Expedition Asia: Investigations of a 19th Century Wooden Shipwreck in Apra Harbor, Guam

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "From Whalers to World War II: Guam Underwater Archaeology", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2019, divers performed an initial assessment of a wooden-hulled shipwreck located during remote sensing operations in Apra Harbor, Guam. Historical research into the area suggested the site might represent the remains of the whaleship Asia, lost at Guam in 1856. Identified as a potentially significant historic site, initial findings prompted additional documentation of the shipwreck in 2022 by a team of archaeologists with Ships of Discovery. The aim of this diver-based survey was to characterize features on the wreck that might help correlate the site with known historical losses in Apra Harbor. This paper will provide an overall discussion of the shipwreck site with an emphasis on the documentation methodology, observed construction features of the vessel, and evident site formation processes impacting the wreck. Results of the expedition confirmed the significance of the site and provides strong evidence in support of identifying the shipwrecked whaleship, Asia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• From Whalers to World War II: Guam Underwater Archaeology

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow