Need help identifying this piece

[cdiver]

A friend found this and sent me pictures, trying to figure out what type of ship it may have come from.
note the brass tacks holding on some sort of sheeting. Entire assembly is held together with brass/bronze screws and large rivets.

 

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[billinstuart]

looks like a shaft log outa a old sailboat.

 

[ScubaDude]

Yep, I'm not sure about the sailboat part, but it is a propeller shaft log. In the top photo the arm extending to the left looks to be the lower rudder support. Fairly modern.

 

[imafishingnutt]

Maby there is a prop near by?

 

[ScubaDude]

Maybe, or maybe its departure could have caused the sinking.

CDiver - in the bottom photo, is that a piece of wood shoved into the opening?

 

[stevemc]

I agree, a shaft log/stuffing box for a prop shaft with rudder support-or it is just a prop shoe piece that protects the prop, but I would say rudder support. Not real old, but not real new either.

 

[cdiver]

There is a piece of wood in the end. Havent located a prop yet. Found some old pottery around the wreckage also. There is one large mostly buried object that may be a boiler but not sure.

How old would you think this wreck is? It is in the southeast. nc/sc

 

[stevemc]

It could be turn of the century. 100 + or - years old. Black glass whiskey or wine bottle is fairly old. Could be some nice artifacts.

 

[Goldfinchs1]

If the black glass and ship's pattern pottery came off the wreck wouldn't that make it much older than turn of the century? Furthermore, wasn't brass sheathing like pictured in the second photo phased out in the late 1700's? The ships that still had this couldn't have been around much longer, right?

 

[Salvor6]

I think you are both wrong. It is obviously an expresso coffee machine. Further proof: look at the coffee cup shard he is holding.

 

[southern maine diver]

Scubadude and Stevemc are right on the money. Shaft log and the curved piece is the lower support for the rudder, commonly referred to as the "skeg". The wood on the inside of the shaft could have been tapered and hammered into the shaft log while the vessel was underway to try to keep it from sinking. I have seen several cases where the prop shaft has broken off and the shaft log would be plugged to keep the water out... in an emergency. Lot of water comes into the shaft log.

As far as the dark green bottle fragment goes, it is a typical "kick-up" bottom or base from a wine or champagne bottle. It could be a bit over 100 years old, but those bottle are usually from the late 1800's and isn't really true "black glass" as in English mallets, Dutch onions or other freeblown black glass bottles.

Great finds though... Can you tell us a little more about the remainder of the wreck... how deep are you diving and what other things are you finding?

Wayne

 

[ScubaDude]

If the black glass and ship's pattern pottery came off the wreck wouldn't that make it much older than turn of the century? Furthermore, wasn't brass sheathing like pictured in the second photo phased out in the late 1700's? The ships that still had this couldn't have been around much longer, right?

Look at the numerals that were formed when the item was cast, that plus the machine work puts it way later than 1700's, I'd buy turn of the last century or newer. As to the sheathing, I'm familiar with lead and copper, never heard of brass sheathing.

CDiver - I'm in Wilmington, let me know if there is anything I can offer or do to help.

Regards,
Brad

 

[aleman]

looks like it would come from Capt. Nemos Nautilus

 

[stevemc]

They did not use brass sheathing, they used copper and it wasnt really started until the 1700s, and didnt get going good until late 1700-I think 1768 or something like that because the iron nails they used to tack it on caused a galvanic reaction and corroded the copper away fast, or the iron nails. The dissimilar metals thing in salt water-turns it into a battery. They later used copper nails and this worked. They used lead sheathing prior to that. They still use copper sheathing on real big wooden boats. Lead sheathing was pretty much done by early 1800s, and copper used almost exclusively since then. They put on tar-after the planking was caulked with cotton called oakum and red lead paint now, but back then used mainly cotton and any caulking material or paint, then tarred it and put a cloth like denim over that and tarred it more, then put copper sheets over it with nails. They still do it like that. Prior to lead sheathing they used just tar. I used to work on wooden boats and stripped out and recaulked clinker hulls. Plus I have made planks-not as easy as it sounds with the compound curves and put in dutchmen, cut curved frames, knees etc. I still have a caulking iron. So I know what I am talking about with older boats. Now they use a copper based bottom paint instead of copper sheathing to ward off barnacles.