Ship Artifacts

Engine

The Monitor's engine was designed by John Ericsson as a "vibrating side-lever engine." He had created engines similar to this one before and decided to again use it because of its distinctive advantages on a small, low-riding warship. Most steam engines of the time had pistons that operated in a vertical motion which took up a lot of space and made them vulnerable to enemy fire because they were partially above the waterline. In contrast, the Monitor's 30-ton, 400-horsepower engine

Monitor’s engine. Photo Credit: Monitor Collection/NOAA

had pistons that moved horizontally which reduced the height of the engine and allowed it to be mounted below the waterline where other ships could not fire upon it.

The engine was recovered from the Monitor's wreck site in 2001. It is now resting upside down in an alkaline solution to slow down corrosion. Over the coming years, conservators will continue to clean and separate the many different pieces to properly preserve them. This process will help historians further understand how the engine functioned when it was powering the Monitor.