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.