Location of the Portland Wreck Confirmed by NOAA: Famed steamship rests
in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
August 29, 2002
Contact:
Anne Smrcina, 781-545-8026 x204
NOAA
02-R428
The U.S.
Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) today confirmed the final resting place of New England's most
sought after and mysterious wreck, the steamship Portland. All 192 passengers
and crew were lost in the Nov. 27, 1898 storm. The wreck is located
within NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast
of Massachusetts.
In a late
July and early August joint research mission, NOAA's Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary and the National Undersea Research Center
at the University of Connecticut mapped and shot video of the wreck
lost in the "Portland Gale of 1898." The video and side-scan images
from the mission provide visual documentation to earlier work by American
Underwater Search and Survey.
"We are
excited to be able to bring some closure to one of New England's most
mysterious shipwrecks," said Dr. Craig MacDonald, NOAA's Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent. "The story of the Steamship
Portland and its fatal last run from Boston to Portland, Maine has intrigued
maritime historians for years due to the wide-ranging reported sightings
of the ship during the storm. This mission allows us to start putting
some answers to the questions about its loss."
The location
of the wreck within the Sanctuary's boundaries provides protection unavailable
in other federal waters off Massachusetts. Sanctuary regulations prohibit
moving, removing or injuring, or any attempt to move, remove, or injure,
any submerged historical or cultural resources, including artifacts
and pieces from shipwrecks. Anyone violating this regulation is subject
to civil penalties
"While
the Sanctuary has been most associated as a site for whales and whale
watching, it also serves as a steward of the submerged historical and
cultural resources within its boundaries," said Sanctuary Superintendent
Craig MacDonald. "We are extremely proud that our first dedicated mission
to search and explore has produced such exciting results. Future missions
hold promise for similarly rewarding finds."
The expedition
to confirm the location and identity of the Portland involved many organizations
and a range of technologies. Discovery of the wreck site was first reported
in 1989 by a team from a Massachusetts firm that specializes in locating
lost objects at sea. John Fish and Arnold Carr of American Underwater
Search and Survey announced their find but were unable to produce high
quality photographs for evaluation and verification.
Production
of a high quality map of the region by the U.S. Geological Survey, using
multi-beam and side-scan sonar technologies, indicated more than 50
anomalies in the Sanctuary, including a target at the Fish/Carr site.
The detailed map allowed scientists and marine archaeologists to deploy
other imaging equipment to get more detailed close-up views on the July
and August research cruises.
"Side-scan
images from the Research Vessel (R/V) Connecticut and the NOAA Ship
Ferrel showed that the wreck sits upright on the seafloor, with its
hull largely intact but much of its superstructure gone," said primary
investigator Ben Cowie-Haskell of the Sanctuary. Wreckage from the vessel
found along Cape Cod beaches in the days after its loss included pieces
from its upper decks. "All passengers and crew were lost, but the exact
number has never been determined due to the lack of a passenger list
on shore," said Haskell. "The latest estimate is 192 individuals lost,
with only 38 bodies recovered as they washed up on Massachusetts beaches
between Truro and Monomoy."
Remotely
operated vehicle (ROV) operations from the R/V Connecticut in July produced
high quality video footage of the wreck that showed some of the distinctive
features of this type of coastal passenger steamship, including a steam
release vent, rudder assembly, paddle guard, paddle wheel hub, and overall
length. The observation of these features positively identifies this
wreck as the Portland as there are no other coastal steamers of this
type reported to have been lost in Massachusetts Bay.
Abundant
and colorful marine growth, including anemones, tunicates and sponges,
cover much of the ship; and cod, redfish, cusk and other fish swim about
the wreck. The ROV was able to make these close-up inspections due to
the installation of a dynamic positioning system on board the ship which
allowed for precision maneuvering, according to Ivar Babb, Director
of the National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut.
Although
artifacts displaying the ship's name could not be found, a team of independent
marine archaeologists confirmed the identification based on the evidence
provided by the side-scan and video images.
Congress
designated the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
in 1992 as "an area of special national significance." Virtually the
size of the state of Rhode Island, the Sanctuary stretches between Cape
Ann and Cape Cod in federal waters off of Massachusetts. The Sanctuary
is renowned as a major feeding area for marine mammals, particularly
humpback whales, and supports an ecosystem of diverse wildlife.
The National
Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public awareness of America's
maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration,
and educational programs. Today, 13 national marine sanctuaries encompass
more than 18,000 square miles of AmericaÕs ocean and Great Lakes natural
and cultural resources. For more information about the Gerry E. Studds
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, please contact the Sanctuary
at (781) 545-8026 or visit http://stellwagen.nos.noaa.gov.
NOAA's
National Ocean Service (NOAA Ocean Service) manages the National Marine
Sanctuary Program and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving,
and restoring the nationÕs coasts and oceans. NOAA Ocean Service balances
environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its
mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities,
sustaining coastal habitats, and mitigating coastal hazards. To learn
more about NOAA Ocean Service and the National Marine Sanctuary Program,
please visit http://www.nos.noaa.gov.
NOAA's
National Undersea Research Program (NURP) funds six research centers
around the country at major universities. A key strength of NURP is
its partnership with the nation's science community. Each of the regional
centers is funded by a grant from NOAA. Research projects are chosen
based upon peer review. The open, competitive nature of the process
ensures that a variety of high quality science projects are undertaken.
The Center
for the North Atlantic and Great Lakes is located at the University
of Connecticut at Avery Point. This center supports and conducts research
in the waters off the northeast coast of the U.S. including the Gulf
of Maine, Georges Bank, the Southern New England Bight including Long
Island Sound, and the Great Lakes.
Other
centers in NURP include Other centers in NURP include The National Undersea
Research Center for the Caribbean region which is located at the Caribbean
Marine Research Center (CMRC) in Tequesta, Florida; The National Undersea
Research Center for Hawaii and Western Pacific located at the University
of Hawaii with the research program conducted by the University's Hawaii
Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL); The National Undersea Research
Center for the Middle Atlantic Bight located at the Institute of Marine
and Coastal Sciences (IMCS) at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New
Jersey.
The National
Undersea Research Center for the Southeastern United States and Gulf
of Mexico is located at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington
and conducts research in the South Atlantic Bight (North Carolina to
Florida), Florida Keys, and the Gulf of Mexico. The National Undersea
Research Center for the West Coast and Polar Regions is located at the
University of Alaska-FairbankÕs (UAF) School of Fisheries and Ocean
Services. The region served by the Center includes a vast area along
the western margin of North America (70% of the U.S. continental shelf
area) and supports a major portion of the annual U.S. fisheries take
and production of mineral resources. For more information about NURP,
please visit http://www.nurp.noaa.gov.
Images from the
Summer 2002 mission can be found at the NOAA public affairs page on
the NOAA web site.
