MID-ATLANTIC DEEPWATER SHIPWRECK STUDY: SIDE-WHEEL PADDLE STEAMER ADMIRAL DUPONT, 1847-1865

MID-ATLANTIC DEEPWATER SHIPWRECK STUDY: SIDE-WHEEL PADDLE STEAMER ADMIRAL DUPONT, 1847-1865. JOYCE HOLMES STEINMETZ PROGRAM IN MARITIME STUDIES EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT Solving an historical archaeology puzzle, this study matches the identity of the side-wheeler Admiral DuPont to a deepwater shipwreck site, explores the vessel’s history, and examines the wreck’s integrity. The metal, not wood, paddle wheels (atypical for American coastal paddle wheelers) stand upright 25 ft (7.6 m) in diameter. Although the bow and stern have collapsed, between the paddle wheels, the iron hull and unique Maudslay engines are structurally intact. Admiral DuPont, built in England as Anglia, had a colorful history as an Ireland-Wales ferry, a Civil War blockade-runner, and an American coastal passenger steamer. In 1865, the vessel was rammed by the English ship Stadacona and sank off Cape May, New Jersey in 150 ft (46 m) of water. Over the years, commercial fishing nets draped the wreck. In 2006, the author discovered damage to the forward portion of the port paddle wheel and a scallop dredge impaled on the nearby sponson post. Unfortunately, commercial fishing gear is posing a threat to the Admiral DuPont’s structural and archaeological integrity. INTRODUCTION Historical archives document thousands of ships lost off the American mid-Atlantic coast. In Keith Muckelroy’s 1978 landmark study, Maritime Archaeology, the term “deepwater” is roughly defined as depths below 164 ft (50 m), well beyond the range of air-breathing scuba divers at the time (Muckelroy 1978:149). With the advent of technical diving methods, mixed gases, and rebreathers, the continental shelf is now accessible. For this paper, deepwater shipwrecks are defined as wrecks in water below 98 ft (30 m) in depth and out to the 328 ft ( 100 m) continental shelf limits. The motivation to identify deepwater shipwrecks stems from understanding their historical and archaeological value. Shipwrecks are often called time capsules of maritime history. In a perfect world, cultural remains are frozen in situ from the date of sinking. Ideally, each shipwreck is a singular opportunity to document and interpret its historical finds. As Muckelroy (1978:150) states, “the potential importance of this [deepwater] area of research is not related to the quantity of vessels involved, but rather to the probability that in many cases the remains will be of very high quality.” Vessels that break up on the surface have their contents spread, in accordance with Muckelroy’s (1978:157-181) extracting filters and scrambling devices. Extracting filters, processes that remove material from the site, include the original wrecking process, salvage operations, the disintegration of perishables, and commercial fishing gear impacts. Scrambling devices, processes that distribute materials on the site, include, again, the original wrecking process, seabed movement, disassociated material, and, again, damage by commercial fishing gear impacts. Vessels that reach the seabed intact “are likely to be of great archaeological significance” (Muckelroy 1978:150). 141 142 Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Volume 24, 2008 Today, with current technology that enables deepwater visitation and systematic excavation, these shipwrecks, spared the natural rigors of pounding surf, storm surge, and sand erosion, offer an enormous potential for learning. With the recent exploration and partial recovery of Titanic, Central America, Republic, and USS Monitor, Muckelroy’s future technology is now present. The exploration and artifact recovery of these deepwater wrecks demonstrates the technology exists, awaiting rigorous archaeological application. The learning potential is multiplied many fold if the time capsule or vessel is relatively intact. In the open ocean, shipwreck integrity is a function of natural and human forces. Natural forces include salt corrosion of ferrous materials, organic decomposition, teredo worm damage, sand erosion, and storm surge from hurricanes and infamous northeaster storms. Both singly and in combination, these natural forces can have powerful effects. Shipwreck age, construction, depth of water, and embedment play important roles in a wreck’s stability. Human-related forces are also a factor as this paper will discuss. DEEPWATER SHIPWRECK SITE OBSERVATION Approximately thirty miles off the south New Jersey coast, a wrecked side-wheel paddle steamer is in remarkable condition. Water clarity and visibility varies from black water conditions, after a storm, to approximately 60 ft (20 m), after the Gulf Stream moves west in late summer. The recreational diving community visits the wreck, nicknamed the “Offshore Paddle Wheel” and resting in 150 ft (46 m) of water, looking for lobster, scallops, and the chance to observe the missing link required to identify the vessel (Steinmetz 2007). Figure 1 shows an August 2000 field plan of the wreck. The iron hull plates have fallen outward, covered by a fine silt, thick clay, and mud sediment. The bow and stern have collapsed into the bottom, linked to the midsection by the remains atop the keel. The wreckage length is approximately 208 ft (63.4 m), measured from the vestiges of wreck remains at either end and along the outside of the mid section. Between the paddle wheels, the width of the hull is 28 ft (8.5 m). The wreck aligns on a northeast-southwest axis (Steinmetz 1997, 2007). Key to the interpretation of the wreck’s orientation is the identification of the metal and wood anchor windlass, located off the southwest end of the wreckage. From years of observation, a shifting sand ridge intermittently covers and uncovers the windlass. From the windlass location, the wreck’s bow section appears to have fallen to the southeast or port side. Twin boilers are an early box style construction, located aft of the engines and paddle wheels (Steinmetz 2007). The most pronounced features, the metal paddle wheels, stand upright. The paddle wheels are 25 ft (7.2 m) in diameter, including the paddle blades or buckets, with 12 spokes and feathering mechanisms. Each iron paddle blade is 9 ft (2.7 m) wide by 2 ft (0.61 m) deep. The wreck has sunk into the sea bottom up to the intended water level of the paddle wheels. One sponson post remains, forward of the port paddle wheel. Forward and aft of the wheels, a pair of sponson posts once supported the large semi-circular paddle wheel housing or box, now missing. In August 2000, most of the paddle blades existed in part or whole (Steinmetz 2000). Between the standing paddle wheels and below deck, the engine room aisle is open fore and aft, but only for trained penetration divers experienced in deep overhead environments. Ten years ago, draped commercial fishing nets sagged enough to enable passage into the engine compartment and, proactively, divers cut the floats. The midships section has two decks. The lower deck forms the midlevel of the engine room and the upper deck forms the ceiling of the engine compartment and supports the shaft bearings. Inside the engine room, four identical cylinders measure 5 ft (1.52 m) external diameter. Longitudinal crosshead members pair the cylinders on port and starboard. The connecting rod mechanisms join the crosshead members to the overhead independent shafts, which transmit power to the paddle wheels. The stroke of the cylinders is short, evidenced by the underside of the upper deck (Steinmetz 2000). Side-Wheel Paddle Steamer Admiral DuPont 143 Figure 1. “Offshore Paddle Wheel” field drawing, mid-section plan, August 6, 2000 (Steinmetz 2000). 144 Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Volume 24, 2008 Archival research identifies this engine as an English Maudslay and Field double cylinder engine. Figures 2 and 3 detail the workings of the engine: A section of such an engine, made by a plane passing through the two piston-rods P P’ and cylinders, is represented in [Figure 2]. The piston rods are attached to a crosshead C, which ascends and descends with them. This crosshead drives upwards and downwards an axle D, to which the lower end if the connecting rod E is attached. The other end of the connecting rod drives the crank pin F, and imparts revolution to the paddle shaft G. A rod H conveys motion by means of a beam I to the rod K of the air-pump L. Connected with this, and in the same patent, another improvement is included, consisting of the application of a hollow wrought-iron framing [Figure 3] carried across the vessel above the machinery, to support the whole of the bearings of the crankshaft (Lardner 1840:467469). Lardner’s words above describe the engine components in the “Offshore Paddle Wheel.” Figure 2. Maudslay and Field double cylinder engine diagram, elevation (Lardner 1840). Side-Wheel Paddle Steamer Admiral DuPont 145 Figure 3. Maudslay and Field double cylinder engine diagram, plan (Lardner 1840). HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF PADDLE STEAMERS Archival research reveals several paddle wheel steamers sunk off the New Jersey coast. Starting with Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1790-1868 (Lytle, et al. 1975), also known as the “Lytle-Holdcamper List,” and the Steamboat-Inspection Service 1859-1910, the author traced six paddle wheelers lost in the general area of the “Offshore Paddle Wheel.” Critically comparing characteristics of these paddle wheelers to the deepwater wreck site yields the following: 1. Rockaway. The 1,950 ton Rockaway was launched March 24, 1877 at Norfolk. Four days later, while under tow to New York to receive its engines, a storm cast Rockaway upon the beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey. (New York Maritime Register, 28 March 1877). Its lack of engines precludes it from consideration. 146 Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Volume 24, 2008 2. Ella Warley. The side-lever-engined Ella Warley sank in a collision off Sandy Hook, northern New Jersey, within 20 minutes in seven fathoms of water (New York Times, 11 February 1863). Ella Warley’s location, engine type, and depth do not match the deepwater site. 3. Norfolk, ex-Penobscot. The walking-beam-engined Norfolk sank off the Delaware Capes in 1857 (Stanton 1974:6). Again, this is not the correct engine type for the deepwater site. 4. Champion. Two walking beam engines powered Champion, and the paddle wheels were behind the boilers (Heyl 1965:73). The “Offshore Paddle Wheel” has a four cylinder engine, with the paddles forward of the boilers and, therefore, is not the Champion. 5. Thomas Kelso. The builders’ contract specifies a single vertical [walking] beam engine, 53 in (1.35 m) cylinder diameter with 11 ft (3.35 m) stroke (National Archives and Records Administration:1873; Reaney, Sons, & Co. 1865). 6. Admiral DuPont. Admiral DuPont most closely matches the deepwater site observations. First, engine designers insulated cylinders to prevent corrosive condensation. This explains matching the four 48 in (1.219 m) [internal] diameter cylinders with the in situ external diameter of 5 ft (1.524 m). Second, wreck formation processes can spread wreck remains or fold it back on itself. The wreckage length is within 10 ft (3 m) of that of Admiral DuPont. Third, the hull width matches exactly at 28 ft (8.534 m) (Heyl 1953:3-4). Fourth, the on-site configuration of machinery matches contemporary illustrations—the paddles are forward of the boilers (Bufford 1862). Lastly, Maudslay Sons and Field (1864) fitted Anglia with a double cylinder engine and feathering wheels. For convenience, Table 1 summarizes the major factors in this analysis. TABLE 1. “OFFSHORE PADDLE WHEEL” SITE VERSUS KNOWN PADDLE STEAMERS. Site/Vessel Length Width Engine(s) Configuration “Offshore Paddle Wheel” Site 208 ft (63.2 m) 28 ft (8.5 m) Four 5 ft (1.52 m) outer dia. cylinders x limited stroke Built Paddle wheels forward of two boilers, two decks. Iron Iron, 25 ft (7.6 m) dia., 9 ft (2.7 m) face width - Lost - Tons Hull Paddle Wheel Admiral DuPont 198 ft (60.4 m) 28 ft (8.5 m) Four 4 ft (1.22 m) inner dia. cylinders x 4 ft (1.22 m) stroke Paddle wheels forward of two stacks/boilers. 750 Iron - 1847, West Ham, England 1865, collision. Champion 235 ft (71.7 m) 35 ft (10.7 m) Two walking beams, 42 in (1.07 m) dia. x 10 ft ( 3.05 m) stroke Paddle wheels aft of stacks/boilers. 1,452 Iron - 1858, Wilmington, Delaware 1879, collision. Thomas Kelso 236 ft (71.9 m) 35 ft (10.7 m) Single walking beam, 53 in (1.35 m) dia. x 11 ft (3.35 m) stroke One deck, two boilers, one stack. 1,430 Iron Iron, 33 ft (10.1 m) dia., 9 ft (2.7 m) face width 1865, Chester, Pennsylvania 1884, lost at sea. Side-Wheel Paddle Steamer Admiral DuPont 147 HISTORY OF ADMIRAL DUPONT Built as Anglia in West Ham, England in 1847, the 198 ft (60.3 m) long vessel ferried freight and passengers from Holyhead, Wales to Dublin, Ireland for many years (Heyl 1953:3-4; National Maritime Museum 1848). Figure 4 is a sketch of the Anglia off Holyhead in 1848. In 1861, Anglia and its sister ship Scotia were replaced with newer ferries. Both aging ferries were sold to new owners who attempted to run the American Civil War blockade. Anglia’s captain boasted that the cream colored hull would be painted black by the time they arrived on the American coast. Blockade-runners timed their coastal arrivals for lack of moonlight and a black hull completed the evasive technique (Rush and Woods 1894:555). Anglia was “scared back” to Nassau, “once by a U.S. cruiser, and once by the yellow fever breaking out among her crew” (Rush and Woods 1894:400, 501). On September 19, 1862, six passengers landed on Folly Island, put off on the sandy patch by the blockade-runner Anglia, which was hard aground near the south channel into Charleston, South Carolina. By morning, the vessel had freed itself and retreated (Rush and Woods 1894:339-340). On September 27, Anglia made another attempt to run the blockade at Bull’s Bay, South Carolina. The veteran Rear Admiral Samuel F. DuPont reported the victorious capture of the Anglia by the boats of the US Navy vessels Restless and Flag, under command of Lieutenant-Commander Carpenter (Rush and Woods 1894:409-410). DuPont charged Carpenter to deliver Anglia to New York, where the US Marshall sold the prize vessel along with its cargo of dry goods, hardware, groceries, boots, shoes, drugs, and medicines (New York Times, 31 March 1863; Rush and Woods 1894:415). Once sold in New York, the enrollment records show the vessel’s name change to Admiral DuPont, in honor of the career Union Navy commander (National Archives and Records Administration 1864). The vessel ran on the Boston, Portland, Maine, and St. Johns, New Brunswick route for a year as shown in Figure 5, then between New York and southern ports (Heyl 1953:3). On the night of June 7, 1865, Admiral DuPont left New York carrying 30 crew and 20 soldiers returning from furlough to Fort Monroe, at Hampton, Virginia. At 4:20 a.m. the next morning, the English ship Stadacona, sailing from Philadelphia to St. John, New Brunswick, emerged through the heavy fog and rammed Admiral DuPont, just forward of the starboard wheel-housing. The collision cut Figure 4. Sketch, the Anglia off Holyhead, Nov. 6, 1848 (National Maritime Museum 1848). 148 Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Volume 24, 2008 Figure 5. Lithograph, Admiral DuPont. Bufford, engraver (National Maritime Museum 1848). the ship almost to the keel and the vessel sank in ten minutes. Only those crew and passengers on deck survived, by boarding the Stadacona. Seventeen lives were lost: 15 soldiers, 1 fire stoker, and 1 woman (Heyl 1953:3-4; New York Herald, 11 June 1865; United States Steamboat-Inspection Service 1865). Stadacona continued its journey north. On June 10, Stadacona’s injuries worsened and the captain beached the vessel on Smith’s Point, Nantucket, where “all passengers and crew were drawn to shore with hawsers” (Zion’s Herald and Wesleyan Journal, 14 June 1865). SITE INTEGRITY Commercial fishing nets and lines wrap the midsection and paddle wheels, slowly descending from snag points on the rusted structure. Resting on bottom debris, a scallop dredge lays against the north end of the boilers. Loss of commercial fishing gear, fuel, sea time, and a potential lost catch is expensive and is a major calamity for a fishing boat. By July 2006, another unaware and unfortunate commercial scalloper snagged and lost a second scallop dredge on the wreck with devastating effect. Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the position of the recent scallop dredge on the wreck site and the resultant damage. Figure 8 shows a side view of a scallop dredge. The port sponson post snagged one side of the dredge A-frame. The remainder of the dredge frame leans on the 160-year-old port paddle wheel. On the top forward sector of the wheel, the commercial scalloper’s attempts to free the dredge destroyed the remaining paddles and feathering mechanisms. When full, a scallop dredge weighs approximately 4,500 lbs (2,050 kgs) (Sainsbury 1996:162). The scallop dredge lodged high on the structure, supported primarily by the paddle wheel and sponson post, not the sea floor (Steinmetz 2007; Whittaker 2006). Currently, the largest threat to the wreck’s structural integrity is the heavy scallop dredge, impaled on the sponson post and port paddle wheel. If the dredge weight topples the paddle wheel or the hull structure, the engine compartment will be exposed to accelerated deterioration (Steinmetz 2007). Further archaeological evidence will be difficult to extract due to the collapse of the vessel's structural integrity, crushing, burying, and scattering material remains (Steinmetz 2007). Side-Wheel Paddle Steamer Admiral DuPont 149 Figure 6. “Offshore Paddle Wheel” port paddle wheel, scallop dredge on left, July 2006. Diver wearing yellow rebreather on lower left for scale (Courtesy of Paul Whittaker, photographer). Figure 7. “Offshore Paddle Wheel” forward port sponson post, scallop dredge on top left, July 2006 (Courtesy of Paul Whittaker, photographer). 150 Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Volume 24, 2008 Figure 8. Scallop dredge (Photo by author). SUMMARY Through five major factors, and a process of elimination, the “Offshore Paddle Wheel” wreck matches the side-wheel paddle steamer Admiral DuPont. The major factors include 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Correlation of the length of the vessel and the wreckage, The exact match of the vessel width, The type of engine with four identical cylinders and short stroke, The presence of two decks, and The configuration of the paddles forward of the boilers and stacks. The Admiral DuPont chronology spans maritime history as an Ireland-Wales ferry, a trans-Atlantic sidewheel paddle steamer, a Civil War blockade-runner, and a coastal passenger steamer. This paper also calls attention to the inadvertent danger posed to shipwrecks by commercial fishing. Commercial fishing has strong economic motivations to avoid damaging and potentially losing expensive gear, in addition to sea time and fuel. If shipwreck locations are not known, commercial bottom fishing vessels, such as scallopers, clammers, and net trawlers, have the potential to snag and damage shipwrecks. The Admiral DuPont damage is the logical result of a lack of a validated and user-friend obstruction database. Side-Wheel Paddle Steamer Admiral DuPont 151 REFERENCES CITED Bufford, J.H., engraver 1862 Lithograph, hand colored. Admiral DuPont of the United States Steam Ship Line, Running Between Boston & St. Johns, N.B. Item PAH8933, negative PY8933. Picture Library, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK. Heyl, Erik 1953 Early American Steamers. Volume I. Privately published, Buffalo, NY. 1965 Early American Steamers. Volume IV. Privately published, Buffalo, NY. 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