NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The tank housing the historic USS Monitor’s gun turret was drained for the first time in years while undergoing conservation efforts at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, and will be on display for the public to see next month.

The Mariners’ Conservation Team said the turret is normally submerged in 90,000 gallons of an alkaline solution that must be periodically changed; it’s a multi-step process that results in the addition of 7,500 pounds of sodium hydroxide to the tank.

The turret tank is currently empty of solution and is being inspected to evaluate the treatment process. The Mariners’ Conservation Team said the draining also allows them the potential to eventually flip the turret that has been upside down since its discovery.

The 115-ton revolving gun turret spent nearly 140 years on the ocean floor after the Civil War ironclad warship sank during a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in 1862. It was the first of its kind to be used in combat, and represented a major technological advancement in naval warfare at the time.

In 1973, the warship’s wreckage was discovered and in 1975 – under the management of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – the Monitor was designated as the nation’s first National Marine Sanctuary.

In 1987, The Mariners’ Museum and Park was selected by NOAA to be the principal repository for recovered Monitor-related materials and items. Through the collective expertise of divers, archaeologists, engineers, the US Navy, NOAA, Mariners’ personnel, and countless others, the turret was raised from the Atlantic Ocean in August 2002.

The massive artifact was then transferred via a barge to The Mariners’ via barge.

“Every time we drain the tank, the turret remains as impressive as the first time I saw it! To be able to see its scale and know the impact that it had on world history makes being part of its conservation and preservation both extremely rewarding and humbling,” said Mariners’ Director of Conservation, Will Hoffman when speaking on his involvement in the turret’s conservation.

According to the Mariners’ Conservation Team, the goal of the treatment is to remove corrosion-inducing ocean salts before the artifact can be dried and put on display.

The draining also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Monitor wreckage site’s designation as a National Marine Sanctuary.

Since the turret is typically underwater, the public’s ability to see it is limited.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 8 visitors will have a rare opportunity to get an unobstructed, close-up view of the historical artifact during The Mariners’ annual Battle of Hampton Roads Commemoration Day.