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Term Paper on
Shipwreck of the US Civil
War
The Civil War in the Gulf is defined
by the Northern strategy of the blockade of Southern ports and the
daring efforts by Confederate vessels to scuttle this barricade.
Several vital Civil War vessels have been located in state waters,
such as the Confederate ironclads CSS Louisiana in Plaquemine’s
Parish, Louisiana, and the Huntsville and Tuscaloosa in the Mobile
River. The remains of the Union ironclad Tecumseh was found off Fort
Morgan, Alabama, which was sunk by a Confederate mine. Only one U.S.
warship, on the other hand, was sunk at sea in the Gulf. This
significant shipwreck, the USS Hatteras, has been the focus of
recurring investigations by the MMS, the Texas Historical
Commission, and Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Constructed in 1861 by the Harlan and Hollingsworth Company of
Wilmington, Delaware, for the Charles Morgan line of Gulf coast
steamships, the vessel was originally known as the St. Mary. An
iron-hulled steamer of 1450 tons, the side-wheel steamer was
purchased by the U.S. Navy in September 1861 and converted into a
gunboat during the same year. The vessel was armed with four
32-pounder cannon (a 20-pounder rifled cannon was added later) and
renamed Hatteras. (gomr.mms.gov)
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After illustrious service in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron,
the ship was transferred to the Gulf Blockading Squadron on January
26, 1862. In less than a year, the Hatteras captured seven
Confederate blockade-runners off Vermilion Bay, Louisiana. As the
blockading squadron lay off the coast on the afternoon of January
11, 1863, a set of sails was sighted just over the horizon and the
Hatteras was ordered to give chase. She pursued the intruder for
four hours, closer and closer into shore, and farther and farther
from her supporting fleet. At early evening, the Hatteras came
within hailing distance of the square-rigged, black-hulled vessel
the CSS Alabama; a barrage from the Alabama’s guns greeted the
Hatteras. Within 13 minutes, the Hatteras, sinking rapidly,
surrendered.
The Hatteras today rests in 58 feet of water about 20 miles off
Galveston. Her 210-foot long iron hull is completely buried under
about three feet of sand. Only the remains of her 500-horsepower
walking beam steam engine and her two iron paddle wheels remain
exposed above the sea floor. (gomr.mms.gov) The wreck of the US
Hatteras is an important part of the story of the Civil War on the
Texas coast, the defense of which is regarded as one of the greatest
military accomplishment of the Confederacy. The ship’s remarkable
history, beside the fact, that the remains of the ship are almost
undamaged, makes it one of the most important underwater
archaeological sites in the United States. There are six major steps
essential for successful projects in salvaging shipwrecks i.e.,
research, project development, search, recovery, conservation, and
marketing.
Research
The groundwork for any shipwreck search and recovery expedition is
the research behind the project. More well financed shipwreck
missions have failed due to poor research than any other single
factor. Not only is the research essential to assess the potential
value, location and feasibility of finding a shipwreck, but also it
is essential to establish the historical importance and the
archaeological approach to the excavation that may be required.
Various existing documents, wood cuts and other materials must be
deciphered, compared, and examined to find potentially feasible
shipwreck projects.
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Project Development
Even after the research has been gathered for any given shipwreck,
the data is relatively ineffective without legal rights to the
shipwreck and/or the actual aid and support of the government that
has jurisdiction over the shipwreck. In the case of shipwrecks that
lie beyond any government's authority, how and where the artifacts
or cargo from the shipwreck are brought aground could determine
whether the cargo may even be lawfully claimed by the salvor. To
further complicate these issues, there have been very few tests of
the legal consequences of ownership of shipwrecks recovered in deep
water. Some countries, such as Italy and Greece, prefer to just
avoid the problem by refusing anyone the rights to retrieve
historically important shipwrecks in their waters.
This is particularly important as most countries in the world assert
control of 12 or 24, if not 200 miles offshore as their sovereign
part. There are even instances of countries that do not legitimately
claim the 12 mile limit, interrupting offshore operations beyond
their official right, confiscating boats and throwing crews in jail
only because their Navy implemented their "gunboat equity" rights.
Once research reveals a project as promising, the next step is to
develop a working relationship with the government or company that
holds the rights to that shipwreck. Development of these dealings is
often lengthy and requires great patience. Many foreign governments
have had bad experiences with "treasure hunters" in the past and are
suspicious and cynical of any mention of shipwrecks.
Search
The search phase begins with a side-scan sonar survey of the target
area. A sonar "fish" is pulled behind a research vessel, sending
data back to shipboard computers. Every irregularity on the seabed
is recorded, and then examined by specialists. The most promising
oddity (based on size, shape, location and other factors) is then
considered targets. The targets are then inspected using an
underwater camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). In some
cases, magnetometers are also used to inspect shipwreck sites. Iron
on ancient shipwrecks is particularly challenging. Over time it
graphitises and ultimately becomes reeking black slurry. The
positive feature is that a concretion almost always forms around the
iron object. This is a thick, hard layer formed by iron corrosion
products combined with sediments and calcareous marine organisms.
Even if the iron has completely disappeared the concretion layer
often retains a detailed mould of the original iron artifact.
Occasionally other artifacts are trapped within a concretion, and if
they are a less active metal, such as bronze, they may be superbly
preserved by the sacrificial anode action of the iron. Where some
base metal does remain, conservation is a difficult, expensive and
lengthy job, and is not always successful.
Recovery
A deep-ocean shipwreck recovery operation is the most costly step in
the process. Recovery operations combine high tech ROVs, robotics,
cameras and specialized computer hardware and software to carefully
recover and record the position of artifacts. ROV pilots and
archaeologists work side by side aboard the recovery vessel,
directing robotic operations taking place hundreds and sometimes
thousands of feet below.
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Conservation And Documentation
Every article recovered from a shipwreck site, with the exception of
gold, must go through a conservation process. The aim of
conservation is to stabilize the artifact and it begins as soon as
an artifact is brought to the surface. An artifact may remain in the
conservation process for weeks, months, or even years, depending on
the relic. As conservation is taking place, the artifacts are also
being studied. Pictures, archaeologists' descriptions and other
information are recorded and documented. Findings are then published
and shared with the archaeological community.
The "time capsules" presented by deep ocean shipwrecks will only
divulge their secrets if good archaeological practices are observed
and correct upkeep and documentation are done. A number of newly
developed technologies are now accessible for the commercial
recovery of precious sunken cargoes as well as also scientifically
oriented ocean archaeology. Most of this technology comprises of
by-products of former secret military submarine and anti-submarine
research, which the British and American navies undertook during
World War II and the Cold War. Others were developed from the most
sophisticated technologies, which were developed by or for the
offshore oil industry (exploration and production of gas and oil
from under the seabed).
As a result, today no sunken ship or object wherever it may have
gone down on the seven seas is outside the range of modern recovery
or archaeological study.
The depths that people can work under the ocean have significantly
changed over time. During ancient times, the near-naked diver
holding his breath could at best reach and work at depths between 16
and 26 meters. Later, during the Middle Ages or in the 18th century
using a diving bell or a diving barrel, they could not descend much
deeper although they could stay down for much longer. In the 19th
century and the first half of the 20th, the highest working depths
for hard-hat divers were 66 to 100 meters. With the introduction of
scuba equipment in the latter half of the 20th century and the
development of mixed gases, remarkable changes took place. A
saturation diver breathing an artificial mixture of non-narcotic
gases and oxygen could reach and work at depths between 330 and 500
meters. If a pressurized living pod was placed at the bed, divers
could stay down and work for days. The hunt for sunken shipwrecks
and the procedure of submerged excavation and recovery of a ship’s
cargo has also seen remarkable changes. The diver swimming back and
forth searching a suspected site for shipwreck can now and
frequently is replaced by sophisticated electronic equipment both on
and below the surface of the sea.
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A search vessel towing sidescan sonar can search for a wreck that is
not completely buried in sand or mud, drawing out a picture of the
possible wreck site mound. A magnetometer (or gradiometer) can
search below the seabed surface, providing evidence of variance that
may be the most wanted wreck relics. Both search techniques are
connected to the ship’s satellite-based GPS (Global Positioning
System) which provides accurate locations for targets of interest
and also through shipboard computers directing the course of the
ship so that the approved search plan is carried out without
mistakes or errors.
Once a target is located by the towed instruments – the wreck of a
galleon, a Roman “Corbita” loaded with stolen statues, a World War
II Japanese submarine carrying a ton of gold – a small,
camera-equipped ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) operated from the
surface makes further identification of the target. The ROV takes
photographs and video recordings, performs measurements and makes a
first preliminary overview of the discovered target. (dse-plc.com)
It can also use a mechanical steel claw to bring back to the surface
precious samples of the ship and its contents. This work provides an
essential archaeological inspection.
Later, recovery from the wreck itself can be performed using large,
specialized ROVs, huge machines the size of a lorry, which are
equipped with all the essential modified tools for all types of
excavation and recovery: mechanical and pneumatic tools, vacuum
cleaners, diggers, sand blasting equipment or other necessary
machines. Up till now, an American company that located the 19th
century steamship “Central American” off the east coast of the
United States performed the deepest successful excavation. It
provided an immense treasure of gold coins, gold bars and gold dust
mined and minted by the “49ers” of the California gold rush days of
1848-49. (dse-plc.com)
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