Mapping Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary War: 1778 Battle of Chestnut Neck, New Jersey.

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

An obscure historical battle along the Mullica River in Port Republic, New Jersey, was one of the first documented amphibious assaults by a foreign nation on South Jersey soil and has led to a continuing investigation of shipwrecks of the Revolutionary War period. These shipwrecks have become field classrooms, using them to instruct students about small boat operations, research diving, and using remote sensing technology to map and document local and State history. This is the first time that various side scan sonar platforms have been deployed to collect imagery on these shipwrecks, providing visual references and data to the State of New Jersey Office of Historic Preservation and help identify, document and preserve the importance of privateers during the Revolutionary War. This study will also provide the State with benchmark data going forward about how shipwrecks deteriorate due to both environmental and man-made factors over time in coastal environments.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 100