Mysterious shipwreck unearthed at bottom Gulf

Times Picayune ^ | March 08, 2009 | John Pope

[BBell]

Nearly 200 years ago, a ship sank in the Gulf of Mexico, about 35 miles off Louisiana's coast. It stayed, undiscovered, on the seabed, about 4,000 feet below the surface, until 2002, when a crew happened upon the wreckage while checking out a pipeline.

An expedition led by Texas A&M University found no skeletal remains and nothing to indicate the vessel's name, where it came from or how it sank. But underwater sleuths discovered plenty of artifacts, including a telescope, pottery, French bottles, swords, English mustard jars, hourglasses, a cast-iron stove and a Scottish cannon, Louisiana State Museum spokesman Arthur Smith said.

About 500 of those pieces are to be transferred today to the Louisiana State Museum and the state Division of Archaeology.

Archaeologists will study the pieces, Smith said, and eventually the museum will display them.

In addition to receiving the artifacts, the state will assume the responsibility of solving this mystery of the deep.

"It's a tantalizing mystery," Smith said. "Who knows who was on that ship and what they were up to?"

Coin dates to 1810

So far the only clue researchers have about the vessel's age is a coin marked 1810. That means it might have gone down during the War of 1812, Smith said, but no one is certain about that yet.

Based on the styles of the artifacts found at the site, the wreck could have occurred as late as 1820, experts said.

Not much of the ship remains. There are some sections of the hull, but marine animals have eaten most of it, said Jack Irion, a marine archaeologist with the federal Minerals Management Service.

Even though little of the vessel remains, Irion estimated that it was a two-masted schooner, 55 feet to 60 feet long.

The discovery of the

[BBell]

This ship was discovered by chance. I'm sure there are thousands just like that will never be discovered.

[BBell]

ping

[jwparkerjr]

I wonder what will happen in a couple of hundred years when they uncover one of those businesses that sell grave stones! Just imagine the confusion they will face when they find over a hundred different head stones, all grouped together in way too small an area for anyone to be buried under them, and all of them blank! Not to mention that many of them are the same as others nearby!

Almost makes it worth the effort to go around burying all sorts of odd and miscellaneous objects, just for joke it will on those who find them in a thousand years or so!

And my family says I have too much time on my hands!

[bikerman]

USS OBAMA???

[CodeToad]

“Here lies dad...11 January 1312”

lol.

[Constitution Day]

Cool article. Thanks for posting it!

Here’s a site with some photos:
http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/mardigras/pictures/

[BenLurkin]

Pirates? Perhaps Jean Lafitte?

[SlowBoat407]

I helped document the Jamestown Rediscovery project when they were digging up the first human remains that they had found. Once they had the skeleton out, and before they filled in the 8-foot deep hole, they threw in candy wrappers and coins with the current year to show that the ground had indeed been disturbed, and when it had been disturbed.

(I think a note would have been more helpful)

[BBell]

Thank You. Their were pictures in the local paper but I did not see any at the local paper’s site.

[grobdriver]

I can see the coins with the current date and wouldn’t the paper of a note decompose over time... but why a candy wrapper???

[jwparkerjr]

re: I think a note would have been more helpful

That would make sense to you and me, but to those who go after these finds it would take all the fun out it!

[BBell]

The cannon is lifted out of its storage vat and prepared to go into electrolytic reduction, the standard conservation treatment for iron artifacts used by the Conservation Research Lab. The cannon would have fired a 6-pound ball and, according to markings found on the gun, was made at the Clyde Iron Works in Scotland in 1797.

The spyglass/telescope recovered from the seafloor has already revealed the name and place of its manufacture. This information, inscribed on the brass lens tube under the wood sheath, was found by X-ray.

John is cleaning the surface of the cast iron stove to remove excess corrosion products and to determine how much is left of the original iron.

telescope

Weapons Chest

[Red Badger]

That was my thought, too.............

[Big_Harry]

You know, that was my first thought also! The era was right also, wasn’t it? What would a French pirate have been carrying that would give it away? One thing that would be conspicuously absent would be deoderant.

[Leg Olam]

“Pirates? Perhaps Jean Lafitte?”

It’s possible but most likely it was a coastal trading boat. Firing that six pounder on a small schooner would have taken a bit of nerve for sure.

[BBell]

That is funny. I never though about a grave stone business being discovered in hundreds of years. The archaeologist would be in a tizzy looking for bodies.

[SunkenCiv]

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[JimRed]

Not giving out the exact location to protect the site seems a bit much; darned few salvors can operate in 4,000 feet of water!

[Constitution Day]

Excellent. Thanks!

[jwparkerjr]

You don't see them as much now as you did in the 50’s, but there used to places that sold all sorts of lawn goodies. Like the colored glass ball on stands, birdbaths, lawn jockeys, etc. Imagine finding one of those in a thousand years.