Introduction

. . Motivation Inc. working under both Federal Admiralty arrests and permits with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is continuing the search for the scattered remains of the 1622 Tierra Firme galleon, Nuestra Señora de Atocha. Part of the search for these scattered remains includes the survey of large areas of sea bottom using remote sensing gear.

. . The main type of remote sensing apparatus employed by Motivation Inc. is a Geometrics 881 Cesium Magnetometer. This unit is, at the present time, acknowledged to be one of the best instruments available in the field with sensitivity reaching one tenth of a nano tesla (nt) or gamma. The sensitivity is joined with the most current positioning technology DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) and software package that tracks the survey. This coupled with the fact that the unit has a low amount of "noise" (or interference). This makes for very accurate survey data.

. . Ongoing surveys are being conducted to try to track the attenuated "trail(s)" of artifact scatter that are the remains of the Atocha. It was during one such survey that the subject shipwreck was located.

The Quicksands

. . The first evidence of the Atocha was located in the early 1970's in an area that is known as the Quicksands. This area west of the Marquesas Keys is literally where the waters of the Gulf of Mexico pour over the shallows and into the Atlantic Ocean. This has created a large area of shifting sand-dune-like formations. Over the years of searching, thousands of artifacts such as silver coins, jewelry, gold ingots, cannon and anchors have been located in this area. The current hypothesis is that the Atocha's upper decking including the stern castle and a significant section of the lower hull were forced into the shallows by hurricane force currents, waves and winds where it fractured into a number of parts and continued its dispersal. These are the trails of material that Motivation Inc. is currently tracking.

Discovery of 19th Century Wreckage

. . During a survey conducted on November 1st 2002 by Captain Gary Randolph aboard the MV Pin Pointer a cluster of anomalies was detected in the Northwest sector of the search area known as the Quicksands. Diver reconnaissance quickly revealed that these were the remains of a sailing vessel from a much later period. The wreckage rests in a depth of 17-18 feet and is scattered over a fairly large area with two distinct sections visible. One section consists of wooden hull structure (mostly hull planking) with iron fittings and braces.

. . The second section is 300 feet away in a Southeasterly direction and represents a significant portion of the bow area. Two anchors that are approximately 2-2 ½ tons each are present as well as piles of chain representing the anchor chain that was still stored in its lockers. The hawse pipes, which the chain passes through, are there as is the 15 foot wide windless mechanism which was used to lift the anchors. The size of the anchors and the windless as well as the surrounding structural remains is indicative of a very large vessel.

.. (Anchor in situ)

(Illustration of Anchor)

. . Many structural elements are present. Iron standing rigging is in evidence as are iron hanging knees, bracings, brackets and the like. A number of snatch blocks were observed, as was at least one deadeye. Wire cable stays are also in evidence. All visible fasteners appeared to be bronze. No objects were collected and video and photographic records and preliminary measurements were made to record the site in situ.

(Windless in situ)

(Windless circa 1925)

Working Hypothesis on the "New Wreck

. . Both on the first and subsequent dives on this new wrecksite the overall impression is of its great size. There are enormous amounts of iron fittings and construction elements that are associated with both sections of the wreck. On the northwestern section of the wreck there are still significant wooden elements extant. On the southeast or bow section of the wreck it is mostly the metallic components that have survived. The iron strapping and brackets are still very much in evidence there may also be significant amounts of wood structure buried along with the more obvious surface components.

. . Taken together the evidence points to a vessel of substantial size, the anchor size alone indicates this. The construction style of using both wood and iron to build vessels became popular in the later half of the 19th century and extended into the first quarter of the 20th century.

(Iron Construction elements in-situ)

(Interior of a vessel showing iron construction elements)

Cargo

. . No evidence of cargo has as yet been seen. With so much of the wreckage visible one would expect to see some evidence of a cargo, yet none is visible. Two possibilities suggest themselves as to the absence of cargo:

1. The vessel was completely salvaged at the time of sinking. This seems unlikely. One would expect some evidence of the cargo to be left. One of the most heavily salvaged and well documented shipwrecks in the Florida Keys during the heyday of the wreckers was that of the Isaac Allerton. A square-rigged cargo ship 137 feet long, the Isaac Allerton displaced 595 tons. She was on her way from New York to New Orleans when on August 28th, 1856 she was pounded by a brutal hurricane. The Allerton sank about a mile seaward of the Saddlebunch Keys in 30 feet of consistently murky water. The Isaac Allerton was rediscovered in 1985 by a group of Key West wreckers/salvors led by Steve and Ray Maloney, descendants of Walter C. Maloney, the lawyer for Asa Tift, and original salvor of the Allerton in 1856. Much evidence of her cargo yet remained on this heavily salvaged site.
2. The cargo was a perishable commodity and no trace is extant or has yet to be found. This may well be the case as the type of cargo frequently carried through the Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico were of this type. Examples of this type of cargo would be sugar, cotton and wood. Robin Moore has done an excellent study of a shipwreck known as Hamilton's wreck off Pensacola Bay in Florida that shows the importance of the lumber trade in Florida at approximately the same time period as our suspected wrecksite. (Moore, 2002 ).

Historical Research

. . Preliminary (and cursory) historical research has revealed a number of possibilities for this vessel. Although there are numerous wrecks in the Quicksands area one stands out as a more likely candidate. Court records from Key West show that a British bark The London sank in 17-18 feet of water in 1892. Steven Singer in his Shipwrecks of Florida lists The London as a Scottish bark built in 1863 (Singer,pg 88). Both list the captain as a man named Ewan. According to the records the cargo consisted of lumber and deals (the division of a piece of fir or pine timber made by sawing: a plank). It should be pointed out that the only sure match is the depth of water, i.e. 17-18 feet. The lack of cargo evidence seems to indicate a possible cargo of perishable commodity, in this case a cargo that would have been transported away from the site as flotsam (as in lumber and deals). More research both on site and in the archival sources needs to be done.

Recommendations for future work

The site needs to be investigated more thoroughly. The magnetometer survey clearly shows the predominant scatter of material leading to the north, away from the two main concentrations of material. This scatter trail needs to be assessed for evidence of cargo and other significant structural components. While interesting and in close association with the scatter trail of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha it is clear that this vessel is from a much later time period. Motivation Inc. or its assigns should investigate it and the results turned over to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as a part of the ongoing assessment of the inventory of submerged cultural resources in the sanctuary. This site strongly lends itself to use as an educational tool, a training ground for archaeologists and for avocationals.

Bibliography

Chapelle, Howard I., 1973 "The American Fishing Schooners 1825 - 1925", W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, New York

MacGregor, David R., 1973 "Fast Sailing Ships" EDITA Haessner Publishing, Inc. Newfoundland NJ.

Marshall, Michael W., 1990 "Ocean Traders, from the Portuguese discoveries to the present day" Facts on File Books, New York, New York.

Moore, Robin Edward, 2002 "Hamilton's Wreck an archaeological and Historical Inquiry into The Regional Maritime Culture of Pensacola Florida", Masters Thesis, University of West Florida.

Tryckare, Tre, 1973 "The Lore Of Ships" Crescent Books New York, New York.