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The Civil War ironclad USS Monitor
Washington (CNN) -- The remains of two men found in
the wreckage of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor 11 years ago were laid to rest Friday in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia
after an extensive but unsuccessful quest to discover the sailors'
identities.
In what seems like a
real-life "CSI" episode, a military lab was able to narrow the remains'
identities down to five or six men using DNA samples, facial
reconstructions and bones -- but not to the individual sailors. With the
measurements from the remains, examiners were able to determine
scientifically the average height of the individuals and their age. One
of the sailors' teeth had been worn away where he held a pipe his whole
life.
The researchers also had
other clues like the items and clothing left with the two men, including
buttons from a uniform, a gold ring, a comb, some coins and a pair of
mismatched shoes.
One of the sailors "had a different shoe on
his left foot than he did on his right," said David Krop, the
conservation project manager for the Monitor. "It is hard to explain why
that is. One of the possible options is as these guys were leaving the
ship the night of the sinking, it was chaotic, it was dark. Perhaps they
just grabbed the nearest clothing they could find."
The Monitor's
1862 battle against the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was perhaps
the most famous naval engagement of the Civil War, signifying the end of
wooden warships and the move to ironclad ones. The two ships traded
point-blank shots at each other in the Battle of Hampton Roads before
both withdrawing from the fight, each crew thinking the other had either
been sunk or damaged enough to retire.
On December 30, 1862, the
Monitor was caught in a storm while being towed off Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina. Although equipped with various engines and pumps, the
ship couldn't keep up with the volume of water rushing in, and it sank
to the bottom with 16 sailors.
The Monitor went
undetected until 1973. The two crew members' remains were discovered in
2002 some 240 feet below the surface in the ship's 120-ton turret. Due
to the location of the remains, it's possible the two were trying to get
out through the gun turret when the ship went down. In addition to the
remains in the turret, there were shoes, coats, boots and other personal
items -- as if the crew members had been discarding clothing to keep
from being pulled down into the water as they tried to escape.
As they narrowed down the
men's identities, investigators were able to eliminate African-American
sailors and officers. The bones were Caucasian, and the buttons were
not from officers' coats.
More than 30 living
descendants of the crew were to attend the Arlington burial. Because the
remains are being buried as unknown, these two men will represent all
16 lost.
"The definition of
family in this particular case is a little different than in a
contemporary casualty loss," Krop said. "They view them as their
ancestors, and they are there to honor all 16."
David Alberg,
superintendent of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, said the burials are part of a long
military tradition.
"Whether it was 150
years ago or two weeks ago in Afghanistan, the nation's commitment to
bringing (its) fallen home, laying them to rest and returning them to
their families stays as strong today as it ever was."
Capt. Bobbie Scholley, who led Navy dives to the wreckage, agreed.
"We needed to take all
the appropriate steps necessary to recover those sailors with all the
honors and dignities," Scholley said.