Hi All:
As promised, I'm attaching some artifact pictures from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area that may serve to "wet" your appetite.
The first set of pictures is "brass" from an older wood ship, possibly 18th or 19th century, that sits in 15 FSW. This wreck lies in a VERY high marine traffic area, is beach accessible and, unfortunately, is VERY contaminated. What I mean by "contaminated" is that another wreck, probably a 1960s era commercial fishing vessel, sits right on top of it. What may have happened is that the fishing boat hooked a trawl or cable on the older wreck, "pulled" it's own transom and quickly sank. One wreck literally lies on top of the other. If I'm "reading" the site correctly, the keel of the older vessel is substantial with more than 5 FT of vertical relief. Visibility at this location is low (averages < 5 FT), but I've seen 15 FT when the tide is right. The partial remains of the brass fasteners shown were probably used for hull planking or ribbing and indicate a larger vessel:
The other pictured artifacts come from the debris field of the Santore, a 1918 bulk cargo carrier sank by a mine on June 17, 1942, approximately 12 NM east of Virginia Beach. The mine was laid by the U-701, a German sub that in turn was sunk by the USN further south near Hatteras. The Santore was 449 FT long and grossed more than 7,000 tons, meaning it was a fairly large ship. Today, the wreck sits in 60 FSW and is often used as a "second" dive for returning charters. Because of the shallow depth, the wreck was wire dragged and blown apart by the USGC. Although artifacts aren't just "laying around" on this wreck, they CAN be found with a little digging in the right spots. The first pictures are of a cabin clock face, about 6" across. The second pictures are of a compass housing. Note the manufacturing markings in the detail picture:
Hope ya'll enjoyed these!
Let's go diving!
As promised, I'm attaching some artifact pictures from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area that may serve to "wet" your appetite.
The first set of pictures is "brass" from an older wood ship, possibly 18th or 19th century, that sits in 15 FSW. This wreck lies in a VERY high marine traffic area, is beach accessible and, unfortunately, is VERY contaminated. What I mean by "contaminated" is that another wreck, probably a 1960s era commercial fishing vessel, sits right on top of it. What may have happened is that the fishing boat hooked a trawl or cable on the older wreck, "pulled" it's own transom and quickly sank. One wreck literally lies on top of the other. If I'm "reading" the site correctly, the keel of the older vessel is substantial with more than 5 FT of vertical relief. Visibility at this location is low (averages < 5 FT), but I've seen 15 FT when the tide is right. The partial remains of the brass fasteners shown were probably used for hull planking or ribbing and indicate a larger vessel:
The other pictured artifacts come from the debris field of the Santore, a 1918 bulk cargo carrier sank by a mine on June 17, 1942, approximately 12 NM east of Virginia Beach. The mine was laid by the U-701, a German sub that in turn was sunk by the USN further south near Hatteras. The Santore was 449 FT long and grossed more than 7,000 tons, meaning it was a fairly large ship. Today, the wreck sits in 60 FSW and is often used as a "second" dive for returning charters. Because of the shallow depth, the wreck was wire dragged and blown apart by the USGC. Although artifacts aren't just "laying around" on this wreck, they CAN be found with a little digging in the right spots. The first pictures are of a cabin clock face, about 6" across. The second pictures are of a compass housing. Note the manufacturing markings in the detail picture:
Hope ya'll enjoyed these!
Let's go diving!
