Bed Load: An Archaeological Investigation of the Sediment Matrix at the H.L. Hunley Site

Summary

The study of site formation processes is an important part of understanding and reconstructing the sequence of events relating to a shipwreck. On 17 February 1864, the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sank, after detonating a torpedo below Union blockader USS Housatonic. It came to rest approximately four nautical miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, in less than 10 m of water and was subsequently buried beneath roughly 1 m of sediment. By mapping the distribution of artifacts and anthropogenic material around the site, including coal, slag, and tin cans, one can begin to see the dominant hydrodynamic forces that affected Hunley after its loss. By comparing this evidence with studies of scour and its effects on shipwrecks and underwater mines, a clearer picture emerges of the processes the led to Hunley's encapsulation in the substrate.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeological Research and Preservation of US Navy Ship and Aircraft Wrecks   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 878