inside. At this time, the race is on to conserve these seawater-contaminated artifacts before they disintegrate. As part of the preservation effort, NOAA designated The Mariners’ Museum the primary repository for artifacts and archives from the USS Monitor. Working jointly with NOAA and the U.S. Navy, the Museum has received more than 1,100 artifacts from the Monitor, including the steam engine, propeller and revolving gun turret. This partnership is paramount to the recovery, preservation and sharing of these important artifacts with the American public.

In partnership with The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is developing the USS Monitor Center to care for and preserve for the American people the fragile pieces of our naval heritage recovered from the USS Monitor. The USS Monitor Center will be a national authority and repository for the recovered artifacts, and for archival material, research and educational programming related to the history of the famous civil war ironclad. The Center will house a state-of-the-art conservation facility, exhibit space and a research center.

The Monitor 30th Anniversary Awards Dinner was held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., and was hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Partners included the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and The Mariners’ Museum. The event sponsors included Dominion, John L. Nau, III, Northrup Grumman Newport News, The Ocean Foundation, RS Information Systems, Inc., and Sodexho.

"We are delighted to have such tremendous support for this tribute to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and our esteemed honorees," said NMSF Executive Director Lori Arguelles. "This evening celebrates a generation of accomplishments by the nation's oldest marine sanctuary, as well as two exceptional public officials who contributed so much to its success along the way."