It has been a flurry of activity in Seal Cove. We mapped the entire wreck with the exception of a timber that we will record tomorrow. We had volunteers lending a hand all week. As many as nine at a time. It has been a success as an outreach project, with several people having their first experience in maritime archaeology on the wreck. Volunteers learned trilateration, baseline offsets, drew profiles, measured frames and photographed fasteners. I gave a talk on maritime archaeology at the Schoodic Education and Research Center Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon Park staff searched the William O. Sawtelle Curatorial Center and found several excellent historic photos of the cove, two showing a mill that might have been associated with the wreck. We found sawdust, as well as tar, coal, and brick fragments, near the keel.
Site mapping in Seal Cove
We are well underway here in Maine, mapping the Seal Cove wreck. Placing a non-intrusive baseline proved problematic, but we were lucky to have two large boulders nearby to tie into. Since the wreck is in the intertidal zone, we can only work when the tide lets us. Each day has seen two shifts of mapping and numerous volunteers, from Acadia National Park staff to members of the local community. We have both east and west sides of the vessel mapped from zero to 38 feet. So far the most intriguing feature is the use of treenails, or wooden pegs, to hold the outer hull planking to the frames. Tomorrow we are going to have another two or three mapping teams working on finishing the main site plan.
Seal Cove Shipwreck Project: volunteer!
As part of the Seal Cove Shipwreck Project we are going to be recording a shipwreck in the intertidal zone in Seal Cove, Maine, August 1-5. This is an IMH project in conjunction with Acadia National Park. Learn the basics for mapping and documenting a wreck site by working with maritime archaeologists. Potential volunteer activities could include making archaeological drawings of the vessel, recording the site in photographs, and transferring the field drawings onto a site plan. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Rebecca Cole-Will, Cultural Resources Program Manager at Acadia National Park; rebecca_cole-will@nps.gov; (207) 288-8728.
Joyce Steinmetz, 2009.
Submerged Craft
Submerged Craft
Steel Submerged Craft
James River Shipwrecks
James River Shipwrecks
Christened – Blanca 17oct2010
Today we moved Blanca to her (more or less) permanent slip at Tall Timbers. What seemed straight-forward at first became a rather “competitive ballet”, consisting of Roper and humans on one side, and the wind, current and shallow water on the other. The eventual outcome was not always obvious, but after at least two complete spins, the 50 foot trip was completed and Ballena Blanca was safely moored on Pier A.
The new location afforded me the ability to sit on the lower part of the pier and apply Blanca’s name to her transom. The curve of the surface made transferring the vinyl lettering something less than easy, but the ten-foot rule applies (“If it looks ok from 10 feet away, it’s good enough.”) Although sometimes I have to use the twelve-foot rule. Or the twenty…
Someone asked me the other day when I think this boat will be “finished.” Obviously not a boat-owner! Frankly, I like this work so much, I’m be happy that it never will.
Next up– aft hold hatch covers!