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Del. funds excavation of 1774 shipwreck
Work is 'biggest project in underwater archaeology'
By RACHAEL JACKSON, The News Journal
Updated Thursday, October 12, 2006
Matt DeFelice prepares for a dive near Lewes with help from Mike Murray (left) and Justin McNesky. The trio work for a company contracted to explore the shipwreck, believed to be the 18th century Severn. (Buy photo)
The News Journal GARY EMEIGH
Craig Lukezie, an archaeologist with the state's Historical and Cultural Affairs, shows a German-made mineral water bottle.
(Buy photo)
The News Journal/GARY EMEIGH
'Twas a day unfit for seafaring when the Philadelphia-bound Severn sailed the mid-Atlantic in 1774.
Down below was a precious stow of international goods -- porcelain from China, wine from South Africa, wool blankets from Holland -- but on deck a vicious nor'easter battered the merchant ship.
Capt. James Hathorne sacrificed his cargo to save his crew. He ran the vessel aground and gave the order to abandon ship near Lewes Beach. Nary a man perished in the wreck.
Or at least that's what historians think happened about a half-mile from Lewes Beach.
Armed with new state grant money, archaeologists have resumed their underwater investigation of the sunken ship in hopes of recovering artifacts, clues to a bygone era.
"This is the biggest project in underwater archaeology right now," said Jason Burns, project manager for Southeastern Archaeological Research, a Florida company that the state contracted to explore the ship's underwater remains.
The ship is about 15 feet under, in a place where a diver's visibility can range from 6 inches to a foot.
"We do all our work by feel," Burns said.
This is the second major shipwreck to be excavated in Delaware. The first was the DeBraak, which sank in 1798. But historians say there are hundreds more awaiting discovery. Philadelphia was an exceptionally busy port, said Daniel Griffith, director of the Lewes Maritime Archaeology Project, and Delaware's waters were treacherous.
On Tuesday, the state applied for the shipwreck site to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Severn wreck was discovered accidentally in late 2004 after a dredging project pumped artifact-laden sand away from the site and onto the beach. Beachgoers started finding shards of stoneware, glass and even metal toys. Archaeologists started wondering what exactly was out there.
In April 2005, underwater archaeologists located the site, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stopped funding the research. A state Department of Transportation grant for $300,000 was secured this spring, enabling researchers to get back in the water.
Since 2004, archaeologists have amassed more than 45,000 artifacts from the wreck -- everything from Dutch pipes to German mineral water bottles, which reflect the international nature of the vessel's cargo. Two-thirds of the artifacts were turned in by beachcombers.
"The history of this ship is like a 500-page book of empty pages," Griffith said. "And each artifact is a word."
State archaeologists and divers are working off a boat about 50 feet long, which is about 20 feet shorter than the Severn. They're hoping to investigate the ship's galley and the captain's quarters to discover what life was like aboard a British commercial vessel.
Griffith said they found a linen smoother, a glass object that resembles a doorknob, which led them to believe the captain might have had a penchant for neatly pressed shirts.
Already, state archaeologist Chuck Fithian said they're learning about trade during the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The shipwreck occurred only a couple of months after the Boston Tea Party. Researchers said it's not surprising that there are far more goods from Germany, Holland, China and South Africa than there are from England.
"We're seeing a slice of that trans-Atlantic commerce," Fithian said as he pored over "shell hash," a mess of wet shells, gravel and sand from the site.
Griffith said the varied contents on the ship would be comparable to a combination of typical items found today at Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
While archaeologists are nearly certain that the boat is the Severn, they have not yet found anything bearing the ship's name or the captain's name. They determined that it was the Severn by comparing dates on the artifacts with dates on old newspaper reports of missing ships. They're hoping to find something engraved with the captain's name when they search his quarters.
The Florida company will do underwater work until the end of the month. Then, state archaeologists will finish analyzing their legal booty. Dredging "chewed up" about 20 percent of the site, Griffith said. After excavations, an estimated 60 percent is expected to remain. Some items are on display at the Zwaanendael Museum.
And as for Capt. Hathorne, his loss may not have been so great on the day he beached the 200-ton Severn. It was insured by Lloyds of London, an insurance firm that still exists today.
Work is 'biggest project in underwater archaeology'
By RACHAEL JACKSON, The News Journal
Updated Thursday, October 12, 2006
Matt DeFelice prepares for a dive near Lewes with help from Mike Murray (left) and Justin McNesky. The trio work for a company contracted to explore the shipwreck, believed to be the 18th century Severn. (Buy photo)
The News Journal GARY EMEIGH
Craig Lukezie, an archaeologist with the state's Historical and Cultural Affairs, shows a German-made mineral water bottle.
(Buy photo)
The News Journal/GARY EMEIGH
'Twas a day unfit for seafaring when the Philadelphia-bound Severn sailed the mid-Atlantic in 1774.
Down below was a precious stow of international goods -- porcelain from China, wine from South Africa, wool blankets from Holland -- but on deck a vicious nor'easter battered the merchant ship.
Capt. James Hathorne sacrificed his cargo to save his crew. He ran the vessel aground and gave the order to abandon ship near Lewes Beach. Nary a man perished in the wreck.
Or at least that's what historians think happened about a half-mile from Lewes Beach.
Armed with new state grant money, archaeologists have resumed their underwater investigation of the sunken ship in hopes of recovering artifacts, clues to a bygone era.
"This is the biggest project in underwater archaeology right now," said Jason Burns, project manager for Southeastern Archaeological Research, a Florida company that the state contracted to explore the ship's underwater remains.
The ship is about 15 feet under, in a place where a diver's visibility can range from 6 inches to a foot.
"We do all our work by feel," Burns said.
This is the second major shipwreck to be excavated in Delaware. The first was the DeBraak, which sank in 1798. But historians say there are hundreds more awaiting discovery. Philadelphia was an exceptionally busy port, said Daniel Griffith, director of the Lewes Maritime Archaeology Project, and Delaware's waters were treacherous.
On Tuesday, the state applied for the shipwreck site to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Severn wreck was discovered accidentally in late 2004 after a dredging project pumped artifact-laden sand away from the site and onto the beach. Beachgoers started finding shards of stoneware, glass and even metal toys. Archaeologists started wondering what exactly was out there.
In April 2005, underwater archaeologists located the site, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stopped funding the research. A state Department of Transportation grant for $300,000 was secured this spring, enabling researchers to get back in the water.
Since 2004, archaeologists have amassed more than 45,000 artifacts from the wreck -- everything from Dutch pipes to German mineral water bottles, which reflect the international nature of the vessel's cargo. Two-thirds of the artifacts were turned in by beachcombers.
"The history of this ship is like a 500-page book of empty pages," Griffith said. "And each artifact is a word."
State archaeologists and divers are working off a boat about 50 feet long, which is about 20 feet shorter than the Severn. They're hoping to investigate the ship's galley and the captain's quarters to discover what life was like aboard a British commercial vessel.
Griffith said they found a linen smoother, a glass object that resembles a doorknob, which led them to believe the captain might have had a penchant for neatly pressed shirts.
Already, state archaeologist Chuck Fithian said they're learning about trade during the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The shipwreck occurred only a couple of months after the Boston Tea Party. Researchers said it's not surprising that there are far more goods from Germany, Holland, China and South Africa than there are from England.
"We're seeing a slice of that trans-Atlantic commerce," Fithian said as he pored over "shell hash," a mess of wet shells, gravel and sand from the site.
Griffith said the varied contents on the ship would be comparable to a combination of typical items found today at Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
While archaeologists are nearly certain that the boat is the Severn, they have not yet found anything bearing the ship's name or the captain's name. They determined that it was the Severn by comparing dates on the artifacts with dates on old newspaper reports of missing ships. They're hoping to find something engraved with the captain's name when they search his quarters.
The Florida company will do underwater work until the end of the month. Then, state archaeologists will finish analyzing their legal booty. Dredging "chewed up" about 20 percent of the site, Griffith said. After excavations, an estimated 60 percent is expected to remain. Some items are on display at the Zwaanendael Museum.
And as for Capt. Hathorne, his loss may not have been so great on the day he beached the 200-ton Severn. It was insured by Lloyds of London, an insurance firm that still exists today.
