Intro | Galley | Deck | Canopy | Wardroom | Officer's Cabin | Captain's Cabin | Captain's Stateroom | Turret | Pilothouse | Chain Locker | Berth Deck | Engine Room - Forward | Engine Room - Aft Canopy Two ladders in the turret led up to the roof. This was the favored place of the ship's officers to gather whenever the vessel was under way. The turret roof featured perforated plate, which permitted small amounts of sunshine down into the cylinder. To keep out the rain and provide shade on hot days, the turret bore an awning or canopy that looked something like a small circus tent when erected. A wood mast mounted in the center of the turret and stanchions along the edge supported the awning. If needed, crew members could thread the stanchions with rope to form a safety line. They could also use this line to hang canvas around the turret in foul weather. When under way and in bad weather, the crew battened down all the Monitor's deck hatches. The only access to the outside was from the turret roof; crew dangled a removable iron ladder over the side of the turret for the men to climb down to the deck. Tour the Monitor | Behind the Scenes Eyewitness to the Battle | Steam Machine | Resources Transcript | Site Map | Lincoln's Secret Weapon Home Previous Sites | Adventures | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule Teachers | Site Map | Search | Shop | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated October 2000