Onboard Gear

Lantern

Red Lantern recovered from the Monitor. Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Mariners’ Museum

While being towed to Beaufort by the USS Rhode Island, the USS Monitor was caught in a severe storm. When the captain realized that they were in extreme distress, he ordered a red lantern to be raised on the turret to signal the Rhode Island. It was the last thing that the crew saw before the Monitor went down. More than 100 years later, the same red lantern was the first object seen at the wreck site. It was rolling across the ocean bottom next to the turret and became the first artifact recovered from the Monitor. The lantern was found relatively intact with its brass in extremely fragile condition. It was taken to the Smithsonian Institution for conservation where it remained for 7 years before being put on display. The red lantern is currently on display at The Mariners' Museum.