Project: Archaeological Data Recovery of Shipwreck Sites in the Vicinity of Navigation Channel Improvements, Wilmington Harbor Waterfront and Northeast Cape Fear River, North Carolina

In 2004, in preparation for navigation improvement to Wilmington Harbor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District contracted M-AT to conduct magnetometer and side scan sonar surveys of the entire Wilmington Harbor Improvement Project. A portion of Wilmington Harbor was part of the Wilmington Historical District and there were 65 archaeological sites previously recorded in the vicinity of the harbor improvements project, both in the water and along the shoreline. Thirty-seven (37) of these sites were within the Historic Wilmington National Register District. Primarily, these sites were abandoned or shipwrecked vessels. During the 2004 remote sensing survey M-AT identified seventeen (17) additional target / wreck sites within the navigational improvements area.

In 2005 and 2006 M-AT was contracted under two delivery orders to identify and conducted data recovery (as necessary) at a total of eleven (11) remote sensing target sites and two (2) previously recorded shipwreck sites.

Wilm1-B was identified as the remains of what appears to be the last historic Market Street ferry flat that operated between Wilmington and Eagle Island until the introduction of the 80-foot long car ferry John Knox in 1920.

Wilm2-C was identified as the remains of an over 100-foot-long 19th to early 20th century wooden sailing barge. The vessel had been completely salvaged. The entire stern and a good portion of the starboard side had been torn away.

Wilm2-F was the very badly deteriorated remains of an over 70-foot-long wooden flat top barge. Both ends of the barge were missing as well as much of the deck.

The Hilton Wreck site 037NER was relocated, completely excavated, and raised from the bottom of the Northeast Cape Fear River using a barge and crane. Although the vessel almost completely fell apart once placed on the deck of the barge, analysis of the schooner was completed using the CAD program MultiSurf 6.2. Beginning with the keel, all individual components used in the vessel’s construction were accurately measured in 3D and placed in the appropriate location to reconstruct the lower hull of the vessel including stem and stern assembly timbers, centerboard trunk and centerboard and other major construction features such as deck beams. Using all of the information available including the construction details from past underwater investigations, the vessel was recreated in MultiSurf.

For Internet Explorer 8 users: Slideshow: Wilmington Harbor Wrecks