Bear (1874-1963): An Analysis of Maritime Technological Innovation and Change

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Built in 1874 as a British barkentine-rigged crew steamer, Bear served as a sealer for ten years. In 1884 the United States government conscripted Bear for the rescue of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. For the next 80 years Bear served as a cutter for the United States Revenue Cutter Service, a museum ship for the city of Oakland, California, an Antarctic research vessel under Richard Byrd, and a patrol ship in World War II before sinking in 1963. During the career of Bear, it was modified multiple times for its designated purposes. This research uses multiple three-dimensional virtual ship models to analyze the technological, economic, cultural, political, and institutional influences that precipitated Bear’s structural modifications.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow