sailing ship rudder size

[bell47]

Found a rudder the other day along with a bunch of deadeyes and rigging. The deadeyes have steel or iron cable around them. The rudder is about 12 feet long. lots of clay type pottery and somthing that looks like maybe a sink or toilet. It is porceline with lead sheeting around it, it also has a lead pipe coming in from one side...any ideas? How large would a ship with a rudder this size have been? How long has metal cable been used around deadeyes? On a guess we figured civil war era but not sure. Sorry I don't have pics because we can't bring this stuff up. Also lots and lots of marble sized coal scattered around, I guess it could have been a side wheel steamer? Or just a load of coal. We're researching area wrecks right now. Any ideas?

 

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[ScubaDude]

There is a cable thread on here from a few months ago, can't recall the topic.

I think the conclusion was wire rope came into use in the mid 1800's.

Your boat could be a lot of things at this point. If it was powered by steam there is a boiler and engine and lots of plumbing somewhere around. Some have been pillaged over the years and things could be missing thus making your ID a little more difficult. Local newspapers back in the day are a good source of info if you can narrow down some dates via artifacts. Or work it backwards with known sinkings.

Good luck.