An interesting book

[jamesm222]

I am not a diver, but I found an interesting old book that talks about a dive site in Newport, Rhode Island. Not finding much in google search about this site, I decided I would make a post here so that the site's existence would not be unknown. It is in a book written by an archaeologist who has unorthodox views, but is articulate and mostly factual in his writing.

Paradox: The Case for the Extraterrestrial Origin of Man
Author: John Phillip Cohane
Publication Date: 1977
page 96

Forty miles south of Mystery Hill two underwater structures have been periodically reported off Newport, Rhode Island. One is near Brenton's Point, and the best firsthand description of it came from a scuba diver, Jackson Jenks, in 1958. It was "conical in shape, 50 to 60 feet high, 40 to 50 feet in diameter, with the top about 40 feet below the surface." It was "built of quarried, uncemented stones, each as big as an office desk, with a parapet encircling the top"

The conical shape and parapet lead some investigators to believe the structure is related to the well known prehistoric round tower in Newport, the origin of which is unknown but which has often been attributed to the Vikings. On the other hand the "quarried, uncemented stones, each as big as an office desk," are quite unlike the land tower and strike a familiar chord. One suspects an earlier ruin modified by Norsemen"

The other submerged structure just north of Newport was observed during an abnormally low tide about ten years ago and was described as an arch. Its exact location has not been determined, but an investigative project embracing the entire area has been set up by the New England Archaeological Research Association.​

The attribution to Norsemen or Vikings is obviously a laugh, but I am curious as to what was found about the site. If I were to guess, I would say that the blocks were just ship ballast. I did find this article while doing a google search:

Newport Daily News from Newport, Rhode Island · Page 3
Newport Daily News, January 14 1960

Giant Manmade Tower Off Lightship Tantalizing To Underwater Hunter

An underwater conical pile of massive quarried stones half a mile offshore has been disclosed by Jackson Jenks 'as the prime reason for his coming to Newport to conduct historical research." He offered the thought yesterday that the structure very probably is eight or nine centuries old, which would point to a Norse origin, but he is making no claims, assumptions or positive statements.

Director of Protection of Historical Sites (Underwater), a national marine archaeological group, Jenks first mentioned the underwater structure at a Newport Waterfront Commission meeting last October. He asked at that time for secrecy on the matter until he had a chance to explore the thing further. The cat was let out of the bag Monday night, however, when Capt. Ehvell B. Thomas of Stonington, Conn., motel and shipyard operator who is a frequent visitor here, spoke lo the Waterfront Commission about the underwater stones.

Because he could not .get. a suitable boat last fall, Jenks kept quiet about the ocean structure and instead concentrated on. underwater relics inside the harbor. But he revealed yesterday that he had been in Newport in July, 1958 and had viewed the mysterious pylon vowing to come back for a full survey. Jenks said the structure is about 60 feet high, silting in 90 feet of water, which means it has about 30'feet of water over its top. He said it is made of fitted stones, without any mortar. Each stone is as big as a telephone booth, he reported. Among the things Jenks is sure of is that the structure is not-the old Whale Rock Light or any form of modern lightship or lighthouse. Nor is it a "Navy septic tank" or "a place to store salt water," as some well-meaning observers have suggested to the underwater research expert
​

Any opinions? Locating the site might be a challenge, although the reported depth might be a useful clue.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Any opinions?

My thoughts are highly unlikely. Several reasons - this would have been a hazard to mariner's vessels and navy ships. I can not imagine this structure not being located and wire dragged or knocked down so that the hazard did not threaten shipping. 30 feet from the surface just sounds crazy and the fact that no one else has heard, seen or found it by now on sonar.
Good story but until someone has something better - I am not buying it...

 

[jamesm222]

It does seem a bit suspect, although the sentence reads "Jenks said the structure is about 60 feet high, sitting in 90 feet of water, which means it has about 30 feet of water over its top" So it is the reporter that is doing the math here about the 30 feet thing. I hate to think someone would just lie about finding something underwater.

There are quite a few newspaper articles about this Jackson Jenks character. Here is another which may lend him some credibility:

Newport Daily News from Newport, Rhode Island · Page 11
Newport Daily News
March 11 1960
POHS Chief Dives In Lake Ontario

Newport's adopted underwater researcher, Jackson Jenks, Is diving through the Ice of Lake Ontario this week to photograph a War of 1812 frigate. Jenks and his assistant, William Wilde, left Newport on feb. 25 in a specially equipped Volkswagen bus, presumably to head for the sunny Caribbean and the Virgin Islands. In a late change of plan, however, the underwater men headed north, talked with Canadian officials and then descended to Sackets Harbor, N. Y., on the shore of Lake Ontario. Here, the K-gun frigate Jefferson went to pieces in the harbor after the War of 1812. When Jenks visited the New York port last September, he could not photograph the relic because of heavy green growth In the water. Visibility is now perfect, Jenks and Wilde are chopping through [illegible] feet of ice to dive to the wreck. During the northern tour, Jenks is promoting formation of more chapters of Protection of Historical Sites (Underwater) Inc. and Is seeking support for the New England Marine Archaeological Museum which he is establishing, in the building he purchased here at Spring and Church Streets. In Newport, Jenks [illegible] of POHS, headed by Frederick Jenney and with [illegible] members, Last Call, the group made numerous underwater forays under Jenks direction studying historic relics In the Newport area

 

[AfterDark]

Been diving Newport since 1968 1st I ever heard of this.

 

[CT-Rich]

The area off Brenton point is probably one of the best understood areas of seabottom in the Northeast. The Navy has sent thousands of ships through that area, trained and tested crews of ships, aircraft and torpedoes. Every inch of that area has been dragged with a side scan sonar. If you can find the right source, they are probably publicly available. I doubt there is a man made structure at those depths, but I can absolutely see some natural land forms that could be mistaken for man made. The Gooseberry arches are natural structures could be mistaken for manmade if you were already looking for a underwater Viking structure. I think this guy was a crackpot, but there are plenty of interesting geologic features off Brenton Point that could rise to within 30 feet of the surface. The last time the bottom the bottom at 90 fsw was exposed to air was around 8 to 10,000 years ago.
And keep in mind, the book was about humans coming from outer space.

 

[Sean222]

I have to laugh. This used to be described in the AWOIS listings. There is some very interesting geology in that location but there is no "manmade tower". I am friends who knew Mr Jenks quite well. He was a little offbeat to say the least.
Apparently he used to have a pet Penguin that he would walk on a leash around Newport back in the 60's.