COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Monitor Expedition Successful 



During a 25-day summer expedition, 

 the 1 999 USS Monitor diving team collected 

 data and video footage that can be used 

 in salvaging the historic shipwreck's engine. 

 The famous shipwreck is 1 6 miles off Cape 

 Hatteras. 



"Overall we were quite successful," 

 says John Broadwater, manager of the 

 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary at the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration (NOAA). "Our main goal 

 was to collect information on the engine 

 space to use next year in recovery efforts. 

 Since the shipwreck is upside down, the 

 engine is vulnerable and has to be 

 removed. Eventually, we will need to 



recover the turret and guns" because of 

 their historical value. 



The Monitor was one of the first 

 steam-powered, ironclad battleships, and 

 researchers say strong currents are 

 threatening to destroy the famous 

 shipwreck. 



During the expedition, the divers 

 encountered a heavy layer of silt and only 

 recovered a few artifacts, including an 

 engine part, steam piping, a pharmaceuti- 

 cal bottle and mustard bottle. The 

 expedition was a partnership between 

 NOAA and the National Undersea 

 Research Center at the University of North 

 Carolina at Wilmington. -A.G. 



Tallying Floyd's Oceanfront Toll 



Xhe fury of 

 Hurricane Floyd hit 

 Brunswick County 

 beaches with rushing 

 water, eroding sand 

 and floating debris. 

 The combination of 

 forces was just too 

 much for some pilings 

 supporting older 

 cottages. 



"It eroded two to 

 four feet around each 

 piling," says Spencer 

 Rogers, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant's 

 coastal construction 

 and erosion specialist. "There wasn't 

 anything to hold it up." 



Rogers surveyed the beaches 

 immediately after the storm. He is now 

 reviewing that data to determine the 

 level of damage to buildings that meet 

 current building codes for deeper, wider 

 pilings. 



In addition to the erosion, some of 

 the supporting structures were also 

 battered by floating debris — parts of 

 fishing piers, pieces of buildings, even 

 stop signs. In extreme cases, the debris 

 was more than 20 feet in length. 



Rogers is working 

 with state and federal 

 agencies to document 

 the building damage 

 caused by this floating 

 debris. 



Even newer 

 homes had damage to 

 under-house storage 

 areas, but that is to be 

 -gdfl expected, Rogers 

 ^ftij H explains. The storage 

 areas are built with 

 breakaway walls that 

 may be damaged 

 during a storm surge, 

 but allow the building 

 to maintain its structural integrity. 



To learn more about breakaway 

 wall construction, download a technical 

 bulletin that Rogers prepared for the 

 Federal Emergency Management 

 Agency. On the Web, go to www.fema. 

 gov I MIT I job 1 5. pdf. Look for "Design 

 and Construction Guidance for 

 Breakaway Walls Below Elevated 

 Coastal Buildings." You will need 

 Adobe Acrobat software to read the file. 



A more detailed technical report 

 is also available from Rogers. Call 

 910/256-2083. -k.m. 



Old Buck Lives On 



C-omeJanuary, much of the 

 world will be caught up in the year 

 2000. 



But in Rodanthe, folks will 

 gather for an oyster roast that 

 celebrates the heritage of "Old 

 Christmas." 



They will honor the legend of 

 Old Buck, a bull that, as one story 

 goes, was the only survivor of a 

 shipwreck off the Outer Banks. 



The bull became so famous 

 that he was honored at the town's 

 holiday celebration. Upon his 

 death, the community kept his 

 spirit alive. 



For generations, town leaders 

 have donned a costume using steer 

 horns and a blanket. "We used to 

 ride on his back," says Joey O'Neal 

 of Rodanthe. "Mygranddaddy 

 would lead him in." 



O'Neal's grandfather, the late 

 John Herbert, was the keeper of 

 Old Buck for more than 45 years. 

 An oral history published by Cape 

 Hatteras School in 1 979 also 

 describes earlier celebrations that 

 included festive costumes and 

 wandering minstrels. 



Old Christmas officially falls 

 on Jan. 5. Rodanthe expects to 

 celebrate with an oyster roast, 

 square dance and the arrival of 

 Old Buck — led byjohn Herbertjr. 

 — on Jan. 8. 



For more information on 

 Old Christmas, call O'Neal at 

 252/987-2560. -K.M. 



COASTWATCH 5 



