I found a shipwreck!

[smokeythecat]

Your input is appreciated. First, I was in Delaware at several spots over this past weekend and talked to someone who had been detecting the beach a lot longer than me. Of course, in the good old days, there were more coins than now. Also back then, he stated there was a great fishing hotspot just offshore on a pile of rocks (the ballast from the Faithful Steward or Three Brothers), both of which went down close to each other in the 18th century. Anyway he stated the rock piles were no longer there, the fish left too.

It took me two days to figure out I knew where there is an "undiscovered" rock pile full of fish in the Chesapeake.

There is a spot, visible on my little boat's sonar, which apparently is a rock pile in 14' of water in the bay. The fish love it. It's at a river mouth, and near a very very busy place.

I haven't fished it in three years, but think could locate it precisely with gps in a day if I wanted to. Now, I'm really sure I don't dive, nor will start, and there must be a zillion laws
against disturbing a shipwreck site in Maryland.

Anyway, question is this, any way to determine if it is indeed a shipwreck without getting wet? That water has maybe a 4' visibility factor. On a good day. The pile is about 20' x 10', or less. I wonder if that's big enough for a ballast pile.

Thanks.

 

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[Peyton Manning]

you only live once ( or twice)

go for it

 

[smokeythecat]

I don't go underwater. Not even in the bathtub. How 'bout a magnet with a 50 pound pull for starters? Then I can tell the archaeologists about it and become famous. Or maybe not. It will be spring soon.

 

[ivan salis]

it might be a ballast dump spot ...old sailing ships coming in from deep sea often would have to lighten up (dump off excess ballast stones ) before going up river often there were approved "marked on the map" deep water spots to do this.... but many ships just dumped the excess rocks wherever they were anchored at -- which was frowned up by the locals as it caused "uncharted shallow spots" that a later ship might hit ...when going to a anchorage area ..

that or you might have found a small vessels "ballast pile" from being wrecked...if its a wreck there should be some iron mixed in with the rocks ..use a large magnet and a rope see if anything -- sticks

 

[smokeythecat]

Water is only 14 feet deep. Your idea may be right on. The spot holds jumbo white perch and bluefish! It's just offshore from an old colonial plantation, maybe 100 yards offshore.

 

[ivan salis]

that sound like a ideal anchorage spot to dump excess ballast rocks at ---so that you could take on cargo from the plantation

 

[ivan salis]

pity you do not dive ... anchorage spots like that are often littered with empty bottles and other empty crockery and glass food containers thrown overboard by the crew while at anchor . the spot you speak off sounds like a ideal --anchorage --excess ballast dumping spot --dump excess ballast to prepare to load cargo from the plantation.

 

[ARC]

Your depth of water actually makes your "possible wreck" more interesting to me...

A ballast "dump" is rarely a "pile"... it is usually a scattered or strewn area of ballast items... NOT always...
But I will say this...
A "pile" in formation such as you described... is a great sign.

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, it's not impossible to get an underwater camera down there. Or a long pole, when it's nice out I'll take the boat out with a friend and see if we can get the GPS on it. I know where it is within 200', but it will take a little while to relocate it.

 

[GA_Boy]

Whatever you do-----------do it on the QT. Find a diver and play like you are fishing.
Marvin

 

[smokeythecat]

I'll get there one day before I die. Probably. Have 1 producing CW site. Have a semi producing colonial site and then there's the gold at the beach. So It's kinda down low on the list.

 

[against the wind]

Well you could always locate it on the gps, catch a few fish, have a nice meal, and sell off your poaching,,, Ehhhh,,, shipwreck exploring spot.??

 

[cw0909]

smokey go here and see if it is marked
Coast Survey's Wrecks and Obstructions Map Preview
Surveys & Wrecks

 

[smokeythecat]

No, there is something nearby but not there. I.E. uncharted.

 

[Anduril]

Get a bright LED flashlight, some string, and a GoPro...??

 

[Chadeaux]

Let's see ... if it's about 20 feet down, I'd definitely use the waterproof LED flashlight and gopro with a bit of a change.

Get 30 feet of 1/2" PVC pipe and cut it into 5' joints. run a 40 foot 1/4" rope through all of them ... tying the rope off on the first and last. (of course you'll need couplings glued on one end of each 5' piece of pipe) Gopro and light go on first joint.

Drop the unit with the camera over the side ... keeping the rope taut and sliding a new joint of pipe as needed. Don't forget to add a float to the last piece of pipe so that you can retreive it (and your camera) if you should drop them overboard.

Why?

Well, the short pieces of pipe are easily concealed under a blanket. When you're assembling the unit, the pieces are small enough to be of no interest to nearby fishermen (if there are any).

 

[smokeythecat]

Thanks! Once I find it, we'll fish the spot (huge white perch), and I'd like to know what it is. A few miles south a found an 18th century item on the beach. Looks like bricks washed off the cliffs and into the bay. Another area I suppose we can look at.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello SmokeytheCat,


You could use a fish finder with a camera attachment, they are fairly inexpensive. Perhaps someone you know has a mini Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) tethered to the surface and attached to computer. A poor mans way might be to use a waterproof GoPro and send it down with a secondary light source.

Regards,

Doc

 

[smokeythecat]

Thanks. I'm just curious, that's all.

 

[cw0909]

Thanks. I'm just curious, that's all.

maybe you could rent this and use a pvc pipe as a hold in place guide
it has 3 + Product features i like
cam with recording
DC voltage
200' cable
Drain Camera Rental - The Home Depot
vid
Gen-Eye Video Pipe Inspection Systems How To Video

[h=1][/h]