The Maritime Research Division
The Maritime Research Division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina Columbia.
The Maritime Research Division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina, Columbia has five legislated mandates:
(1) create and maintain a research database of state underwater archaeology sites;
(2) oversee and implement the Underwater Antiquities Act;
(3) act in concert with the State Historic Preservation Officer for ensuring the adeq
Again using aerial magnetometry at the North Santee River Inlet, we continued the search for the wrecked flagship of the 1526 Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón expedition. Besides prospecting over the beach and dunes at Santee Point, we also refined two buried magnetic anomalies detected during the previous foray. We created a cross-hatch pattern over each anomaly using the UgCS planning and guidance software. The lanes were spaced about two (2) meters apart at a height of three (3) meters and a speed of 6-7 knots. Despite battling and buffeting about by blustery winds, the aerial ensemble returned fairly clean magnetic data which isolated and pinpointed the location of the two targets. In this instance, a 128-gamma dipole magnetic anomaly, disturbing an approximately 57 square meter area, perhaps an archaeological object but more than likely a crab trap washed ashore. In the future, we will attempt to identify these and other more promising targets with probing and perhaps excavation, if not buried too deep.
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In the 1990s, the Maritime Research Divison (MRD) opened two Maritime Heritage Trails on the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Both trails allowed visitors a glimpse into South Carolina’s maritime heritage through diving historic shipwrecks and paddling past abandoned vessels along the riverbank. Thanks to an Archaeological Research Trust (ART) Grant, the MRD is returning to these sites to digitally document them in situ using drone and underwater photogrammetric techniques. Our first foray focused on two shipwreck sites along the Ashley River. Using the DJI Mavic 3 Classic camera drone, captured images will be rendered into 3D site models that we look forward to sharing soon. Thank you to the ART board for their continued support.
A few weeks ago we were asked to look at a water wheel axle recovered from a small creek. Apparently the wooden artifact had washed downstream from a mill operating in the 1800s. The axle measured 10.5 ft. in length with an overall diameter of 1.3 ft. On the better preserved end there is a nicely carved decorative scalloping along the spokes. We’re hoping to find an institution willing to curate the object. We also prepared a photogrammetric model of the axle.
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07/14/2023
As 2022 comes to a close, we look back at our two major projects this year – the search for Le Prince which wrecked off of Port Royal in 1577 and Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón’s flagship that sank in 1526 near the mouth of the Santee River.
With special thanks to all of our interns that joined us on board this year, we conclude this year with fifteen weeks of marine remote sensing data and look forward to continuing our surveys in 2023!
12/19/2022
In November, the MRD welcomed Oh Shoot Productions and Farlow+Co on board for a day of marine archaeological survey off the coast of Georgetown. Check out the behind-the-scenes footage they shot during their day with us.
Thank you to Oh Shoot Productions and Farlow+Co for the footage! We look forward to working with them in 2023 to create a short film about our work.
Maritime Research Division on Instagram: "In November, the MRD welcomed @ohshootproductionsnc and @farlowandco on board for a day of marine archaeological survey off the coast of Georgetown. Check out the behind-the-scenes footage they shot... Maritime Research Division shared a post on Instagram: "In November, the MRD welcomed and on board for a day of marine archaeological survey off the coast of Georgetown. Check out the behind-the-scenes footage they shot during their day with us. Thank you to Oh Sho...
12/15/2022
Our team recently went to Charleston for our annual Diving Safety and Control Board meeting that included colleagues from the Warren Lasch Conservation Center (WLCC). WLCC is responsible for the investigation and treatment of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley (1864) and has a fantastic museum with exhibits dedicated to the history of the submarine, the men on board, as well as the Hunley’s excavation and curation.
One of the interactive exhibits allows visitors to experience the cramped quarters on board the submarine and feel what it would have been like to propel the Hunley through the water with hand cranks!
Check out the museum on Saturday from 10AM-5PM & Sunday from 10AM-3PM.
Spooking a roost of seabirds, including white pelicans, off Santee Point.
The SS 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚 𝐿𝑎𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 was built by the Atlantic Iron Works in East Boston, Massachusetts in 1869. Over a long career, the steamship transported goods and passengers up and down the East Coast of the U.S. In 1898, the steamer reached an impressive milestone of 1,000 round-trip voyages without serious mishap. Unfortunately, the following year would break that record when the vessel ran aground on the shoals at the entrance to Port Royal Sound during a winter storm.
The MRD conducted investigations at the shipwreck in 1990 and over the years have documented many artifacts recovered by hobby-licensed sport divers, including leather shoes, fabrics, bottles of medicine, jars of pickles, toys, and comic books. In 1998, the shipwreck was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the only part of the vessel still visible above the sandy seafloor is the vertical single-cylinder engine which breaks the surface at low tide. Last month, our team was able to take advantage of wonderful visibility and photographed the lower section of one side of the engine to create the photogrammetric model you see here.
We wrapped up our Port Royal Sound remote sensing operations in support of our NOAA-OER project for the year with a final week of dives! Our goal was to dive on magnetometer and sonar anomalies detected during the survey season and to identify their sources. To locate buried magnetic anomalies, we utilized a handheld magetometer and a hydroprobe to search for the anomaly.
Our team also took advantage of perfect sea conditions to visit the shipwreck, William Lawrence. Our aim was to photograph and film the ship's engine to produce a photogrammetric model. During less than ideal offshore conditions, the team also dove on a small vessel wreck in the sound, taking videos and photos of the ballast mound, exposed structure, fasteners, and artifacts.
Footage: A bottle and copper spike located on the small wreck, the engine of William Lawrence protruding from the seafloor, Jim Spirek taking the hand-held magnetometer down to one of the anomalies, and Will Nassif hydroprobing a buried magnetic anomaly.
A glassy morning headed offshore Port Royal Sound to gather additional magnetic and acoustic data on prioritized targets. In a couple weeks, we’ll return for visual inspections to identify selected ones for their potential archaeological/historical significance. This is part of our ongoing funded project to locate shipwrecks on the entrance shoals to the sound.
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10/06/2022
The annual Arkhaios Film Festival is back for its 10th year with a fantastic selection of archaeological documentaries. The festival has a Virtual Edition that runs from Monday, October 10 until Sunday, October 16, 2022. This year there are also in-person festivals at the Florence County Museum here in Florence, SC (October 10) and the Frick Fine Arts Building in Pittsburgh, PA (October 14-16).
There are three submissions that feature underwater archaeology: Albanus Project: Inside the Old Emissary, The Mystery of the Cosquer Cave, and the Savannah River Cannon Recovery.
Albanus Project: Inside the Old Emissary
The Albano drain outlet dates back to the beginning of the 4th century B.C., and the Oracle of Delphi, which declared that the city of Veii would not be conquered (by the Romans) unless the Lake Albano was prevented from overflowing its banks. The film is a documentary on the history and exploration of this ingenious hydraulic work of antiquity.
Savannah River Cannon Recovery 2022
Underwater archaeologists recently recovered 15 cannons from the American Revolution and investigated several Civil War crib-works in the Savannah River.
The Mystery of the Cosquer Cave
A new museum in France gives visitors a chance to step inside of a replica of the famed Cosquer Cave, an underwater grotto off the coast of Marseilles. Over the years, the cave has been submerged and today only about 150 carvings remain. They include works from two phases of the Upper Paleolithic Era: 27,000-year old hand stencils from the Gravettian Era, and 19,000-year old depictions of animals including bison, ibex and seals, which date to the Solurean Era.
The Arkhaios Virtual Edition is free and allows for all the films to be viewed at any time during the week of the festival, from Monday, October 10 @ 9 am through Sunday, October 16 till 11:59 pm.
For a link to the Arkhaios website, see the linktree in our bio and click the “Arkhaios Festival Access” button.
The Awards Winners will be announced online Saturday October 15, 2022, 5 pm EST.
09/01/2022
Our team have all completed their FAA Part 107 remote drone pilot certification, so now it's time to gain some practical experience! Drone flight practice started earlier this week with our smaller model, a Holy Stone HS440, so we can get the hang of it before heading into the field.
Looking forward to utilizing our DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone with a Sensys MagDrone R4 magnetometer payload to conduct an aerial magnetometer survey over the beaches and marshes of the Santee River delta in our search for Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's flagship lost during the first attempt by Spain to colonize North America in 1526. Keep an eye on here for updates to the search!
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08/31/2022
Earlier this month, Justin McIntyre, curator, and Jesse Morgan, intern, from the South Carolina Maritime Museum came aboard to talk to us about our search for Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's flagship lost during the first attempt by Spain to colonize North America in 1526.
Check out the Youtube video to learn more about the history of the vessel and the work we are doing to locate it!
04/11/2022
A day in the field. Survey has begun in Port Royal sound looking for the French corsair, Le Prince, that was lost in late 1576/early 1577.
Watch this reel by maritimeresearchdivision on Instagram Mount Eminest, MOYN, lofi.dealer • Waves
A dreary day magging off Hilton Head.
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02/24/2022
Jim and Will gave a virtual presentation to The Paleontology Law Coalition earlier this week. Thank you for having us!
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02/17/2022
This Saturday two of our team will be presenting their work at the Annual Archaeology Society of South Carolina (ASSC) conference, here in Columbia!
Jim will be presenting on the recent USS Housatonic shipwreck investigations, and Will is presenting on how South Carolina hobby licensee reports are being used to contextualize findings and direct future archaeological studies.
Our colleagues from the Warren Lasch Conservation Center will also be there presenting on recent research regarding the H.L. Hunley.
Check out the program for the full list of talks!
2022 Annual Conference Program Schedule of Events*Presentations are being live streamed from the Society’s YouTube channel9:15-9:30: Welcome and Introduction by President David Gordon 9:30-9:45: Insights on Early South Carolina …
Photogrammetry provides an opportunity to preserve cultural heritage in an electronic format. In our case, one of the uses for photogrammetry is to produce 3D models of artifacts to ensure they are available to the public, students, and other researchers.
Our team has already produced models with an artifact from the USS Boston, as well as a partial model of the Chattooga River Canoe 2.
Part 1: The 7th cervical vertebrae from an Army cavalry horse that was on board the transport USS Boston when it sank and burned in 1864.
Part 2: The bow or stern of a historic canoe found in the Chattooga River that is being conserved by the Chattooga Conservancy. See our previous post for more details about the canoe!
02/11/2022
A few days ago, we headed back to the Upstate to check-in on the Chattooga Canoe 2, recovered from the Chattooga River in late summer 2021. We wanted to assess the drying process and to document the dug-out canoe with photographs and measurements. The canoe, made from a pine tree, is drying nicely and uniformly, although measuring and picture taking was hampered abit by the recovery cradle. A more thorough documentation effort will occur when the canoe is readied for display at a local restaurant and official visitor’s center.
The 21-foot [6.4 m] long and 20-inch [51 cm] wide canoe has very distinctive iron axe marks throughout its interior, suggesting it was constructed in the historic-period, a flat bottom, and a rise at the extant end. The intact end of the canoe, features a hole, perhaps used to thread a line through to fasten the watercraft to the bank, as well as a small square-wrought iron nail. The other end was destroyed, most likely as it tumbled down the mountain river for a century or more. Rather than riding the rapids, the canoe in all likelihood was used to ferry folks back and forth to the opposite bank in a stretch of smoother, placid river.
For more information and images of the recovery of the canoe from the mountain river see the Chattooga Conservancy’s FB posts .
Pic 1: Setting up the centerline tape to begin recording widths and depths. With (l to r): Will, Athena, Buzz Williams, with Chattooga Conservancy, and Dr. Jon Leader, state archaeologist.
Pic 2: Dr. Leader assessing the condition of the canoe at the extant end. Note the hole in the bow/stern?
Pic 3: Will and Jim measuring widths and depths along the centerline tape.
Pic 4: Athena taking photographs to build a photogrammetric model of the extant end.
Pic 5: Distinctive axe marks in the interior of the canoe.
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02/04/2022
If in Conway tomorrow come learn about American Civil War naval operations and shipwrecks along the coast of South Carolina—see flyer below. Hope to see you there.
01/31/2022
Last week our team worked on moving curated artifacts from the shipwrecks of the USS Boston and Georgiana/Mary Bowers into a new storage room!
This move is the first step to creating a comprehensive catalog of the MRD’s entire artifact collection, including from other shipwrecks, plantation waterfronts, and prehistoric sites, to ensure that it is accessible to researchers and students and for educational programs and exhibits. Additionally, evaluating the collection will identify artifacts in need of conservation, replacing the storage materials, i.e., carboard boxes, plastic bags, tags, and any other concerns requiring attention. Imagery, photographs, photogrammetry models, and 3D printed models of artifacts generated from these collections will enrich our public outreach efforts to increase an awareness and appreciation of the underwater archaeological heritage in the waters of South Carolina.
The USS Boston was a Civil War troop transport which ran aground and set aflame in the Ashepoo River in May of 1864. The Georgiana/Mary Bowers shipwrecks are two Civil War blockade runners that sank off the Isle of Palms, with the former wrecking in March of 1863 and the latter striking and impaling upon the earlier submerged wreckage in August of 1864.
Photos 1-4: Jim, Will, and Athena retrieving artifacts from the curatorial facility and transporting them to their new home for storage and analysis.
Photo 5: Polychrome pearlware or “Gaudy ware” from the Georgiana/Mary Bowers site.
Photo 6: Faunal bones found on the USS Boston site.
Photo 7: Transfer of the collection complete.
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01/26/2022
Better late than never! Our team attended the 55th Annual Society for Historical and Underwater Archaeology conference in Philadelphia at the beginning of January.
Photo 1: SHA Conference Logo
Photo 2: MRD at the USS Olympia berthed at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.
Photo 3: Old MRD colleagues Jim and Nate Fulmer.
Photo 4: Jim presenting on the recent USS Housatonic shipwreck investigations.
Photo 5: Will presenting on how South Carolina hobby licensee reports are being used to contextualize findings and direct future archaeological studies. (Not pictured: Co-presenter Emily Schwalbe)
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12/15/2021
Archaeologists Will and Athena conducted a site assessment yesterday on a suspected 19th century rowboat in Berkeley County. The water was a chilly 54° but thankfully the sun came out later to warm everyone up! Thank you to the fantastic volunteers Drew Ruddy, Steve Howard, Ted Churchill, Dennis Coco, and William (Billy) Judd for showing us the site and for their wealth of information!
12/03/2021
If in Conway tomorrow take time to hear about the maritime archaeological legacy of the P*e Dee region of the state. Hope to see you there.
This illustrated presentation focuses on the maritime archaeological legacy related to shipping, logging, naval warfare and other activities in this region of the state. Archaeological sites include shipwrecks, namely the Brown’s Ferry Vessel, CSS P*e Dee, and USS Harvest Moon, remnants of the logging industry, and other diverse sites, structures, and objects that reflect the unique maritime heritage of the P*e Dee region of South Carolina.
James Spirek, the State Underwater Archaeologist for South Carolina, works at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Employed there since 1996 and holding his current position since 2012, Jim’s responsibilities include managing and studying the maritime archaeological legacy residing in the lakes, rivers, and coastal waters of South Carolina. Jim has participated in numerous projects documenting a diverse range of sunken prehistoric and historic watercraft, Colonial and Native American sites, Civil War warships and blockade runners, and other underwater archaeological remains in state waters. He is co-editor of Submerged Cultural Resource Management: Preserving and Interpreting Our Sunken Maritime Heritage, and a co-contributor to Archaeology in South Carolina: Exploring the Hidden Heritage of the Palmetto State, Florida’s Lost Galleon: The Emanuel Point Shipwreck, and Guns of the P*e Dee: The Cannon Recovery. Jim received his B.A. in History from George Mason University in 1987 and his M.A. in Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology from East Carolina University in 1993.
The program will be held on December 4th at 1 PM in the McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway SC. This event is free and open to the public.
10/29/2021
We’ve concluded the fieldwork portion of our investigations on the Housatonic. Working under less than ideal conditions the team persevered and although not quite reaching our goal to get to the blast area, our efforts, along with the 1999 findings, will assist in narrowing down that area for future excavations. One positive result, however, was working with our colleagues at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, College of Charleston, several other colleagues and volunteers, and the Charleston area businesses that kept us going in the field.
A local news report with video summarizes our work and findings.
https://www.counton2.com/news/archeologists-search-for-answers-about-the-hl-hunley-submarine-and-the-uss-housatonic-off-charleston-coast/?utm_source=t.co+&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow
Archeologists search for answers about HL Hunley, USS Housatonic off Charleston coast CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – 157 years ago the USS Housatonic plummeted to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after the HL Hunley submarine struck the Union naval ship with a torpedo in an attempt…
Currently we are hydro-probing to determine the extent and depth of the buried hull, along with the identity of the contact, I.e., wood, metal, or indeterminate. Here Will is probing, measuring, and recording the probe findings on a magnetic writing board: M equals metal; depth in feet below sea floor, and distance in meters from a mark on the baseline. Mixed measurements but will reconcile later. His helper records the measurement on a mylar-covered slate.
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A finny friend has taken up abode in our tool crate.
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10/14/2021
Changing of the tide from ebb to flow on the wreck site of USS Housatonic. But our 4-point mooring system keeps us locked in over the excavation unit despite the tidal swing.
Athena dredging in our excavation unit. Made it down about 2-3 ft in 12-ft diameter unit. A mix of soft and harder sediments interspersed with some shell hash. Another few feet to go before getting to the wreckage. , , , , , ,
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