- May 20, 2004
- 1,721
- 152
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Excal 1000
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
'Hits' may point way to historic shipwreck off Martin County coast
By SUZANNE WENTLEY
[email protected]
May 20, 2006
STUART — After two weeks of searching for a famous pioneer's shipwreck, archaeologists said on Friday that there was a good chance of finding a historically significant ship in local waters.
More than 500 "hits" — areas worth investigating — were discovered during a two-week-long survey of seven square miles off Martin County's southern coastline, said Renee Booth, the director for development of the Historical Society of Martin County's Elliott Museum.
The historical society commissioned the work last fall to search for Jonathan Dickinson's Reformation, which sank in 1696 after crashing on a reef. The shipwreck led the Quaker pioneer to write a journal that became the earliest known documentation of the Ais Indians, who once inhabited the area.
That ship is likely one of hundreds that sank along the Treasure Coast, a region named after the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet. Experts say the Reformation was not carrying treasure.
Despite diving on some of the areas of interest during the last two weeks, the shipwreck experts from the Institute for International Maritime Research in North Carolina still weren't clear what was buried under the sand.
"They haven't found anything they can identify yet," Booth said. "Still, the chances of locating historical shipwrecks here are high."
That's because the "hits," which were determined by using magnetic surveys and sonar equipment, were grouped in clusters, perhaps indicating timbers from ships.
A preliminary report from the state-funded $40,000 survey will be available Monday. A more in-depth report, which will include more analysis of the findings and determination of what should be studied further, will take longer, Booth said.
If the location of the Reformation is discovered, Booth said the historical society would recreate the path Dickinson took through the area and recorded in his journal.
Any historical artifacts found would be property of the state, but would likely be displayed at the Elliott Museum, she added.
"The survey is the is the easy part," Booth said. "The identification and research that follows is the hard part."
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_4712921,00.html
By SUZANNE WENTLEY
[email protected]
May 20, 2006
STUART — After two weeks of searching for a famous pioneer's shipwreck, archaeologists said on Friday that there was a good chance of finding a historically significant ship in local waters.
More than 500 "hits" — areas worth investigating — were discovered during a two-week-long survey of seven square miles off Martin County's southern coastline, said Renee Booth, the director for development of the Historical Society of Martin County's Elliott Museum.
The historical society commissioned the work last fall to search for Jonathan Dickinson's Reformation, which sank in 1696 after crashing on a reef. The shipwreck led the Quaker pioneer to write a journal that became the earliest known documentation of the Ais Indians, who once inhabited the area.
That ship is likely one of hundreds that sank along the Treasure Coast, a region named after the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet. Experts say the Reformation was not carrying treasure.
Despite diving on some of the areas of interest during the last two weeks, the shipwreck experts from the Institute for International Maritime Research in North Carolina still weren't clear what was buried under the sand.
"They haven't found anything they can identify yet," Booth said. "Still, the chances of locating historical shipwrecks here are high."
That's because the "hits," which were determined by using magnetic surveys and sonar equipment, were grouped in clusters, perhaps indicating timbers from ships.
A preliminary report from the state-funded $40,000 survey will be available Monday. A more in-depth report, which will include more analysis of the findings and determination of what should be studied further, will take longer, Booth said.
If the location of the Reformation is discovered, Booth said the historical society would recreate the path Dickinson took through the area and recorded in his journal.
Any historical artifacts found would be property of the state, but would likely be displayed at the Elliott Museum, she added.
"The survey is the is the easy part," Booth said. "The identification and research that follows is the hard part."
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_4712921,00.html
