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Ship Artifacts
Propeller
Monitor
propeller.
Photo(s):
Courtesy of
The
Mariners’
Museum |
The Monitor’s
propeller was
designed by John
Ericsson as a
four-blade,
4,600-pound,
cast-iron screw
propeller that was 9
feet in diameter.
Although other
propellers were also
based on Ericsson’s
designs, this
propeller is likely
to be the only one
which he personally
supervised the
construction of.
His revolutionary
design was more
efficient than a
paddlewheel and
allowed the engine
to be mounted below
the waterline so
that it was
protected from enemy
fire.
 The propeller and
a section of its
shaft was brought to
the surface in 1998
to help relieve
stress on the stern
of the ship and to
preserve the
propeller itself.
Conservators placed
it in a tank of
sodium carbonate to
stabilize it. While
removing encrusting
organisms, the
propeller was found
to have four letters
carved into one of
the blades. No one
knows exactly who
carved them or what
they are meant to
stand for. After six
years of
conservation, it was
placed on display at
The Mariners’
Museum.
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