trash or treasure?

[wetwillie2]

we came across a old deck cannon in the vicinity of boston harbor.it is about 6-7 ft long and wedged between 2 car size boulders.not near any known wrecks. soooooooo trash or treasure???

 

[HowardE]

What's it made out of?

 

[bobcatdiver]

Compared to the things we find in our quarries, the cannon would be a BIG treasure.

 

[paulthenurse]

Tell me where it is, I'll go check it out and let you know.

PTN

 

[OldNSalty]

It beats the hell out of sand dollars and sea shells - cool find.

 

[drdaddy]

Wow!!! I hope you have reported your find to the Bostonian Society (Boston's historical society). This may be a fantastic historical find (or not) and it is best not to have it disturbed or destroyed by amateurs or scavengers. Sorry if this throws cold water on your excitement. But, in the meantime -

WOW, all I ever find is old crabpots, lures, and an occasional anchor!!! You really should put this in the "Things you've found under water" thread.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-treasures/87336-things-youve-found-under-water.html

 

[crlavoie]

we came across a old deck cannon in the vicinity of boston harbor.it is about 6-7 ft long and wedged between 2 car size boulders.not near any known wrecks. soooooooo trash or treasure???

That's part of the beauty of the harbor. While I wouldn't call them "unknown" there are indeed many undocumented wrecks. Also, several of the larger and better known wrecks were all cable dragged to reduce potential navigation hazards. It's possible that the gun could have belonged to a wreck some distance away. The YMS14 is a good example. The forward gun mount is still in tact but the gun is no where to be found (trust me). I've also heard the at end of WWII, the anvy dumped a lot of ordinance but I believe that's well beyond what could even be considered the outer harbor.

 

[MSilvia]

Wow!!! I hope you have reported your find to the Bostonian Society (Boston's historical society).

If you intend to report it, the MBUAR (Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources) would be the place to do it.

In any case, I'd definately say a deck cannon is a cool find. If it's bronze, or an other "preservable" metal, it's even more so.

 

[SkuaSeptember]

Congratulations! Here are a couple of articles about a find 2 years ago that might be a good reference for you.
Blast from the past: Fishermen discover 300-year-old cannon - Marblehead, MA - Marblehead Reporter
Scuba-Newengland.com - scuba diving, massachusetts, maine, rhode island, new england, cape cod, dive shops, diving centers, boston

 

[Mr.X]

I have some experience lifting cannons out of the water. Let me know the coordinates and I'll bring it up fer' ya!

Seriously, if it ain't all that valuable, or historic leave it. A true historic piece will just be a pain in the butt if you decide you want to bring it up and let the authorities know. Again, a real pain in the butt. If you get others (archeologists/historians/feds) to do the work make sure you get credit for finding it in the first place.

X