Monitor National Marine Sanctuary: Difference between revisions

'''Monitor National Marine Sanctuary''' is the site of the wreck of the USS Monitor, one of the most famous shipwrecks in U.S. history. It was designated as the country's first [[National Marine Sanctuary|national marine sanctuary]] on <!--January 30,-->February&nbsp;5, 1975,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanctuary Designations & Expansions |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/about/designations.html |access-date=October 17, 2024 |website=NOAA}}</ref> and is one of only two of the seventeen<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sanctuary Map {{!}} Monitor National Marine Sanctuary|url=https://monitor.noaa.gov/about/sanctuary-map.html|access-date=2020-11-30|website=monitor.noaa.gov}}</ref> national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource rather than a natural resource. The sanctuary comprises a column of water {{convert|1|nmi|mi km}} in diameter extending from the ocean’s surface to the [[seabed]] around the wreck of the American Civil War [[ironclad]] [[warship]], which lies {{convert|16|nmi|mi km}} south-southeast of [[Cape Hatteras]], [[North Carolina]]. Average water depth in the sanctuary is {{convert|230|ft|m|0}}. Since it sank in 1862, ''Monitor'' has become an [[artificial reef]] attracting numerous [[fish]] [[species]], including [[amberjack]], [[black sea bass]], [[oyster toadfish]], and [[great barracuda]].