Two Wrecks In An Historic Careenage: The Case For Identification Of The Deadman’s Island And Town Point Shipwrecks In Pensacola Bay, Florida
Author(s): Andrew Van Slyke; Marianne Franklin; Della A Scott-Ireton; John W. Morris III
Year: 2020
Summary
This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.
The Deadman’s Island (8SR782) and Town Point Shipwrecks (8SR983) are unidentified wrecks that were investigated and interpreted as small stripped and abandoned wrecks from the British Occupational Period of Pensacola (1763-1781). Archaeological assessment of these two sites clearly indicated ships from early to middle 18th century construction, with wood from both Old World and New World sources. This paper argues a possible identity for the two wrecks by investigating probable candidates introduced in the historical record. Documents rediscovered may prove the Deadman’s Island Wreck to be HMS Florida, the last survey schooner of Royal Surveyor and Cartographer George Gauld, and the Town Point Wreck her attendant shallop. Both vessels are excellent examples of the small craft used to chart the Gulf Coast before being utilized to transport troops during the Anglo-Spanish conflict of the American Revolutionary War.
Cite this Record
Two Wrecks In An Historic Careenage: The Case For Identification Of The Deadman’s Island And Town Point Shipwrecks In Pensacola Bay, Florida. Andrew Van Slyke, Marianne Franklin, Della A Scott-Ireton, John W. Morris III. 2020 ( tDAR id: 457226)
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Keywords
General
Gulf Coast
•
Revolutionary War
•
Royal Navy
Geographic Keywords
United States of America
Temporal Keywords
1778
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 1069