Wooden Shipwreck

[octotat]

After almost two years off from river diving, I dusted off my gear and did a river dive today. Didn't find any artifacts, but did come a across a half buried wooden shipwreck. Seems like the high water and heavy current from this winter and spring partially unburied it. I had seen some boards and beams protruding from the mud there before but had no idea there was a wreck under there.

It had one full side exposed, and the other side had the gunwales exposed. All the beams and boards seemed to be joined with bolts that had flat flanges on one end and nuts on the other. I'm not sure if it was a powered boat, or possibly a barge. There did seem to be some rusted mechanical bits lying about, but that may have been some other debris not related to the wreck.

I'm sure it was some nondescript scow, but it was a fun find anyway. It may have motivated me to get back into diving some more.

 

[lowviz]

Nice. Worth exploring for anything that will help date or identify it. I love to bring bits of history about wrecks back to life. Never did anything notable, but I find the research very personally rewarding. See one of Cap't Al's old "Sea Lion" trip reports below:

This past week: was originally scheduled as a charter to the Mohawk but was run as an OPEN, the destination remained the Mohawk. Now although nothing “spectacular” came up. What did come up shows just how much history is lying just off the beach.
A nice cage lamp base came up but again what’s really interesting is the manufacturer.
..
F.H. Lovell&Co. Arlington New Jersey
The Mohawk was built in 1926, in Newport News VA at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. who would have thought that the cage lamps that were purchased for the construction from an Arlington New Jersey company by a Virginia ship building company would come to rest off the Jersey shore.

My lamp base is just another piece of brass "junk" from the Atlantic, except for the story that it tells...

 

[irishsquid]

Hey Octotat! Was this wreck maybe down river from the Market St. Bridge? I've heard lots of folks talk about it but haven't had any luck finding it. Where do you dive for your artifacts? I don't want any exact locations, your sweet/secret spots are yours!
I hear below the bluffs down from Hunter Museum is a nice spot. Haven't been there yet. The south side of the river is better than the north side based on finds I've made on the north compared to the good stuff some buddies have found on the south side. I usually find crap, like golf balls from the Chatt. Golf/Country Club.