Skull From USS Monitor Examined

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By Heather Paynter, Tripler Army Medical Center Public Affairs Office

TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Hawaii (NNS) -- The turret from the Civil War battleship, USS Monitor, was recently recovered from the Atlantic Ocean floor, off the coast of North
Carolina, with something more on board than relics and artifacts
from that historic era.

Human remains were discovered inside the ship's 150-ton gun turret and transported to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) on Aug. 7 for the purpose of attempting to identify the Sailors and return them to family members if possible.

Radiologists from Tripler Army Medical Center were also asked to assist with certain aspects of the identification process.

A skull was transported to Tripler on Aug. 13, for the purpose of detecting any remaining brain matter that could help with DNA clues. Both the anthropologist and radiologists had a hunch such a discovery would be a long shot after 140 years, but they were prepared to prove it either way.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Stephen O'Connor was the staff radiologist on call and one of the primary examiners of the remains. Under the guidance of the CILHI personnel, O'Connor and his team took
great care in handling the skull that was intact regardless of its 140-year rest in the Monitor's gun turret. Some front teeth were missing, but examination of the skull provided no evidence of trauma.

Regular x-rays were performed in preliminary tests followed by a CT scan to determine the contents of the skull.

"The skull was transported to our department in ice cold water to maintain the same temperature in which it was found at the bottom of the sea," O'Connor said. "When it was found, it was upside down, so the anthropologists took care to never change that. We didn't want any of the contents to be dumped out."

The skull was removed from the container and x-rayed in its upside-down position. It remained about half-full of water. The CT scan was performed with the skull completely submerged in the ice cold water in order to avoid image distortion caused by the air-water interface. Both cross-sectional and 3-D image were created from the CT scan.

When test results were completed, the outcome was not surprising. "Predictably, we didn't see any brain matter and no evidence of external trauma," O'Connor said. "What we did find was sand and some dense debris that we figured to be marine debris or rust from the decaying ship."

Monitor remains were first received at CILHI on Aug. 7.

Typically, CILHI anthropologists recover and examine remains of service members found in countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. However, their expertise often leads them to other projects such as this and the objective is always the same.

"The bottom line is this Sailor will be given the same examination as any other missing service member," said Ginger Couden, CILHI public affairs officer. "Our primary and ultimate goal is to identify this service member and return him to his family."

Anthropologists will examine skeletal and dental remains to compile a biological profile and any evidence of injuries.

Forensic dentists will look for evidence of cavities, teeth pulled or lost through disease or any unusual features that might help identify him. The CILHI will receive additional remains once they've been removed from the turret.

According to Couden, all that can be determined at this time is that the remains are those of an adult white male.