Subsea Mudflows and Moving Shipwrecks: Submerged Cultural Resource Management on the Mississippi River Delta Front

Summary

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

On May 12, 1942, the 500-foot-long, steel-hulled tanker Virginia was sunk by the German U-boat U-507 off the Mississippi River’s Southwest Pass. The shipwreck was discovered in nearly 300 feet of water during a 2001 oil and gas survey and was investigated by a remotely operated vehicle in 2004. A 2006 geophysical survey found that the shipwreck had moved more than 1,200 feet downslope in only two years. A 2017 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management found that Virginia had moved another 200 feet. The Mississippi River Delta Front is a highly dynamic environment prone to mudflow events triggered by hurricanes, winter storms, and river floods. Oil and gas infrastructure and submerged cultural resources in this area can be impacted by these events. This paper will address the challenges of managing submerged cultural resources where the “Xs on the map” move.

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): 253