Shipwreck intrigues experts

[wreckdiver1715]

Vessel in Port Aransas Texas may date to the late 1800s or early 1900s

By MichelLe Christenson and Beth Wilson Caller-Times
August 29, 2006

In shallow water near Port Aransas, a mystery has shown itself, just barely. And not enough to know what it is.
Which is why a team of divers and a state archaeologist hit the water Monday to check out what appears to be a previously unknown sunken ship.
Steve Hoyt, the state's marine archaeologist with the Texas Historical Commission, led the team.
After five hours of investigation in about 20 feet of water near San Jose Island, Hoyt has some answers but many more questions.
"What I know so far," Hoyt said, "It's a lot older than I thought it would be."
Hoyt said the vessel could date as far back as the late 1800s or early 1900s but Monday's mission was purely reconnaissance.
The team made eight dives on the wreck Monday and determined that it had a wooden hull and was steam-driven.
"We found the boiler, we found the fire bricks," Hoyt said. "If we had some more visibility we could get a lot more information."
They also found a lot of metal. Metal rods, metal turnbuckles and metal pins.
Hoyt said the next step would be to determine the vessel's age. If the wreck is older than 1900, it automatically will become a state archaeological landmark, according to the historical antiquities code of Texas. If the vessel is post-1900, it still could become a landmark, but that is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Craig Hlavinka of Matagorda is a volunteer archaeological steward through a program with the Texas Historical Commission. Hlavinka drove about three hours to dive with Hoyt and two others.
"The thrill of discovery," Hlavinka said grinning, "It's exciting."
After his first dive on the wreck Monday afternoon, Hlavinka still was smiling.
"Well, it's a big, rusty mess." Hlavinka said. "It's always how they look at first."
Dee Wallace of Port Aransas was one of the first to dive on the wreck after a friend spotted something unusual in the channel while parasailing in June.
Wallace dived down to look at it a few times and said he thinks it's an old steam barge, but he has no information about its history or how it got to the bottom of the channel.

 

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[wreckdiver1715]

Stamped name reveals vessel didn't sink before 1915
By Beth Wilson Caller-Times

September 18, 2006

A brick among the wreckage of a mystery ship recently discovered off the waters of Port Aransas may help pinpoint the ship's date. Divers with the Texas Historical Commission led by Steve Hoyt, the state's marine archaeologist, checked out the site of a shipwreck two weeks ago and have since discovered the origins of the brick and a clue to the ship's sink date.
That brick, stamped with the name of manufacturer A.P. Green, tells researchers the vessel could not have sunk before 1915, the year the company began making bricks.
But that doesn't give much indication to how old the ship is, Hoyt said. It could have been an older ship carrying new bricks in 1915 or a younger ship carrying 1915 bricks several decades later.
"All it tells us is the earliest possible sinking date," he said. "It doesn't really tell us when it was built or when it sank."
In determining the historical significance of a shipwreck, it's the age of the ship - not the date of the wreck - that's important, he said.
If the ship is older than 1900, it automatically will become a state archaeological landmark and be protected. If the vessel is post-1900, it still could become a landmark, which is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Hoyt said he has considerably more research to do into this wreck, although his Aug. 28 dive revealed some facts: The vessel has a wooden hull and appears to be steam-driven. In addition to the bricks, which would be used in a fire to create steam, divers found remnants of a boiler.
Hoyt said the crew didn't identify a steam engine or propulsion system, but the boiler clearly points to steam.
Hoyt said the brick discovery gives the investigation a starting point.
"It's very nice when we get something like that," he said.
Hoyt said he'll continue to investigate the Green brick company, a Missouri company that closed in 2002, and dive again in hopes of discovering more artifacts.
It is possible the wreckage was reported in 1932 in a nearby location, Hoyt said. Records indicate that was an oil barge, and Hoyt said those were not usually steam-driven.
Local boaters first saw the wreckage this summer when a parasailer spotted it from above .
Dee Wallace of Port Aransas was one of the first to dive on the wreck and helped the state divers find the site. He plans to check the site again when the water is clearer and do some of his own investigating. Wallace said he found an account of a Confederate garrison located farther up the channel and will seek out the ruins as the weather turns colder to see if there might be a connection.
"I will continue to be curious," he said. "It's my nature."