Chapter I: Introduction
(continued)

Analogs

In most respects the USS ARIZONA presents a unique historic-preservation problem, but there are some parallels, notably the USS MONITOR. The MONITOR lies about 200 feet deep off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. At such a remote location, the ship is not visited by the public, yet it does raise many management issues similar to the ARIZONA.

The vessel played a significant role in American history, is a symbol to the American people and is also a war grave. It is a metal shipwreck whose preservation parameters are presently being determined. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the site, the first National Marine Sanctuary under its jurisdiction. To date, research on the MONITOR has been directed toward mapping the ship and assessing its condition, much like the ARIZONA. One significant difference is that NOAA has proceeded with the avowed long-term objective of eventually removing the ship or portions of it. No such goal is entertained by the managers of the ARIZONA.

Perhaps the only other sunken metal warship that is the focus of similar attention is HMS ROYAL OAK in Scapa Flow, Great Britain. Sunk by a German submarine in a surprise attack, this ship is treated as a war grave by the British, but no active management steps are taken to interpret, or encourage visitation to, the site. An annual ceremony takes place over the ship, but the philosophy is definitely one of benign neglect. There is no intent to research the vessel or in any way interfere with the natural process of deterioration.

The disposition of shipwrecks of symbolic and historical importance is an issue that will become increasingly compelling as time goes on and as technology for undersea exploration advances. The discoveries of the RMS TITANIC in 1985 and the KMS BISMARCK in 1989 dramatically underscore this issue: Our ability to find historical shipwrecks is advancing faster than our ability to intelligently care for them once found.

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