Wooden Shipwrecks of the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Shipwrecks with wooden hulls are underrepresented in the archaeological record from shallow federal waters of the central and western Gulf of Mexico (defined as less than 600 feet deep), yet they tend to be older and arguably more abundant than shipwrecks with metal hulls. This paper quantifies the extent of bias in favor of metal hulls in the archaeological record; examines its potential causes; discusses factors affecting the preservation and discovery of wooden hulls; and proposes a research strategy that might accelerate discoveries of wood-hulled shipwrecks. IntroductionThe waters of the central and western Gulf of Mexico have been extensively studied by archaeologists for several decades ( Figure 1). This is largely due to the intensity of oil and gas production in the area. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) regularly sponsors archaeological studies in addition to reviewing archaeological reports submitted on behalf of oil and gas operators in connection with offshore energy leases. Figure 1 shows locations of roughly 7,000 geo-hazard surveys conducted by the oil and gas industry in the central and western Gulf of Mexico. Each of the smallest colored squares in Figure 1 represents a 3x3-mile mineral lease block. Archaeologists have reviewed geophysical data and prepared archaeological assessment reports for 3,161 lease blocks (those colored blue or purple). Green blocks have been surveyed for geo-hazards but have not been assessed by an archaeologist. Pipeline route surveys are not included in Figure 1. BOEMRE also maintains a GIS database that includes over 3,000 historic reports of vessels lost, over 6,000 Coast Guard hazards to navigation, and over 17,000 net hangs reported by fishing trawlers. As a result of such studies, a great deal is known about the archaeology of this area.The BOEMRE database (2007) contains locations for 195 shipwrecks in the central and western Gulf of Mexico, including 12 wooden shipwrecks (Table 1; 7 shallow and 5 deep) and at least 91 wrecks believed to have metal hulls (74 shallow and 17 deep). Twelve percent of shipwrecks in shallow and deep waters, combined, have wooden hulls. In shallow water the proportion of wooden shipwrecks is 9 percent, and in deep water it is 23 percent. Thirty-one wrecks, all of which are visible on sonar, are confirmed as metal by the BOEMRE database. Another 60 are presumed to be metal from their descriptions or because they have prominent ship-shaped sonar targets that clearly resemble sunken vessels. Wood does not survive exposure in shallow Gulf waters for more than a few years, thus sonar images are unlikely for any except recent wooden hulls in shallow water. Information regarding the other database entries is insufficient to suggest the composition of their hulls.Historic records summarized below indicate that prior to the mid-twentieth century shipwrecks with wooden hulls outnumbered those with metal hulls by 13 to 1. Yet metal hulls in the archaeological record appear to outnumber wooden hulls by ab...

Marine Archaeology Survey of Redfish Bay Pipeline Project, Nueces County, Texas

“…The rest are presumed to be metallic, simply because their ship-shaped structures are preserved in the water column. By comparison, only 7 wood-hulled wrecks were known to BOEM from the same area up to that time, but none of those were discovered by geophysical surveys, despite the fact that wood-hulled wrecks in the U.S., pre-dating World War II, are 13 times more abundant than metal-hulled wrecks (Gearhart 2011a). Wrecks of wood-hulled sailing ships, in Texas bays and adjacent coastal waters, are usually buried, thus they typically have no sonar target.…”

“…At the same time that machinery was replacing wind power, more durable metal hulls gradually were replacing wooden hulls, a trend which had accelerated by the turn of the century. Nevertheless, at least 93 percent of all U.S. merchant vessels lost through the end of World War II were made of wood (Gearhart 2011a). Use of the survey area by fishermen and hunters has continued up to the present day.…”

“…Shipwrecks with metal hulls are usually exposed on the seafloor, thus tend to be fairly obvious on a sonar image. Gearhart (2011a) reported that 100 percent of shipwrecks discovered by BOEM-regulated geophysical surveys in shallow, Gulf of Mexico waters (less than 600 ft deep) appear on side-scan sonar imagery (n=74). About one third of that number are confirmed to have metal hulls.…”

Marine Archaeology Assessment of the South Terminal Project Orange and Jefferson Counties, Texas

“…At the same time that machinery was replacing wind power, more durable metal hulls gradually were replacing wooden hulls, a trend which had accelerated by the turn of the century. Nevertheless, at least 93 percent of all U.S. merchant vessels lost through the end of World War II were made of wood (Gearhart 2011a). Some sailing vessels were converted to barges and used for a few more years on inland waterways as machine-powered boats replaced them.…”

Underwater Archaeology Survey of Russell Marine Barge Dock Harris County, Texas

“…At the same time that machinery was replacing wind power, more durable metal hulls gradually were replacing wooden hulls, a trend which had accelerated by the turn of the century. Nevertheless, at least 93 percent of all U.S. merchant vessels lost through the end of World War II were made of wood (Gearhart 2011a).…”