Conference Agenda

The study of wooden shipwreck stability requires characterizing and evaluating the complex dynamics between cultural and natural transformation processes. These interconnected processes result in a system where change occurs cyclically and responds to one another, requiring long-term monitoring and investigation. Because of these interconnections, evaluating cultural and non-cultural transformation processes individually and collectively is critical. This paper presents the cultural transformations identified as part of the wooden shipwreck stability project in the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. It explores the complex history, construction, and behavioral decisions related to Aowa, a WWI Emergency Fleet Corporation wooden steamship, and their contributions to the site’s stability.

Located at the waterfront in Edenton, North Carolina, the submerged remains of a vessel known as the “John’s Island Wreck” have long been of interest to archaeologists but has yet to reveal its identity. Previous assessments of the wreck suggested it to be the remains of Holy Heart of Jesus, a transatlantic gun smuggling ship dating to the American Revolution. Recent archaeological and historical investigations at the site question the prior association. Evaluation of the hull remains produced construction data more consistent with a galley than a transatlantic cargo vessel. Artifacts found on site date to the 18th century and are indicative of warehouse items. Historical correspondences between residents of Edenton record at least two galley vessels which berthed there during the Revolutionary War. With the fate of both vessels ambiguous, the “John’s Island Wreck” is a potential candidate for either vessel.

Over forty ships met their fate on the treacherous shoals fringing the entrance to Port Royal Sound. The shipwrecks embedded in and around this “ship-trap” represent a microcosm of America’s maritime historical progression from the earliest European colonization to the modern era. Searching for these shipwrecks included deploying a suite of marine geophysical instruments and visual inspections. Ancillary historical research focused on learning more about each vessel, the wrecking event, and development of the maritime historical context of the region. Findings from the explorations will inform decisions on future research projects and potential environmental impacts, particularly related to beach renourishment projects. Supported in part by funding from NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, this ongoing project led by the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology aims to document these maritime losses and deepen our understanding of the Nation’s and South Carolina’s maritime archaeological legacy.

South Carolina’s shifting coastline often reveals hidden shipwrecks, as demonstrated after Hurricane Helene in 2024. The South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology responded to reports of a ship’s hull eroding from Otter Island’s shoreline. Our team surveyed and documented the wreck using drone-based photogrammetry to generate a high-resolution 3D digital model for virtual preservation, while simultaneously conducting a UAV magnetometry survey to establish a baseline for future coastal shipwreck investigations. These methods provided comprehensive data about the current state of the shipwreck while also enabling us to assess surrounding areas for related artifacts or submerged features. To investigate the wreck’s origin, wood samples and ceramic sherds were collected for analysis. This project integrated advanced technologies with traditional archaeological methods, yielding new insights into historical shipwrecks while contributing to the preservation of South Carolina’s maritime heritage and informing future responses to wrecks revealed by the state’s dynamic coastal processes.

While dredging the Savannah River in 2021, the USACE uncovered a cluster of iron artifacts near Old Fort Jackson, Georgia. Twenty cannons, 14 cannon shot, a fragment of a ship’s bell, eight anchor fragments, and an anchor ring were recovered. Seventeen loaded and physically intact cannons were sent for conservation at Texas A&M University’s Conservation Research Lab. Following conservation, they were grouped into four styles based on their characteristics. The majority, 14, referred to as “short guns,” fell into two styles and exhibited uncommon features that complicated efforts to determine their manufacturer. These guns featured a rare combination of two vent platforms positioned 180 degrees apart on the breech, suggesting they could experience an increased work span to be rapidly reoriented. This presentation focuses on the physical analysis of these “short guns,” by comparing them to surviving 18^th- and 19^th- century cannons from across the Northeastern United States.

With funding from the State of Florida, LAMP conducted an extensive investigation of the Tolomato Bar Anchorage (8SJ4801) from August 2024-February 2025. Located on the Guana Peninsula on the Tolomato River north of St. Augustine, this site was the working waterfront of Grant’s Villa, an indigo plantation owned by East Florida’s first British governor, James Grant, from 1768-1783. The waterfront subsequently served a series of Minorcan farmsteads from 1783 through at least the mid-19th century. The site is exceptional because of the amount and preservation of wooden wharf features that survive on the foreshore, exposed at low tide. Archaeologists documented hundreds of artifacts along with extensive remains of timber hards, docks, piers, bulkheads, cribbing, vernacular boats, and other structures that would have been used by enslaved African laborers and Minorcan fishers and farmers. This paper overviews the history of this unique maritime site and summarizes the results of recent fieldwork.