Marooned: Studies of Shipwreck Sites

DOCUMENT Citation Only Robert Westrick.

The 7,000 Foot Wreck is the remains of a historic sailing vessel lost in the Gulf of Mexico.  The site lies at a depth of 7,450 feet (2,271 meters) and represents one of the deepest historic shipwrecks investigated in the GOM to date.  The wreck was originally discovered during an oil and gas exploration deep tow survey in 1986.  In September 2009 the first ROV investigation of the 7,000 Foot Wreck was conducted as part of the Lophelia II: Rigs, Reefs, and Wrecks Study.  Over a roughly 15½-hour...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Dolores Elkin. Chris Underwood. Mónica Grosso. Cristian Murray.

In 2010 the Museo del Fin del Mundo (Museum of the End of the World) of the city of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, initiated a project with the goal of surveying  125 miles along the Atlantic coast of the island in order to record archaeological evidence of any human presence since prehistoric times until the late 19th century AD, when the first non-native people (mostly missionaries) settled in the region. This paper presents the first results of the archaeological study of historic  shipwreck...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Nia NH Ridwan.

This paper highlights a possible British shipwreck in the Natuna Islands of Indonesia, found by the Ministry of Marine Affairs in 2011; the site has been looted by local people due to poverty and lack of awareness of the site's heritage value. The shipwreck has produced ceramics, bottle glass, and metal artifacts. The factors threatening the site include human activity, physical threats caused by movement or changes in water circulation, and chemical threats (i.e. corrosion). The site offers...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Nicole R Bucchino.

Dubbed the "Gloucester of the Gulf," Pensacola and Northwest Florida experienced a tremendous growth in the popularity and success of local commercial fishing in the years following the Civil War.  Entrepreneurial fishermen arriving in Pensacola from New England fueled a massive market for Gulf of Mexico fish, constructing what would become the last all sail-powered commercial fleet in the country.  The connection between  the region’s Reconstruction-era industry and the natural environment in...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Wijamunige Chandraratne.

The Maritime Archaeology Unit of Sri Lanka first discovered this wooden wreck in 2008. The site is resting at a depth of 35 meters, close to the ancient Godawaya port in Southern Sri Lanka. Field research has been conducted to investigate and record the site.  According to the recent analysis of this wooden wreck, it dates back to the 1st century AD, and it is considered as the oldest underwater archaeological site in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a unique shipwreck with no known parallels, and...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jeff Enright.

Southeastern Archaeological Research, Inc. conducted an archaeological investigation of an unknown shipwreck in the Sabine River, Louisiana.  A little luck and persistent research identified the shipwreck as the Frances Geraldine, the last schooner built for the Lunenburg, Nova Scotia fishing fleet.  The famed shipyard of Smith & Rhuland (builders of the racing fishing schooner Bluenose) constructed the Frances Geraldine in 1944.  The Frances Geraldine spent the majority of her career in the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Joanna A. Dabal.

In this article the author presents two different complexes from similar time. One of them constitutes pottery finds from English vessel W-32 – the General Carleton of Whitby which sunk in 1785. The second complex of finds is that excavated from Dutch vessel which sank between 1791-1793. Probably the name of the vessel was De Jonge Seerp. Both of the pottery complexes remind different habits on English and Dutch vessels and tell the story about everyday life of the crew. Similar dates of both...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Rasika Muthucumarana. Rukshan Priyandana.

The presence of European sailing ships with masts and gun ports drawn on the walls of the 18th century Buddhist temples is a fascinating phenomenon, as these frescos show the stories of Lord Buddha and ancient Sri Lanka. They display how the traditions of the people living on the Sri Lankan coast were greatly influenced by Europeans. The presence of sailing ships anchored near the ports may have become a routine event which impacted how locals perceived local shipping traditions.  Shipwreck...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Christopher T. Dewey.

This paper examines the site formation processes of the U. S. steamer Convoy that sank in the Pensacola Pass in March 1866 after an overturned coal-oil lamp in the engine room caused a fire that consumed ship. Not only will the paper discuss the vessel’s Civil War history but also the deliberate and opportunistic salvage operations conducted during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The research compares a recent survey of the wreck site, constructed by archaeologists from the University of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only David M. VanZandt. Kevin S. Magee.

Due to a novice captain’s error in judgment the brigantine Sultan foundered in Lake Erie off Cleveland, Ohio during a storm in 1864.  As the brigantine came to rest in shallow water only a few miles from shore with masts exposed, six of the eight crew climbed the rigging in an effort to survive.  One by one, however, the crew succumbed to the fury of the storm leaving a sole survivor to be rescued and to share the harrowing tale.     The wreck of the Sultan was discovered in 2011 by the...