Paul
Palmer Photomosaic Project
In July, August, and September 2004, the sanctuary and NOAA Maritime
Archaeology Center staff documented the 5-masted coal schooner
Paul Palmer to obtain a better understanding of the site's
features. A total of 640 diver minutes were logged during this
project to capture digital still and video imagery of the Paul
Palmer. Divers obtained nearly complete video coverage of
the site for management purposes and frame grabs from the video
were made into a site photomosaic for public interpretation.
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Historical
image of the schooner Paul Palmer. Courtesy of the
Library of Congress.
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In
2000, the sanctuary located the remains of a large sailing
vessel embedded in a flat sandy bottom at a depth less than
130 feet. The site measures 300 feet long by 40 feet wide
with 5 feet of vertical relief. The vessel's wooden frames
protrude from the sand around the perimeter of the site,
while a large wooden keelson runs the length of the site.
A large steam-powered windlass and chain pile sit at one
end of the site indicating that it is a bow.
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The
vessels stern (left) and chain pile near the windlass (right)
make up the two ends of the wreck site.
A
considerable number and variety of marine animals inhabit the
site. Longhorn sculpin, monkfish, sea ravens, and flounder dwell
on the bottom around the site, while cod, cunner, and pollock
hide under the overhanging portions of hull. Anemones, sponges,
and mussels have affixed themselves to the schooner's hull presenting
a beautiful garden-like image. Like many of the archaeological
sites in the sanctuary, pieces of fishing nets and recreational
fishing jigs are entangled in the wreck's structure.
Archaeologists
prepare to descend to the Paul Palmer
shipwreck to document the site's remains.
This
project was made possible through support from NOAA's
Maritime Heritage Program and Maritime Archaeology Center.
For
more information on the schooner Paul Palmer click here.
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