Search for the USS Scorpion

Glimpse of the Ship's Bow

2011-08-09T08:04:00.001-04:00

Dr. Bob Neyland shoots footage of ship's bow. Note the fasteners and holes meant for the ship's rigging. The sound you hear is Bob exhaling from his regulator.

Video Clip of Scissors Being Carefully Brought Up to the Surface

2011-08-09T08:01:00.000-04:00

Underwater Discovery of Stoneware Bottle

2011-08-08T08:16:00.000-04:00

Last 48 Hours on War of 1812 Wreck

2011-08-06T09:40:00.002-04:00

This is our last day out on the site and we have reached all of the project goals for this season. Here is a list of what we have learned.

Up Stream or Down Stream?

We used a probing method to find the ends of the wreck and then we opened large trenches on both ends of the site to expose the bow and stern. The bow is in beautiful condition with decking, intact architectural features, and iron fasteners. The stern consists of jagged timbers and damaged wood that may have been caused by the charge set to scuttle this ship. The bow is pointed upstream and the stern downstream.

Maryland's assistant state underwater archaeologist, Troy Nowak, maps the ship's decking using notes and measurements collected while underwater.

How Big?

Thirty years ago, a large hole was placed near the stern to recover artifacts from the wreck. These artifacts are on display at the Navy Yard in DC as well as the Calvert Marine Museum. During this early excavation, the team measured the wreck at 48.7 ft. in length by just over 16 ft. Historical records reported the gun barges were built in both 50 ft. and 75 ft. lengths.

This season's work has revealed the wreck site is 75 ft. long and 20 ft. wide. White PVC pipes were placed around the edges of the wreck and those points were shot in by surveyors. From the surface, it is hard to appreciate the massive size of this war ship, but once below the water you are immediately met by large timbers and perfectly cut and carved wood. Near the stern, we were even able to sit in the hold that held the crew's personal belongings and provisions. In one location it is possible to reach your hand inside and feel a barrel, still sitting on its shelf.

Time in a Bottle

Although our goal for this year was not to collect artifacts, any disarticulated wood or objects that could be damaged or lost once we left the site were collected for conservation. Perhaps one of the most intriguing artifacts is a handmade aqua pharmaceutical bottle. During the cleaning of the hold area, an archaeologist felt jagged bits of a metal sticking out of the mud, she placed her fingers into the butter-like clay, and found this bottle along with a wide-mouthed stoneware bottle, the latter was left in place. It appeared that these items had fallen out of the crew's shelves and landed in a jumbled heap. The artifacts were mapped underwater and the glass bottle removed for conservation.

Dr. Julie Schablitsky removes the pharmaceutical bottle from a jumbled cache of artifacts. When it was lifted out of the mud, air bubbles trapped from August 22, 1814 were released and traveled up to meet the 21st century.

If you look closely at the bottle, there appears to be adhesive stuck on the exterior that may have once held a label. The bottle was hand made and blown by a glassmaker using a metal pontil rod. The rough mark still remains on the base of the bottle.

Wes Hall is the second person to hold this bottle in his hand since the sinking of the wreck in 1814. Note the possible label adhesive on the exterior of the bottle near his palm.

Other Interesting Finds

Archaeologists were also able to uncover additional personal and domestic items associated with Barney and his crew. We found a pig foot bone, a piece of wood trim with decorative drilled holes, fragments of decking with rose head wrought iron nails, a corn cob, stoneware bottle, and scissors. All of these artifacts will be taken to the laboratory at the US Navy to undergo conservation.

Scissors that may have belonged to the surgeon's kit.

End of the corn cob with hollow end. It may be evidence of being held on a drying rack.

Corn cob recovered from the hold area. This was likely flint corn, a small, multi-colored grain. The kernels would have been removed and used in meals such as hominy and grits.

Stoneware bottle. Analysis will soon reveal what it may have held.

Is this Wreck the Scorpion?

Since we found a 75 ft. long wreck, does this mean we have a gun barge and not the Scorpion? Not necessarily, this still may be Barney's flagship. Being cautious scientists, we still do not yet have enough data to unequivocally determine that this is the sloop of war, the Vigilant (a smaller lookout ship associated with the flotilla), or a sturdy gun barge. But, there is nothing to say that it is not the Scorpion. The full excavation of the site along with artifact analysis will eventually provide this answer.

What's Next?

Today, we are tasked with boating supplies and materials back to the Patuxent River Park. Monday the decking comes off the barge and by Tuesday afternoon our floating office and laboratory will be pushed off of the site and back down river. For the next year, we will be coordinating with environmental professionals and engineers to determine how to limit our impact to the river while building a cofferdam.

Perhaps the most difficult challenge will be raising one million dollars, most of which will go to the conservation of the artifacts and materials lifted from the wreck during the cofferdam excavation. At this time, the construction and full excavation of the wreck site will likely commence in summer and fall 2013.

Answers Coming Quickly

2011-08-03T08:07:00.001-04:00

We have four days left on the site, but we have accomplished our main objectives. After exposing both ends of the wreck, we have learned that the bow is pointed up stream and the stern, downstream. This might seem the obvious direction, but when a ship is scuttled one never knows what might happen during the blast. The ship may have been anchored during the explosion and may have turned and sunk--that does not seem to be the case here.

The archaeologists continue to work in three trenches located on the bow, stern, and center. The trench on the bow is now moving towards the stern in an attempt to better understand the ship and find where the hold may be. During the excavation of the bow, we uncovered what may be a "cathead" or bumpkin on the port side of the ship. A cathead was a carved wooden beam that jutted out from the bow at a 45 degree angle. This beam would help direct and support the raising and the lowering of the anchor. The term cathead comes from the end of the beam often having a cat or lion head carved onto the end. This piece may also be a bumpkin or other piece of ship rigging.

A piece of ship architecture brought up from bow--the fact that this piece still survives is a great indicator of the ship's preservation.

Dr. Bob Neyland shares his thoughts on this piece of ship architecture lifted from the wreck. Although our goal is not to remove architectural pieces from the ship, any loose or unattached artifacts are recovered and conserved.

The center unit has come down on solid planking with a round post jutting up. Is this part of a mast or perhaps a post that once mounted a gun? At this time it is hard to determine, but what we have learned is that the shipwreck is wonderfully preserved and the potential to learn how Barney retrofitted his flotilla for war is great. Down in the stern area we continue to see disarticulation of timbers and decking. This week we hope to better understand what happened on this end of the wreck as we dig deeper.

World Renowned Shark Photographer Films Patuxent Wreck

2011-07-30T14:45:00.000-04:00

We spent the day on Friday cleaning and preparing the site for filming by Nick Caloyianis. Nick is use to filming in blue waters, so the murky waters of the Patuxent River provided a real challenge for him. Using state of the art equipment and after taking multiple dives, Nick captured the curve of the ship including decking and iron fittings and fasteners. The film footage will be wrapped into a 30 minute documentary being produced by Maryland Public Television. This will be the first time the public will see one of the ships scuttled by Commodore Joshua Barney almost 200 years ago.

Nick checks the "dive cam" attached to George's head.

This is not a ROV, but Nick's camera.

Nick prepares to enter the water.

We also had two sets of visitors. Our colleagues from the Maryland Archaeology Conservation Laboratory paid a visit as did Anne Arundel County archaeologists who are excavating an awesome multi-component prehistoric site down at Pig Point.

Nichole, Kate, and Drew pose with underwater archaeologist/conservator George Schwartz.

Dr. Julie Schablitsky gives Anne Arundel County archaeologists a tour from their boat.

Delineating the Wreck and National Park Service Visitors

2011-07-29T07:44:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a busy day on the barge. Although our focus has been the wreck, we also had to ensure that an adjacent magnetic anomaly was not associated with the site. Heading back to the approximate location of the signal, a diver used a handheld magnetometer to find the anomaly and began to dredge. Could it be an anchor? a canon? Several feet later, we found a buried metal conduit of no historical value whatsoever.

Wes Hall holds a magnetometer used to pinpoint magnetic anomalies.

After solving the mystery of the unknown metal anomaly, we turned our attention back to the War of 1812 vessel. Using the bow as a starting point, archaeologists used a probe to find the starboard and port sides of the ship. White PVC pipes were placed at these points. After all of the white pipes were in, the shape of the ship popped right out of the water; this is an important visual aid for both the archaeologists and our VIP visitors.

This video shows the outline of the wreck with white plastic pipes.

Speaking of visitors, Suzanne Copping, National Park Service (NPS), Program Manager for the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, and Cindy Chance, NPS communications specialist, took a boat tour around the site and hopped on the barge to talk to the divers. The NPS is a significant partner in this endeavor. New information gleaned from these excavations will be used in their War of 1812 literature, signage, and other media.

Vince, Dr. Langley, and Suzanne Copping from the NPS pose for a photo.

During the dredging activities, we often recover architectural artifacts associated with the wreck. The one artifact that gave us pause, was a very light, but black piece that looked like wood. The lightness and color of the material suggests it may be tar. Tar has been produced here (primarily from the pine stands of Virginia and North Carolina) since the colonial-period. Since it was used for patching and waterproofing, this sticky substance was aboard every wooden sailing vessel in the world. Tar could be applied to all parts of the ship, including the rigging and canons. The piece here retains the wood grain on one side and a smoother dimpled texture on the other. It appears as if the tar solidified in a wooden barrel or box.

Smooth dimpled side.

Wood grain texture captured in tar.

Today will be a busy day on the barge with the arrival of Nick Caloyianis. Nick is a world renowned underwater videographer who will be diving on the wreck capturing footage for the Maryland Public Television documentary, Search for the USS Scorpion. He regularly films footage for shark documentaries, but today the only thing he needs to worry about is a random river leach.

Documenting the Wreck

2011-07-24T08:29:00.001-04:00

At the end of the week, we found ourselves on a floating barge working in extreme heat, but at least we were on the water. We have completed the excavation in two of the trenches. The upstream end has been nicely exposed and we are mapping and filming underwater to document the bow.

The downstream trench now has archaeologists measuring and mapping the large beams and decking--it does not appear that we have found the stern, yet. We are also continuing to excavate in the center of the wreck. Archaeologists working in this area are down to the decking. They found a long iron strap with rivets that was lying atop, but not attached to the wreck.

Dr. Robert Neyland prepares a video camera for underwater documentation. The camera is a great addition to a project that has poor water visibility, it picks up much more detail than the human eye.

While mapping the wreck, we are picking up any artifacts that seem to be loose and not in situ. Around the end of the wreck, we found what appears to be a pig bone. When the site was examined in 1980 by author Don Shomette, large holes were excavated and at some point appear to have been backfilled with modern sediment and debris. Since the sediments have been disturbed, we are not sure if this bone represents mid-20th century garbage or a sailor's ration. We will be forwarding the images of the bone to a faunal analyst for a positive species identification.

Medium sized mammal bone.

Another interesting artifact recovered from the bow was a deadeye. Deadeyes are used for ship's rigging. Our deadeye is a on the smaller side (approximately 5 in. x 10 in.) and is missing the wooden center with three drilled holes. The two holes on top and the one in the center give it this hardware the appearance of a skull...hence the name.

Deadeye found near bow.

Example of 19th century deadeyes incorporated into ship rigging (courtesy shutterstock.com).

In addition to artifacts associated with the wreck, we are also coming across coffee cans, beer cans, glass, etc. On Friday, a leather sole popped up from the end of the wreck. It measured 11 in. long and was for a man's left foot. It looked old, but it was not from the War of 1812 wreck. Footwear was not regularly made in "lefts" and "rights" until the mid-19th century.

Bottom leather sole from a man's shoe or boot (post-1850).

Monday we will be back out on the site and will continue searching for the stern and the sides of the wreck. We only have two weeks left to find out the size of the shipwreck.

Decking, Fasteners, and Timbers

2011-07-20T15:36:00.001-04:00

As archaeologists, we are always excited to find artifacts and based on the items removed from the wreck 30 years ago, we will not be dissapointed. The value of the artifacts is not monetary, but in the information they contain and what these personal items can tell us about the sailors who fled the flotilla 200 years earlier.

In shipwreck archaeology, it is not only what's on the inside that counts, but what's on the outside. Although we are diving in "black water" with visibility of only a foot or two, it is still possible to make out where ropes once passed and even see and feel a groove that may be a wash board. Although the upper reaches of the wreck have been partially damaged from exposure above the water line decades earlier, some of the decking was quickly buried in the sediment, preserving a freshly milled color.

Diver Dan's sketch of the upper end of the wreck.

While diving, Dr. Bob Neyland brought up a few old beer cans, including his favorite, Miss Olde Frothingslosh. This beer was marketed by a Pittsburgh brewer in the 1970s.

Yesterday, SHA District 3 Marlboro Shop helped keep us safe by constructing wooden decking across our barge. The barge we rented came with raised plates, hooks, and other tripping hazzards that made walking dangerous. A big THANK YOU goes out to Carlton and Jim for keeping us safe!

Carlton takes a measurement for the decking.

Jim cuts notches on the beams to fit around the tripping hazzards and feeds them over to Carlton.

Bow or Stern?

2011-07-18T23:03:00.003-04:00

Today, we excavated a large amount of sediment from both ends of the wreck. Within the next day we should expose enough of the exterior of the hull to feel the shape and understand a bit more about the architecture. The downstream end is full of heavy timbers and may represent the bow....but, we just don't quite have enough exposed to know at this point. Tomorrow we should know the length of the shipwreck....any guesses?

Another busy day on the barge. Part of the duties of an underwater archaeologist is to keep the pumps running.

During all of the dredging away of the sediment, we often find pieces of garbage in the overburden. Today we brought up and tossed out a clay pigeon, long glass tube florescent light, coffee can, bottles, and a golf ball. At the end of the day, we found a large jaw bone that may have belonged to a horse. We joked about how Barney had cavalry in his flotilla. In reality, this bone was found outside, but adjacent to, the upstream part of the wreck--so it may have washed in at anytime during the last 200 years. A faunal analyst will be making the final identification for us.

UPDATE: Dr. Guy Tasa identified the bone as a cow madible, left side. Thanks Guy!

Mandible from a cow (left side).

The Smoking Barrel Stave?

2011-07-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

Although we did not remove much overburden across the wreck today, we did map in some important points, including the northern end of the wreck site. In addition, we maneuvered the heavy 12 ft. long shoring into place that should cover part of the hold. Since the shoring is so heavy, we used plastic lift bags filled with air to help position the box over the exact spot.

Troy Nowak, Assistant State Archaeologist, discusses placement of shoring with US Navy underwater archaeologists Brad and George.

While exploring the northern part of the wreck we came upon a curious piece of wood. It was a barrel stave! It measures 22 in. tall, by 4 in. at the center, and is about an inch thick in the center. Was this part of a powder keg that sunk this vessel? Powder kegs did come in this size of barrel during the War of 1812. Of course, the stave may just be the remains of a food or beverage cask.

Interior of the stave--note the groves on the ends.

Close up view of wooden cask stave. The exterior and interior are colored black.

North End of Wreck Found

2011-07-14T20:48:00.001-04:00

After the first week of excavation, we have found the northerly end of the shipwreck. There seems to be some damage to it, but we are unsure if the damage is from age or from the actual scuttling of the vessel 200 years ago.

Dr. Susan Langley gets help with her equipment from assistant state archaeologist Troy Nowak.

At the end of the day, diver Dan came up to explain what he felt while dredging away the sediment and exposing the wreckage. The visibility is terrible, and it takes effort to even see your hand in front of your face--visibility is only about a foot.

Now that we have one end of the wreck defined, our goals will be to find the other end and excavate in the center to locate the hold. Tomorrow our SHA surveyors will be out on the site shooting in one end of the wreck as well as other points marked in the river by our archaeologists.

Amazing Progress

2011-07-12T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today it was 95 degrees under our shade canopies--jumping in the water to swim in pea soup water was a welcome relief. Both teams have found the wood of the wreck in their trenches. The water visibility was very poor due to last night's unexpected thunderstorm, but we still were able to dredge down and feel the shape of the wreck. Since you can't see the wood, there is a different type of excitement when you feel the ship....your hands take in the shape and smoothness of the architecture. It is a magical experience to think that 200 years ago Joshua Barney ordered his men to scuttle his flotilla, and here it is nestled beneath twigs and sand just waiting to reveal its secrets. Tomorrow we continue on dredging trying to learn more about the size and shape of the site.

Lee Cox and Julie Schablitsky hold on to the ladder to keep from being swept up stream.

Diver probes out wreck to verify their location.

Already on the Wreck

2011-07-11T21:18:00.001-04:00

Today, there were two teams of archaeologists working on the the bow and stern of the wreck--we are not sure which end is which, but we should find this out by the end of the week. Based on the hydroprobing results, the wreck appears to be at a bit of an angle in the river and is orientated in a northwest to southeast direction.

View of map showing hydroprobe results with the black line delineating the baseline.

The north, or upstream, end of the wreck was reached this afternoon. A 10 ft. x 6 ft. trench was dredged down on the north end of the wreck to try and delineate the edges and end. We stopped at the clay silt stratum that encases the wreck. During the dredging, a piece of worked pine wood was encountered and immediately placed back in water on the barge for conservation.

Worked, pine wood piece found just on top of the wreck this afternoon.

While the northern end of the wreck was being delineated, the second team of archaeologists worked to expose the southern end of the wreck. During the dredging of the sandy overburden, an animal bone popped up that looks like a vertebrae from a deer or other medium sized mammal. Since it was not in direct association with the wreck, it may just be a random bone deposited in the more recent past.

A medium sized mammal vertebrae recovered from the sandy stratum above the wreck.

Tomorrow, we will be back on the wreck and may even begin screening the thin, silty-clay stratum over the wreck. Make sure to visit MPT's blog on the making of Search for the Scorpion.

The bubbles on the left and then on the right show divers dredging the ends of the wreck.

All Hands on Deck

2011-07-08T18:16:00.001-04:00

Today the metal shoring to hold back the sediment in our excavation units arrived at the Patuxent River Park. MNCPPC loaded the shoring onto a flat bed truck and transferred it up river to the Patuxent River Trailer Park and down to the boat ramp where several US Navy divers assembled, attached the shoring to the side of their boat, and moved it to the shallow waters of the river within reach of the site.

Watch a short clip of Navy Divers and others unloading shoring, working on the barge, and filming of the action.

While the Navy was busy moving shoring, the rest of the crew set up and organized the barge, readying it for diving. Maryland Public Television (MPT) was there to capture the action. MPT also documented conversations between Susan, Bob, and Julie discussing how to first excavate the wreck. The excavation will begin on the ends of the wreck as well as the center. Last year we came away with only a curious lead weight---but this year we will encounter artifacts in the hold of the vessel. In addition to the artifacts, we also expect to understand the condition (e.g. did the sides collapse outward) and orientation of the wreck.

US Navy divers attaching shoring to boat.

Shoring ready to be assembled.

Dr. Susan Langley talking to Mike English and Tim Pugh.

In addition to organizing shoring and filming, we also tested the pumps to ensure we can start dredging away the sediment first thing tomorrow morning.

Phase II of the 2011 Archaeology Project Starts Tomorrow

2011-07-07T17:50:00.000-04:00

After a two week break, we will be back excavating on the wreck tomorrow. It took a few days to mobilize the barge and equipment and float it up the river from Selby's Landing at the Patuxent River Park. But, we now have a 38 ft. x 18 ft. aluminum barge anchored near the site along with a bright yellow sediment curtain. Once excavation starts, the overburden will be pumped into the sediment curtain to keep it from going down river. Tomorrow we will be assembling the metal shoring and removing some overburden that now sits atop the wreck. Maryland Public Television will also be arriving in the late afternoon to capture footage for a 30 minute documentary on the USS Scorpion archaeology project. Be sure to check back for our daily updates through the first week of August.

View towards southwest of aluminum barge. The yellow tanks hold water to rinse dive equipment. The wreck is located on the opposite side of the barge.

Back on the Patuxent!

2011-06-17T19:33:00.018-04:00

This week we returned to the Patuxent River to gather information on the exact coordinates of the wreck and the depth of the sediment overlying the site. A drilling rig worked along side of us and collected two, 6 in. bores to a depth of 50 ft. Understanding the type and location of the strata help our engineers to determine how to build and install the proper cofferdam. The depth of the sediment over the wreck and the height of the hold are also figures that must go into the cofferdam construction equation.

Underwater archaeologists working off boats as they set up the excavation grid (above).

If we do have the USS Scorpion, the ship would have measured about 60 ft. in length, and about 16 ft. in width. The hold would have about a 5 ft. clearance--just enough room to store the sailor's belongings and rations. Based on our metal rod and hydroprobe results, the sediment over the wreck ranges from 3 ft. to just over 9 ft. The water is approximately 9 ft. in depth over the site during high tide, but can drop several feet during low tide.

Wes Hall and Lee Cox document the location and depth of their probes (below).

We will be working through the weekend and should be finished by the middle of next week. Taking the results from this survey, we will use it to determine the placement of larger excavation units along the edges of the wreck and hopefully within the hold area. On July 6th we will mobilize a large barge near the site and excavate at least half a dozen excavation units and conclude the testing during the first week of August.

Preparing for Summer Survey 2011

2011-02-02T15:43:00.003-05:00

Good news! It looks like we will be back in the field for another season. Two of our main goals for this summer will be to hydroprobe and delineate the known wreck (possible USS Scorpion) and to determine if we have additional wrecks in this stretch of the river. Remote sensing data looks very suspicious and we are wondering if we could have the entire flotilla. The combination of hydroprobing and excavation this summer will hopefully answer these questions.

While the next several months will be filled with drafting legal documents and moving through the environmental permitting process to dive and excavate on the wreck this summer, we are also feverishly looking for funding. We are close to securing the full amount to construct the cofferdam, but continue to search out sources of funding and grants. Wish us luck!

Fall Update

2010-10-26T15:42:00.004-04:00

Just an update to let those of you following the project that we are in the process of identifying funding. It looks like we may have enough cobbled together for another survey in July 2011, but our time for finding matching money for our Transportation Enhancement Program funding is running out. All we need is a mere million dollars to fully fund the construction of the cofferdam and excavate the wreck in 2012!

An Interesting Discovery...

2010-08-09T10:35:00.009-04:00

On the last day of the project, we discovered a lead artifact associated with the shipwreck. We are not exactly sure what it is, but it appears to be a large fishing weight. It is hand formed and is grooved on the ends and in the middle. If you have any ideas of what it could be, please let us know. We will continue our analysis of the object and reveal its function after a few more weeks of research.

Unfortunately, we have reached the end of the shipwreck survey for this year. The barges will be passing under our Maryland 4 bridge at around 4pm today. We hope to raise enough money for next year to conduct additional excavations and to hydroprobe out the second magnetic anomaly that may be a second wreck just down stream from our current location. Thank you for following and be sure to check back on a monthly basis for any updates!

Forty Eight Hours Left

2010-08-06T14:06:00.014-04:00

Well, the units are completely excavated out and we are now mapping the planking and iron pins that make up part of the shipwreck. A few interesting discoveries include what appears to be a dip down in one of the units. We wonder if we have the edge of one of the holds or perhaps the previous excavation by Don Shomette. If this is the case, we are literally an arms reach from the personal belongings of the sailors abandoned almost 200 years ago. The divers are already hanging upside down by their flippers, so it is unlikely we can dig this area more than a few feet deep. We may need to wait until next year. Although visibility is not ideal, we are now taking a camera down to the units to video record. In addition to photos and hand drawings, this is just another method to document our discoveries. We will be back in the field tomorrow to finish up at the site and Sunday we will close down the site.

Rick Ervin on the radio to the diver (above).

Spreading the Word

2010-08-05T10:51:00.013-04:00

Yesterday we had the pleasure to host two VIP tours of the Scorpion site. The first group included VIP guests from the Marine Corps History Division and the Navy's History and Heritage Command. At 1pm we held a press conference for the media. Rodney Little, from the Maryland Historical Trust, and Bill Pencek,executive director of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, were there to support the project and spoke at the event. We truly appreciate all of the support from the state of Maryland, US Navy, and Marine Corps. Also, a big thank you to the Maryland National Park and Planning for hosting the event at Mount Calvert and for supplying pontoon rides.

Check out the Washington Post Article on right under Media Coverage!

The project continues to move along as we dredge out the sand and sediment from our two excavation units. The shoring is in and we hope to have the holes exposed by Sunday morning. Although we have touched planking, there is not enough of the ship exposed in our units to understand where we may be on the wreck.

Pictured below is a small display of artifacts exhibited for our media day. This is just a glimpse of the potential artifact assemblage that is waiting for us in the shipwreck. The tin plated ferrous grog cup with initials CW discovered in 1980. The only person with the initials CW on the Scorpion was Ceaser Wentworth, an African American.

Planks and Nails

2010-08-04T06:26:00.006-04:00

A view of the metal shoring going into our unit today.

The underwater archaeology is slow going. The second shoring set up finally came in yesterday morning and a specially made dredge head from California arrived on my front steps. Today we will be placing the shoring into our excavated holes which will really help to keep the sediment back so we can see what we are doing and get a better view of the wreck below. We also have an underwater camera so will be able to record our findings and display the images to the crew on board the barge. Our media day is today, and I have posted the press release belowalong with photos.

JB about to enter the water (L). Susan giving a tour of the site to local folks (R).

Bob giving us the signal that he is okay (Bottom).

MD State Highway Administration's Press Release

Beneath the waters made murky by recent heavy rains, archaeologists are uncovering remnants of the dramatic events preceding the bloody four-hour Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812. Archaeologists from the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), the US Navy (USN) and Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) are surveying for a War of 1812 shipwreck in the shallows of the Patuxent River upstream from Pig Point (now Bristol), near Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County.

With high-tech equipment, archaeologists are mapping an underwater area thought to be the resting place of the USS Scorpion or other War of 1812 vessel that was deliberately sank or "scuttled" to prevent British capture and use against American forces. First the teams used a magnetometer, an instrument that detects metal objects such as cannons and anchors, to locate the general area of the wreck. Archaeologists then used a more precision-based piece of equipment called a hydroprobe, which pinpoints the wreck location using a linear series of one inch diameter jets of water to further delineate the site. Underwater archaeologists are now excavating two, six ft by ten ft test units in an attempt to identify what part of the shipwreck they are on. Over the next two years, scientists will continue their testing of the site to help direct the placement of a coffer dam in 2012. The cofferdam, a temporary watertight enclosure, will allow the archaeologists to excavate the wreck as a dry site. The information gleaned from the excavation will be incorporated into the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and Byway as America commemorates the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. These findings will further supplement Maryland's extensive contributions to the international celebration, estimated to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Maryland and generate more than $1 billion in tourism spending over the 32-month bicentennial period.

The search for the USS Scorpion project is partially funded through the Transportation Enhancement Program, which funds non-traditional, community-based transportation-related projects. The Governor determines which projects qualify for funding based on need and potential benefit to the public. The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration oversees the federal program, which has awarded more than $185 million for 232 projects in Maryland since the TEP program began in 1991.

Archaeologists on board!

2010-08-02T22:49:00.002-04:00

We worked through the weekend and now have the sand and muck pulled back enough to place the metal shoring in our units. The shoring is a necessity since the sediment keeps filling in behind you. Susan mentioned how she felt that she cleared about an acre behind her, only to find it had silted back in. She was able to find planking and saw two nails. The visibility is low, but you can still see about a foot or so in front of you. We also had Don Shomette out to the site. He shared some of the discoveries from 30 years ago at this same site. We also discussed whether or not he thought it was the USS Scorpion. We are of like minds....some evidence for it being the USS Scorpion and some evidence for it not being Barney's flagship. Whatever it is, there will be an amazing artifact collection. Don mentioned an array of medicine and salve bottles as well as a lantern, still left on board. The preservation is suppose to be pretty amazing as well. I told him that I heard that meat was still left on the bones of the sailor's rations. I asked if he meant that there was adipocere. He said no, there was actually meat on the bone! What? In terrestrial archaeology we just hope the bone does not crumble in our hands! Tomorrow I will post a bunch of photos.

Dredging, dredging, and more dredging.

2010-07-31T21:00:00.003-04:00

We have now dredged three feet of sediment from two locations in the center of the shipwreck. Once we get about four feet deep, we will insert metal shoring to keep the sand from reburying the area. We will then continue to dig deeper and carefully position the shoring into place so we can then examine and record the shipwreck within a three foot by six foot unit. If we encounter timbers, we will simply record the discovery; however, it is also possible damaged areas of the ship will allow us a window into the interior of the wreck. We will be back on the river tomorrow morning at 7:30am.

Barge City

2010-07-31T01:36:00.008-04:00

Today was a beautiful day on the water. At this time we have divided into two teams. One team consists of SHA and MHT archaeologists while the other includes US Navy archaeologists (George Schwartz, pictured left). We are focussing on the center of the ship, but are at least 30ft away from each other. The sediments are slowly being brought to the surface and filtered through a screen and trough set up. The sands are then being lifted into large metal container for removal off site. The only finds in our screens so far include sticks, small shells, and broken clay pigeons. We are still much too shallow and expect to excavate another 5-8 feet before we encounter the shipwreck and any associated artifacts. Our goal this year is not to excavate for artifacts, but to try and delineate the shipwreck. All of the probing and excavation will help us direct the placement of the cofferdam in 2012.

Dr. Susan Langley keeping communication with divers underwater (left).

Dr. Julie Schablitsky making notes in the office on the barge (right).

Dr. Robert Neyland just after a dive (right).

We have just set up a facebook account, so be sure to come find us: USS Scorpion Project!

Live Report from the Patuxent River!

2010-07-30T15:37:00.003-04:00

On behalf of the principal investigators, we would like to welcome you to our blog. Now that we have wireless, we can update you from the field. Right now, I am in the field office listening to the pumps attempting to dredge sediment from atop the site. There is a delicate balance between size of the pump, length fo the hose, and strength of the sediment....hence, things are slow going. The good news is that our grids are in and the thunder clouds are keeping their distance. We plan to be out here all weekend and all of next week. Just back again tomorrow for an update!---Julie

Diving...finally!

2010-07-29T12:32:00.005-04:00

July 29, 2010
12:48pm

The survey has been moving along slowly as we wrestled equipment onto the barge and were delayed from diving due to health concerns with the water. A storm event several days ago caused the water in the Patuxent River to become unsafe for fishing and swimming which meant no diving. Some of us are also coming down with poison ivy which is thick along the bank. Ah, the glory of archaeology. The good news is we are back in the water today. After lunch, we stretched a 40 meter base line across the wreck. Since the water is so dark, cable ties are placed at 50cm and 1m increments (1 tie means 50cm and 2 ties signify 1 meter). The archaeologists are diving blind due to zero visibility in the water. They use the cable ties to measure where they are at along the line. Our plan at this time is to carefully probe the ship out to find the area with the least amount of sediment. We suspect it is the center since the bow and stern seem to be pretty deeply buried in the river bottom. Once we find the edge of the wreck, we will set up grids and begin to excavate the sides. Dredging is planned for tomorrow.

Thirty years ago...

2010-07-28T07:16:00.005-04:00

An archaeological survey of the Patuxent River was conducted, and a number of Chesapeake Bay flotilla shipwreck sites, including what is thought to be the remains of Scorpion, were discovered. Limited excavation of the probable Scorpion site was performed in 1980, yielding a small number of well-preserved and unique naval artifacts. The array of objects recovered includes the Navy’s earliest surgical and dental instruments, military hardware, carpentry tools, galley articles, crew’s personal effects, and the ship itself. A few of these objects are now on display in the National Museum of the US Navy. A grog ration cup, gunner's pick, toothkey, surgical scissors, and apothecary crockery from the 1980 excavation are pictured below.

The search is on....

2010-07-26T16:33:00.026-04:00

Last week, we began our survey work out on the Patuxent River. The first two days were spent removing an overhanging tree and conducting a remote sensing survey over the site. The magnetic images provided an approximate location of the shipwreck. Based on this data, we began to hydroprobe the survey area in an attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the wooden wreck. This survey method included taking a 20 ft long, one inch diameter copper pipe and sticking the long probe into the sediments until we encountered metal or wood. A continual jet stream of water helped the pipe penetrate the river bottom. It was quite easy to determine when you hit wood and when you encountered gravel and sand. You can feel the texture of the sediment as you push the “T” handle of the probe down. By Sunday, we found the shipwreck buried under 6 feet of sediment. Pictured below: Rick Ervin trimming brush (left) and JB and Alexis hydroprobing (right).

Today we are finishing up the hydroprobing and moving the barges into place so that we have a place to stage our excavation equipment and sediment. When we are not on the site, we have security guards stationed on the barges. Later this week, we will begin dredging out the sediment and overburden on the shipwreck using a three inch aluminum pipe that will pump out a slurry of sediment and water into a large container located on our barge. Once we are closer to the wreck, we will begin to screen the sediment for artifacts. Check back tomorrow on our progress!

Above photo: Barges and containers ready to be pulled out to the site.

The History

2010-07-26T14:50:00.011-04:00

Under the leadership of Commodore Joshua Barney, the U.S. government and citizens of Maryland united to defend the Chesapeake Bay against British forces during the War of 1812. A flotilla was established for this cause, and on 24 May 1814, that force, led by Barney’s flagship Scorpion, sailed for the lower Chesapeake Bay. Over the course of several weeks, the flotilla engaged the British on many occasions and succeeded in delaying the British advance. Finally, on 21 August 1814, facing overwhelming odds, Barney strategically retreated and landed his men up river from Pig Point. Barney and his men then marched to defend Washington, leaving Scorpion and the rest of the flotilla to be scuttled by a detail of men to prevent British capture.