PDF - Diving With a Purpose

Diving With a Purpose: Hannah M. Bell Shipwreck Site Investigation
Diving With a Purpose’s Rebecca Hunter maps the Hannah M. Bell.
Prepared by:
Matthew Lawrence1, Brenda Altmeier2, Erik Denson3, Jay Haigler3, Kamau Sadiki3, and
Ken Stewart3
1
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
175 Edward Foster Road, Scituate, MA 02066
2
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
95230 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037
3
Diving With a Purpose
1309 Jackson Street, Nashville, TN 37208
For:
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Survey and Inventory Permit FKNMS-2014-176
May 2016
Acknowledgements
Many individuals contributed to the success of this project. The authors are grateful to the
following individuals and organizations:
Gayle Patrick for her consummate drafting and CAD skills.
Diving With a Purpose Instructors and Advocates who mapped the Hannah M. Bell – Dr. Jose’
Jones, Gayle Patrick, Ernest Franklin, Rebecca Hunter, Melody Garrett, Andrew Lyons, Addelair
Guy, Kim Walker, Albert Dobbins, Kevin Blaustein, Barry Handy, Shirikiana Gerima, John
Buchanan, Bernard Allen Heeke, Chris Searles, Justine Benanty, Ronald Reese, William Cox,
Kramer Wimberley, Lisa McLoughlin, Ken Futch, Dawn Ross, Riane Tyler, Walter Mason, and
Paul Washington
Captains and crew of the Rainbow Reef Dive Center’s charter vessels.
Captain and crew of Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort charter vessel Just In Time.
The National Park Service’s Florida Bay Interagency Science Center for providing meeting
space and accommodations.
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Staff – James P. Delgado, PhD., Lauri MacLaughlin, Bill
Goodwin, Mary Tagliareni, and Donald Mooney
Last but not least, thanks to Steve Mulholland who made sure the project went smoothly in
numerous ways.
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1. Project Title
Diving With a Purpose: Hannah M. Bell Shipwreck Site Investigation
2. Executive Summary
Avocational archaeologists from Diving With a Purpose (DWP), supported by Office of National
Marine Sanctuaries’ (ONMS) resource managers and archaeologists investigated the sunken
remains of a large ferrous-hulled vessel grounded on Elbow Reef in Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Long known as “Mike’s Wreck,” ONMS staff felt that the site
designated MO02353 in the Florida Master Site File could be identified through historical and
archaeological research. To achieve this end, DWP brought a cadre of trained avocational
archaeologists and trainee avocational archaeologists to the Florida Keys to conduct fieldwork on
the site. The fieldwork’s goals were to identify the vessel, create a comprehensive site map for
sanctuary management and recreational diver interpretation, and ascertain how the vessel fit
within the cultural landscape of Elbow Reef. During three fieldwork sessions between September
2012 and May 2015, DWP and ONMS staff mapped the site, documented the shipwreck with
photography and videography, and determined that it was the remains of the steel–hulled, twin
screw steamship Hannah M. Bell lost on Elbow Reef in 1911. Furthermore, documentation of the
steamship’s remains revealed significant levels of contemporary salvage that when combined
with the vessel’s historical record shed light on the last chapters of Florida Keys wrecking
history on Elbow Reef.
3. Previous Archaeological Research at Elbow Reef
Considerable archaeological research has been focused on Elbow Reef. Indiana University’s
Center for Underwater Science first undertook historical research and archaeological site
documentation of the City of Washington shipwreck in July 1996. The City of Washington was
built on the Delaware River, at Chester, Pennsylvania. The Roach shipyard launched the 300foot long steamship in August 1877 for Alexandre and Sons to run between New York and Cuba.
Competition between steamship lines to Cuba led to the dominance of the Ward line which
bought out Alexandre & Sons in 1888. Ten years later, the City of Washington was anchored in
Havana Harbor the night the USS Maine exploded. Its crew launched boats and helped rescue
sailors in the water. Chartered from the Ward line (New York and Cuba Mail Steamship
Company) as a troop transport during the Spanish American War, City of Washington carried
U.S. soldiers to Cuba for the island’s invasion. By 1908, the steamship no longer met the needs
of the traveling public and by 1911, the Luckenbach Steamship Co. had stripped out the
steamship’s machinery and removed its upper deck as it was converted to a schooner barge
(Indiana University 1996).
After many successful trips through the treacherous Florida Straits, a violent electrical storm
caused the tug Luckenbach #4 and its consort barges Seneca and City of Washington to ground
on Elbow Reef in July 1917. The tug and Seneca refloated undamaged on the next high tide, but
City of Washington was stuck fast. The USCG Cutter Tampa (ex. Miami) and Luckenbach #4
tried to pull it off the reef, but were unsuccessful. Valued at $266,000 with 3500 tons of coal
valued at $17,500 in its hold, City of Washington was a total loss (Indiana University 1996).
The Indiana University investigation documented the wreck’s greatly deteriorated hull structure
and biologic assemblage. These efforts led to an overall site plan and established the site’s
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identity and significance. University archaeologist Charles Beeker applied the National Register
of Historic Places listing criteria to the site and determined that the shipwreck was potentially
eligible for listing under Criteria A. In 2009, members of the National Association of Black
Scuba Divers (NABS) joined ONMS Nautical Archaeology Society Tutors for NAS Part I
training on the wreck. Site assessment dives by ONMS staff revealed aspects of the site
formation process that pointed to salvage not otherwise documented in the historical record.
Furthermore, the adaptation of the City of Washington to a schooner barge and the resulting
removal of its steam machinery prior to its sinking provided an interesting contrast to the postwrecking machinery removal that occurred at other shipwrecks on Elbow Reef. The City of
Washington is one of the FKNMS Shipwreck Trail dive sites, and as such, is one of the most
visited shipwrecks in the sanctuary.
Figure 1.
The City of Washington (courtesy of Steamship Historical Society of America).
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Figure 2.
City of Washington interpretative site map produced by Indiana University’s
Center for Underwater Science (courtesy of Indiana University’s Center for
Underwater Science).
Figure 3.
Tug Luckenbach #4 (U. S. Navy History and Heritage Command).
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Figure 4.
U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa (U. S. Navy History and Heritage Command).
Figure 5.
NABS divers mapping the City of Washington (Tane Casserley, ONMS).
Archaeological research on Elbow Reef continued with PAST Foundation and Anglo-Danish
Maritime Archaeology Team (ADMAT) field projects on the wreck of the Tonawanda in 2007
(Cobb et al. 2007; ADMAT 2007). These projects recorded the site with photographs and video
as well as diver measurement techniques. The shipwreck was also visited by ONMS
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archaeologists and resource managers in 2009, who conducted an overall site reconnaissance
including site photography and videography. All of the above investigations found the remains of
a wooden-hulled vessel lying in a sandy pocket in 20 feet of water heavily colonized with marine
life. The archaeological remains were dominated by a skeletonized keelson and engine bed
created by the presence of large drift pins exposed by the deterioration of the vessel’s wooden
timbers. Numerous concreted iron fastenings, fittings, and strapping lay in a thick pile
surrounding the engine bed structure.
Figure 6.
Panoramic image of the Tonawanda shipwreck (Matthew Lawrence, ONMS).
Figure 7.
Tonawanda’s drift pins provided evidence for the dimensions of its keelson and
engine bed (Matthew Lawrence, ONMS).
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The Tonawanda was a three-masted schooner-rigged screw steamer built by William Cramp and
Son in Philadelphia and launched in 1863. The wooden hulled vessel measured 175 feet long
with a nearly 30-foot beam (American Lloyds 1864). Its vertical direct acting steam engine
turned a 10.5-foot diameter propeller that could push the steamer at 15 knots. The U. S. Navy
purchased the vessel on 27 June 1863, re-named it USS Arkansas, and used it to re-supply the
South Atlantic Blockading Squadron before it was sent to the Western Gulf Blockading squadron
outfitted with 5 cannon and a complement of 88 sailors. Stationed at Ship Island, Mississippi,
USS Arkansas participated in General-in-Chief Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan to blockade
southern ports. The steamship captured at least one blockade runner, the schooner Watchful,
carrying arms for the Confederacy. However, enemy action proved to be the least dangerous
aspect of its service. Mosquitos were far more dangerous to its sailors. Mosquito-borne illness
was rampant and fever took 15 sailors within the first weeks of October 1864 (Scott 1995:18).
The statistical data for U. S. ships presented in the Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion described USS Arkansas as a barkentine-rigged
steamer, which more closely matches the only known image of the vessel held at the Peabody
Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. (Cobb et al. 2007).
USS Arkansas was decommissioned on 30 June 1865 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire and sold to
George Leach for $40,100, who operated it as part of the Philadelphia & Southern Mail
Steamship Co. of Philadelphia. By early 1866, the steamer had entered into trade between
Boston and Havana, Cuba. Enroute to Havana under command of Captain John Berry,
Tonawanda grounded on Elbow Reef on 27 March 1866 with a cargo of fish and potatoes. After
struggling for 2 days to refloat his steamship, Berry turned Tonawanda over to Captain Lewis
Pierce of the Three Brothers, a 29-ton vessel with a crew of 9. Over the next several days the
wrecking schooners Alabama, Rosalee, Eliza Catharine, and Augusta joined the Three Brothers
removing cargo and salvaging the steam machinery. By 9 April, the wreckers had completed
their work on Tonawanda’s machinery. For their efforts, the Key West Admiralty Court awarded
30 wreckers $13,927.52 and $1,614.25 went to Tonawanda’s owners from the sale of the
salvaged goods and machinery (Scott 1995:19-21). In an interesting note on the inside game of
the Keys salvage industry, Captain Pierce lost his salvage license later that year after it was
revealed that he had paid a $10,000 kickback on a $25,000 salvage award to the master of the
steamship General Meade that he had successfully pulled off the Florida Reef (Viele 2001:184).
3. Research Design
Project personnel visited both the City of Washington and Tonawanda sites and a third shipwreck
known locally as “Mike’s Wreck” in May of 2009. The density of wrecks within a small area and
similarities between the wrecks suggested interesting research questions that could illuminate the
cultural landscape of Elbow Reef. In particular, the City of Washington and Mike’s Wreck, both
large, ferrous-hulled, engine-powered vessels, have markedly reduced structure as compared to
their expected construction. Was the condition of the extant remains due to the intense wave
action the Florida Keys reef crest experiences during a storm, or had the shipwrecks been
extensively salvaged? The City of Washington’s wrecking circumstances are well established,
but as the identity of Mike’s Wreck had not been ascertained, insight into the salvage activity on
Elbow Reef was limited. To illuminate this aspect of the Florida Keys cultural history this
project sought to answer the following research questions:
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1. What is the identity of Mike’s Wreck?
2. Are the reduced extant remains of Mike’s Wreck and City of Washington a result of
contemporary salvage or natural processes?
3. Is there evidence of specific salvage techniques used on Mike’s Wreck?
4. Are shipwreck materials found in elsewhere in the sanctuary related to Elbow Reef wrecks?
5. What are the characteristics of other archaeological sites at Elbow Reef and is there evidence
of salvage at these sites?
4. Historical Research
Numerous vessels have grounded at Elbow Reef. Not all entered the archaeological record as
shipwrecks as some vessels were re-floated. Even a vessel that was ultimately re-floated may
have deposited portions of its structure or cargo on the reef during the wrecking process or
subsequent salvage. Archival sources indicate that the vessels in the following table all struck
Elbow Reef in the latter half of the nineteenth or twentieth centuries (Hambright 1988).
Table 1.
Vessels that grounded on Elbow Reef post-1850.
Name
Elizabeth Bruce
Helen E. Booker
Wrecking Date
1/14/1854
5/1/1857
Character
Ship
American Ship - wooden hull
Adelayda
Tonawanda
3/26/1863
3/29/1866
Wandering Chief
Acorn
Panama
Springwell
Mayfield
Mount Oswald
Hannah M. Bell
City of Washington
9/24/1894
2/11/1885
10/4/1892
10/6/1896
11/28/1896
12/20/1900
4/3/1911
7/10/1917
Luckenbach #4
Seneca
7/10/1917
7/10/1917
Quoque
1/15/1920
Schooner
American Steamship wooden hull
British Bark
British Steamship - metal hull
Spanish Steamship
British Steamship
British Steamship
British Steamship
British Steamship - metal hull
Steamship converted to a
schooner barge - metal hull
American Tug
Steamship converted to a
schooner barge
American Steamship wooden hull
Disposition
Total loss
Total Loss, some
cargo salvaged
Total loss
Total loss
Total loss
Total loss
Re-floated
Re-floated
Re-floated
Re-floated
Total Loss
Total Loss
Re-floated
Re-floated
Total Loss
After comparing the observed characteristics of Mike’s Wreck to the above list of potential
wrecks, project personnel suspected that the Hannah M. Bell was the most likely candidate for
Mike’s Wreck. However, without documenting the dimensions of the shipwreck and its
construction particulars, the identification was unsubstantiated supposition. Furthermore, the
potential existed that the shipwreck was an as yet unidentified casualty of Elbow Reef. Prior to
returning to the field, project personnel sought to document the history of the Hannah M. Bell.
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The Hannah M. Bell’s History
Ropner and Son of Stockton-On-Tees, and launched the Hannah M. Bell into the Tees River on
the northeast coast of England on 20 March 1893. The vessel measured 315 feet between
perpendiculars, had a breadth of 40.5 feet and a moulded depth of 23 feet 7 inches. The
steamship’s two triple-expansion engines, manufactured by Blair and Co. Ltd, also of StocktonOn-Tees, generated 1,000 indicated horsepower from two boilers working at 160 lbs. of pressure.
The Hannah M. Bell Steamship Co. Ltd. named the steamship after the woman who christened it
(Neal 1894).
Figure 8.
Ropner and Son shipyard with the sheerlegs of Blair and Co. Ltd., engine builders
in the background (Alan Betteney, Shipbuilding in Stockton and Thornaby).
Following its launch, the Hannah M. Bell made frequent transatlantic trips between European
ports, the U. S. East and Gulf Coasts, and Caribbean and South American ports carrying a variety
of bulk cargos. The steamship carried cotton cargoes from Pensacola to Venice, Italy, sugar from
Cuba to Boston, and naval stores from Pensacola, Florida to Hamburg, Germany and Liverpool
and Bristol in the United Kingdom. During these trips, Hannah M. Bell often stopped in Norfolk
or Newport News, Virginia to fill its coal bunkers or take on a coal cargo (Newport News Daily
Press 7 September 1899, 2 May 1905, 16 February 1907, 25 August 1908).
The Hannah M. Bell experienced a variety of stormy or strange weather events during its
passages. The steamer’s crew suffered through a particularly hellish trip in February 1907 as it
traveled from Cuba to Boston. Several sailors suffered from exposure and frostbite as a winter
storm battered the steamship, delaying it for 5 days (Boston Daily Globe 21 February 1907).
While steaming 50 miles off Cape Hatteras in November 1909, the steamship encountered the
largely spent remains of a hurricane. Six waterspouts appeared in the vicinity of the vessel and
appeared to head towards it. Captain Cooper responded to the menace by firing at the
waterspouts with his shotgun. Surprisingly, the fusillade had its desired effect and the funnels
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dissipated before reaching the steamship (Boston Daily Globe 15 November 1909; New York
Tribune 15 November1909).
Figure 9.
British steamship Hannah M. Bell (Harold Appleyard, www.teesbuiltships.co.uk).
Prior to its final grounding on Elbow Reef, the Hannah M. Bell was nearly lost two other times
during its travels in the vicinity of southern Florida. The first time, the steamship grounded near
the Marquesas Key in the Florida Keys in September of 1899 while loaded with cotton (Norfolk
Virginian-Pilot 7 September 1899). The steamer ran aground again in March 1907 off Miami,
Florida. This last mishap resulted in legal proceedings that changed Florida law. At the time,
only pilot commissioners could serve on a board of survey in any of Florida’s ports. When the
Hannah M. Bell grounded outside of the shipping channel into Miami, a Captain Anderson, who
was not a pilot commissioner, surveyed the vessel after it was refloated and brought into the port.
He was arrested for his action and detained. Anderson and his attorneys filed a writ of Habeas
Corpus, and successfully argued before a judge that the pilot commissioner requirement was
unconstitutional (Pensacola Journal 25 and 30 May 1907).
On its last voyage, the Hannah M. Bell’s first arrived in U. S. waters at Boston, and then stopped
in Newport News to load coal on its way to Vera Cruz, Mexico. Off the Upper Florida Keys, bad
weather grounded the steamer on Elbow Reef on 4 April 1911. In the hours immediately
following its grounding, the steamer Eva stood by while a wrecking company was notified. The
U. S. Revenue Cutter Forward steamed to Elbow Reef to render assistance on the afternoon of 4
April from Key West (Macon Daily Telegraph 5 April 1911). Upon arriving on scene, the USRC
Forward reported that the steamer’s number 1 and 2 holds had 18 feet of water in them and the
engine room was flooded. The Forward took off thirteen members of the crew and brought them
into Key West (Boston Globe 7 April 1911). Captain Thomas and a few crewmen remained
aboard to assist with salvage attempts. By 7 April, local wreckers felt that the ship could not be
refloated and abandoned their efforts (Macon Daily Telegraph 8 April 1911). Representatives of
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Lloyd’s and the steamer’s owners journeyed to Miami to assess the situation, but by 1 May the
vessel had broken apart in heavy weather (Miami Herald 20 and 25 April 1911). Captain Thomas
and the remaining crew left the vessel as it went to pieces (Philadelphia Inquirer 1 May 1911).
Figure 10.
The USRC Forward (USCG Historian’s Office).
Hannah M. Bell re-entered the news in January 1913 following the arrest of three individuals
involved in the illegal salvage of the steamship. Charles Cook and Sam Freas were charged with
plundering the wreck and taking four engines and two winches. Burt Smith was charged with
failure to appear in court to testify against Cook and Freas. Mr. Smith was an African-American
employee of Charles Cook who was onboard the tug Katherine K when the alleged theft took
place. Cook owned a dredge into which he installed the salvaged equipment (Miami Herald 28
February 1913).
Figure 11.
The tug Katherine K (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command).
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An article published in the Delaware County Daily Times, on 16 August 1915 reported
information on wrecks currently visible on the Florida reef. The report gave the geographic
location of the Hannah M. Bell as: 25 degrees 8’38” north longitude by 80 degrees 15’ 21”. The
same geographic coordinates were published for the Hannah M. Bell in the 17 December 1913
issue of the Tampa Tribune. This report also described the vessel’s current state. “On the Elbow
in 3 fathoms of water; the hull is headed S. ½ E. mag.: is rust-colored, and is broken in two
forward of the mainmast; has black stack, with broad white band near top, two masts standing,
mainmast listed about 25 degrees.” The U. S. Navy’s Hydrographic Office updated its South
Florida Notice to Mariners in October 1914 with an addendum that describes the stern of the
Hannah M. Bell as “disappearing” sometime during 1913.
Amazingly, the Hannah M. Bell contributed to the loss of another vessel in January 1920. The U.
S. Shipping Board Steamer Quoque wrecked directly on top of the sunken remains of the
Hannah M. Bell. The wooden-hulled Quoque could not be refloated even after its crew threw
100 tons of its coal cargo overboard. High seas running at the time battered apart the steamer
(Miami Herald 16 January 1920).
Figure 12.
The steamship Quoque reportedly sank on top of the Hannah M. Bell (courtesy of
Columbia River Maritime Museum).
5. Site Investigation Description
Objective summary
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is required by the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act and ONMS Regulations to comply with the laws and regulations of the Federal
Archaeological Program including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA). In
particular, Section 110 of the NHPA directs the ONMS to inventory the historical properties
within its boundaries and assess those properties for National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) eligibility. As Mike’s Wreck was a popular destination for recreational divers, but had
not been archaeologically investigated, it was an ideal candidate for archaeological site
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documentation and interpretation. Therefore, the project’s principal investigators (PIs) sought to
identify the vessel, document its remains, determine its period of use, and assess its potential
eligibility for the NRHP. The archaeological site documentation was accomplished through
scuba diving investigation, whereby divers drew measured sketches and took baseline
trilateration and offset measurement to gather information for an overall plan view site map.
Additionally, divers used underwater still and video cameras to document the vessel’s remains
and the work undertaken by the dive team.
Description of the project location
The project took place on Elbow Reef approximately 6 nautical miles east of Key Largo, Florida
in the Federal waters of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Shipwreck MO02353 lies
within the Elbow Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area and is south of mooring buoy E7. The
following geographic locations (Table 2) were determined for the shipwreck utilizing a Garmin
Montana 600 hand-held GPS receiver encased in a waterproof bag and swum over the wreck on
the surface. Location accuracy was improved using the GPS receiver’s waypoint averaging
function. Locations reference the WGS84 Datum.
Table 2.
Geographic coordinates of the Hannah M. Bell.
Location Description
Hannah M. Bell Bow
Hannah M. Bell Stern
Mooring Pin E7
Figure 13.
Latitude Degrees Minutes North
25-08.642
25-08.679
25-08.686
Longitude Degrees Minutes West
80-15.446
80-15.411
80-15.417
Satellite image of the reef line off northern Key Largo. Elbow Reef is in the white
box (Google Earth).
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Figure 14.
Close-up satellite image of Elbow Reef (Google Earth).
Figure 15.
Diagram of the Elbow Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area. The Hannah M. Bell is
the wreck symbol adjacent to the lighted marker (FKNMS).
Figure 16.
View of the Lighted Marker 6 from the mooring adjacent to the wreck (Brenda
Altmeier, ONMS).
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Description of the archaeological site
Following the first site reconnaissance dives, archaeologists characterized Mike’s Wreck as the
remains of a large iron or steel-hulled vessel measuring approximately 300 feet long with
suspected engine propulsion. Continued archaeological investigation has revealed that its lower
hull and portions of its port side were extant up to a point indicating the vessel had at least two
decks (see Figure 17). The vessel had riveted construction with ferrous framing in a variety of
shapes including “T” and “I” cross sections with rounded edges (see Figure 18). The shipwreck
lies on a southwest to northeast longitudinal axis with its bow at the southeast end. Its bow was
easily identified as such by the 23-foot long cutwater that had collapsed towards the vessel’s port
side (Figure 19). The bow was the shallowest portion of the wreck lying in fifteen feet of water.
As compared to the extant yet collapsed bow structure, the vessel’s stern lacked diagnostic
material such as a rudder, skeg, transom or other features normally found at a vessel’s stern. The
stern hull plating was fragmented into small and large disarticulated sections. In the sternmost
third of the ship, variations in the framing pattern revealed areas where heavy boiler and
machinery components were housed along with poured cement ballast (See Figure 20). The
framing pattern also revealed support structures for twin propeller shafts in the stern.
Figure 17.
View of Mike’s Wreck interior construction and multiple decks still extant along
the shipwreck’s port side (Matthew Lawrence, ONMS).
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Figure 18.
Evidence of riveted hull construction techniques on Mike’s Wreck (Matthew
Lawrence, ONMS).
Figure 19.
The shipwreck’s cutwater rises to within a few feet of the surface (Matthew
Lawrence, ONMS).
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Figure 20.
Divers mapping the framing pattern transition indicative of an engine powered
vessel (Matthew Lawrence, ONMS).
Description of natural resources
A living soft and stony coral reef surrounds the Hannah M. Bell’s starboard side, while a coral
rubble field extends away from its portside. Stony and soft corals, sea fans, and other encrusting
invertebrates cover the vessel’s remains. Reef fishes including french grunts, yellowtail snapper,
parrot fish, and yellow goatfish inhabit the site. Larger predators, including green moray eels,
tarpon, snook, nurse sharks, and eagle rays all were observed by divers during site
documentation dives.
Methodology
The project sought to answer the above research questions by creating a comprehensive planview map of the shipwreck site. Due to the site’s shallow location, benign environment, and
available resources, the project’s principals chose to utilize standard open-circuit SCUBA gear to
conduct diver site mapping. Prior to initiating mapping, the ONMS PI’s installed a fiberglass
baseline tape measure graduated in tenths of feet along the vessel’s centerline. Each end of the
baseline was supported by tripods created from copper-clad grounding rods to achieve a straight
line and minimize disturbance of the benthic organism living on the site.
In 2012, researchers installed the baseline zero at the engineering space framing transition and
extended it out to the vessel’s stern. This arrangement was chosen to focus mapping efforts in the
stern section. In 2014, the baseline zero was set just forward of the vessel’s cutwater and it ended
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at the engineering space framing transition to focus efforts towards the vessel bow. During the
final investigation in 2015, the baseline zero was again set forward of the vessel’s cutwater and it
ended at the extent of articulated structure in the stern.
Dive teams consisting of a minimum of two divers were assigned to map sections of the ship
delineated by the baseline. The divers began mapping by drawing measured sketches of their
section. These sketches were then located in relation to the baseline with offset and/or
trilateration measurements to the baseline. Due to the shipwreck’s size, divers often created
multiple measured sketches with baseline measurements.
After completing diving for the day, teams transferred their measured sketches to large sheets of
graph paper. Each measured sketch and baseline measurements was converted to a scaled
drawing with appropriate orientation and distance to a baseline indicated on the graph paper.
Each team received an appropriately sized piece of graph paper to draw the section they were
responsible for completing. During the 2012 and 2014 project, the scaled drawings were made at
a scale of one-inch to one-foot. At this scale, the PIs found that the scaled drawing required
prohibitively large sections of graph paper. In 2015, the PIs revised the scale of the drawing
created during that session to one-inch to two feet to handle the large size of the shipwreck.
Once the field session was completed, Brenda Altmeier scanned the scaled drawing and turned
them over to Gayle Patrick, DWP’s resident architect. Utilizing AutoCAD software, Ms. Patrick
digitized the individual scaled drawings and assembled the digitized section into a draft site map.
Inconsistencies between sections were analyzed and refined using plan view site imagery to
create the project’s final site map (Figure 21).
While participants sought to record as much detail as possible, the vessel’s massive size and the
limited number of dive days available resulted in the omission of some pieces of wreckage from
the site plan. The omitted sections were disarticulated hull plating and frames farthest from the
vessel’s centerline. The project utilized only non-intrusive site mapping techniques and
documented all artifacts in-situ. No artifacts were recovered in while conducting this project.
The archaeological site map created during the project was saved in AutoCAD’s .DXF file
format and is spatially scaled and geo-referenced. The site plan was also converted into an
ArcGIS shapefile for inclusion in FKNMS geographic information system (GIS). Manipulation
of the data in the GIS will allow for the spatial comparison of the site to other Elbow Reef
shipwrecks. Analysis of this spatial component allows for characterization of the cultural
landscape of salvage on Elbow Reef.
Vessel and equipment used in this survey
The ONMS and DWP chartered several commercial dive charter vessels to transport personnel to
the site. In 2012, Amoray Dive Resort’s Just In Time transported divers to Elbow Reef. In 2014
and 2015, several different dive boats operated by Rainbow Reef Dive Center carried the
project’s team. All project divers utilize standard open-circuit SCUBA gear, fiberglass tape
measures and folding rulers graduated in tenths of feet, and recording slates with Rite in the Rain
Duracopy synthetic paper to record measurement and draw measured sketches. Project personnel
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also used a variety of underwater cameras ranging from compact digital cameras, to GoPros, and
housed digital SLR cameras to document the site and the work being performed.
6. Personnel
The project’s Lead Principal Investigator was Matthew Lawrence, ONMS archaeologist at the
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Co-PIs included Brenda Altmeier, FKNMS’s
maritime heritage coordinator and DWP Lead Instructors Erik Denson, Jay Haigler, and Kamau
Sadiki. Denson, Haigler, and Sadiki oversaw the training of the advocates who participated in the
project. Ken Stewart, DWP’s Program Director, was largely responsible for arranging and
organizing project logistics during the 2014 and 2015 field projects. The following table lists the
project participants during the 2012, 2014 and 2015 fieldwork.
Table 3.
Project participants by year.
2012
Brenda Altmeier
Matthew Lawrence
2014
Brenda Altmeier
William Cox
Melody Garrett
Barry Handy
Matthew Lawrence
Kamau Sadiki
2015
Brenda Altmeier
Ernest Franklin
Jay Haigler
Andrew Lyons
Dawn Ross
Kramer Wimberley
Erik Denson
Lauri MacLaughlin
Ernest Franklin
Kamau Sadiki
Jay Haigler
Paul Washington
Justine Benanty
Erik Denson
Shirikiana Gerima
Bernard Allen Heeke
Andrew Lyons
Chris Searles
Kevin Blaustein
Albert Dobbins
Addelair Guy
Rebecca Hunter
Gayle Patrick
Ken Stewart
John Buchanan
Ernest Franklin
Jay Haigler
Dr. Jose’ Jones
Ronald Reese
Kim Walker
John Buchanan
Ken Futch
Rebecca Hunter
Walter Mason
Ken Stewart
Erik Denson
Melody Garrett
Dr. Jose’ Jones
Lisa McLoughlin
Riane Tyler
Albert Dobbins
Shirikiana Gerima
Matthew Lawrence
Gayle Patrick
Kim Walker
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7. Site Map
Figure 21.
The Hannah M. Bell plan view site map created by DWP and ONMS.
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8. Assessment
Following the archaeological site investigation of Mike’s Wreck in 2012, project personnel
compared the site’s characteristics to the Hannah M. Bells historical record and to the other
reported losses on Elbow Reef. Aside from the City of Washington, no other 300-foot long
ferrous-hulled vessels became total losses on Elbow Reef. Some consideration was given to the
possibility that the City of Washington shipwreck had been misidentified; however, that site’s
characteristics better match its historical record. Site MO02353’s 298-foot articulated length
compared very favorably to the Hannah M. Bell’s historically reported 315-foot length between
perpendiculars, especially given the reduced and disarticulated structure at its stern. Likewise,
the wreck’s 42-foot estimated breadth was very close to the Hannah M. Bell’s maximum 40.5foot breadth. The 1.5-foot discrepancy was likely due to the wreck’s splayed-out remains and
lack of parallel sides to measure. Construction characteristics documented on the wrecked vessel
match the riveted steel construction and web-frame design reportedly used to construct Hannah
M. Bell. Furthermore, the shipwreck’s framing pattern indicated that it had two engines and two
propeller shafts. Small pockets of coal and a few large nodules found in the wreckage were
consistent with the Hannah M. Bell’s final cargo; however, laboratory analysis was not
undertaken to match the coal to coal fields serviced by the Newport News coal docks.
Ultimately, locating coal at the site did not confirm the steamship’s identity as the coal could
have also come from the steamship Quoque that wrecked in the same location in 1920. In
summation, no observed feature on the shipwreck contradicted what is known of the Hannah M.
Bell from the historical record, thus the PIs are confident in its identification. Further bolstering
the site’s identification, the historically reported position of the wreck was only 530 feet east of
the shipwreck’s bow.
The plan view site map provides evidence of the site formation processes that created the
shipwreck enjoyed today. While the wreck lies in a high-energy environment, its lack of
machinery and other mechanical features can only be attributed to extensive salvage. The
vessel’s bow, the shallowest portion of the site, had the most complete hull structure, albeit
broken outwards and largely flush with the seafloor. This area’s arrangement, while likely
impacted by salvage as its anchors, chain, and windlass are gone, is more likely the result of
wave action on the shallow reef. In contrast, Hannah M. Bell’s stern, which lies in twice the
water depth, is far more fragmented. Salvage removed its rudder, propellers, propeller shafts,
shaft supports, steering gear, steam engines and boilers. The massive weight of these items
would have required the use of a heavy derrick suspended from a large salvage vessel and caused
the extensive demolition of its stern structure. The fragmented nature of Hannah M. Bell’s stern
may also be due to the impact of the Quoque.
The project was unable to corroborate the historical report of the steamship Quoque wrecking on
the Hannah M. Bell. Divers did not identify any of the ferrous site features as having come from
another vessel. Even though, the wooden hull of the Quoque would have been highly fragmented
and less likely to survive, considerable quantities of ferrous fittings, not to mention steam
engines and boilers would have persisted. Since these features were not located it suggests that
even more extensive salvage activity occurred on the Hannah M. Bell or in its immediate
vicinity. There is not another known deposit of this material elsewhere on Elbow Reef.
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Following the project’s historical and archaeological investigation, the PIs assessed the
shipwreck against the listing criteria for the National Register of Historic Places. The
archaeological remains of the Hannah M. Bell are potentially significant at the state level under
NRHP Criteria A and D with the period of significance being the years 1893 – 1913. The vessel
is significant in the areas of Maritime History and Historic, Non-Aboriginal Archaeology. The
shipwreck should be classified under the historic function of water-related transportation.
The Hannah M. Bell’s significance under Criterion A results from its association with events that
have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of U. S. history. Its operation as a
transatlantic tramp steamer connected U. S. citizens and industries in a commercial web with
European and South American business and industries. While unable to engage in the American
coastwise trade, the steamship exported U. S. generated bulk and raw material across the Atlantic
Ocean to foreign manufacturing centers. While in U. S. ports, the Hannah M. Bell engaged with
American maritime industries that brought foreign raw materials and manufactured goods into U.
S. markets. As the steamship navigated America’s waterways, it encountered numerous
impediments representative of the difficulties faced by all mariners navigating the Atlantic
Seaboard.
The Hannah M. Bell’s significance under Criterion D results from its ability to yield information
important to history. Archaeological study of the shipwreck has begun to reveal the activities of
salvagers on Elbow Reef. Florida Keys wrecking was a lucrative business that contributed
significantly to the economy of the Keys and served as a lifesaving service. While historical
study of the nineteenth century salvage industry has revealed facets of this community-based
enterprise, much less is known about the increasingly mechanized salvage that took place after
1900. Archaeological study of Hannah M. Bell and other Elbow Reef shipwrecks using a
landscape approach reveals commonalities and distinctions between the wrecks and suggests that
Elbow Reef was a locus of this work. Further study may yield information on the techniques
employed to salvage vessels in a challenging exposed reef crest environment.
9. Conclusion
Following the fieldwork conducted on this site, word spread to local dive charter operators that
Mike’s Wreck had been identified and they began advertising trips to the Hannah M. Bell. To
further the spread of this information, DWP and the ONMS plan to distribute this report to the
local diving community so that they can share specifics about the vessel’s history and a site map
in dive briefing. Ideally this will enhance their patron’s experience and appreciation for
FKNMS’s maritime heritage. While not a new artificially-sunk shipwreck, so desired by dive
charter businesses to increase visitation to the Florida Keys, this “new” dive opportunity
provides another reason to visit spectacular Elbow Reef. Rather than investing millions of dollars
to clean and sink vessels, and the much debated environmental and economic impact of doing so
(Broughton 2012), this report’s authors believe that many “real” and as yet unidentified
shipwrecks exist on the Florida Reef that deserve study. Through this research, the Florida Keys
community can benefit from increased awareness of their cultural identity and expanded cultural
heritage tourism opportunities. DWP and the ONMS plan to continue their maritime heritage
research collaboration by mapping other Elbow Reef shipwrecks.
22
10. References Cited
Books and Manuscripts
ADMAT (Anglo-Danish Maritime Archaeology Team)
2007 Florida Keys 2007 Maritime Archaeological Field School,
http://www.admat.org.uk/keys1.htm. Accessed on 11 February 2016.
American Lloyds
1864 Register of American and Foreign Shipping – Tonawanda Entry
Broughton, Kathy
2012 Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Science Review of Artificial Reefs. Marine
Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS-12-05. U.S. Department of Commerce, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring,
MD.
Cobb, Jessica, James A. Davenport V, Sam Erdman, Doug Faunt, Rayanne L. Gordon, Adam
Kowalski, Marcus Massom, Mark A Melancon, James L. Waterbury, Keith Young, Alexander
Zywot, Annalies Corbin, Anne Corscadden, and Andrew W. Hall
2007 Preliminary Site Report on the Shipwreck Tonawanda, unpublished report from the Past
Foundation to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in fulfillment of permit FKNMS-2007074.
Hambright, Tom
1988 Index of vessel casualties developed from the Admiralty records for the U. S. District
Court for the Southern District of Florida. Monroe County Public Library, Key West, Florida.
Republished in the website, http://www.treasuresites.com , Accessed on 12 September 2012.
Indiana University
1996 City of Washington Shipwreck Report.
http://www.indiana.edu/~r317doc/trail/cowpap.htm. Accessed on 12 September 2012.
Neal, William G. (editor)
1894 Launches and Trial Trips, 1 April 1893. The Marine Engineer; a Monthly Journal of
Marine Engineering, Shipbuilding, Steam Navigation and Electrical Engineering. London.
Scott, Thomas
1994 Histories and Mysteries – The Shipwrecks of Key Largo. Best Publishing Co., Flagstaff,
Arizona.
Secretary of the U. S. Navy
1914 Addenda to H. O. Publication No. 64 of 1907, West Indies Pilot, U. S. Navy
Hydrographic Office.
Viele, John
2001 The Wreckers: The Florida Keys Volume 3. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, Florida.
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Newspapers
Boston (Massachusetts) Daily Globe
21 February 1907
“Water Front Items”
15 November 1909 “Water Front Items”
7 April 1911
“Wreck on Florida Reef”
Delaware County (Chester, Penn.) Daily Times
16 August 1915
“Marine Notes”
Macon (Georgia) Daily Telegraph
5 April 1911
“British Steamer is on Dangerous Reef”
8 April 1911
“Wreckers Abandon the Hannah M. Bell”
Miami (Florida) Herald
20 April 1911
“Will Attempt to Save the Wrecked Steamer”
25 April 1911
“Personal Mention”
Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press
7 September 1899
“British Steamer Ashore”
2 May 1905
“Marine Notes”
16 February 1907
“Shipping Report, Friday 15 February 1907
25 August 1908
“Coal for West Indies”
New York Tribune
15 November1909
“Shotgun Breaks Waterspouts”
Norfolk (Virginia) Virginian-Pilot
7 September 1899
“British Steamer Ashore”
Pensacola (Florida) Journal
25 May 1907
“Pilots Have No Exclusive Privilege”
30 May 1907
“Salvage Law is Not Good”
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Inquirer
1 May 1911
“Marine Notes of Interest”
Tampa (Florida) Tribune
17 December 1913 “Waterfront Gossip”