Scientists Confident Underwater Survey Shows 10th Cornwallis Fleet Wreck

By Amber Lester Friday, August 20, 2010

Archaeologists have scoured the York River for decades, searching for the ghosts of one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War.

They found nine shipwrecks, all believed to be part of a 60-vessel British fleet under the command of Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis in October 1781. For 20 years, archaeologists believed they had found all that remained. But they were wrong.

A team of underwater archaeologists spent two days this week assessing a 10th shipwreck, resting 10-18 feet underwater off the coast of the Yorktown Beach. Based on the ship’s orientation, size and location, they’re confident this ship is another member of Cornwallis’ fleet.

The ship is about 67 feet long and 22 feet wide; its dimensions suggest the vessel was about 160 tons, according to David Hazzard, an archaeologist with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in the Tidewater region.

The ship was first spotted on sonar by Marine Sonic, a Gloucester-based firm, in 2008. At that time, they notified John Broadwater, a well-known underwater archaeologist who had excavated one of Cornwallis’ ships, called the Betsy, in 1987. He insisted there couldn’t be another ship, but when he saw the sonar report, he couldn’t deny another wreck had appeared.

Erosion on the river bottom likely exposed the ship, which had been buried under silt when the previous explorations took place. The archaeologists believe the ships were docked at the Yorktown port during the 1781 battle that proved to be a decisive victory for the colonists.

A crew of five archaeologists explored the site Wednesday and Thursday. The crew included Broadwater, also known for recovering the turret of the USS Monitor, and Gordon Watts, who discovered the Monitor just off the coast of Cape Hatteras in 1973. Hazzard called Broadwater and Watts “two of the best in the world,” who know the mid-Atlantic waters better than anyone.

The crew found what they believe to be the bow of the ship, and followed what they could see above the river bottom to a point where the ship disappeared. They then used a metal probe to assess where there might be wood pieces and mapped the perimeter of the ship before taking measurements. While exploring the site, the crew observed some ballast stone and handmade brick, along with a piece of glass that looked like it could be from the Colonial era. But for now, the artifacts will stay underwater.

Hazzard’s department funded this week’s survey through its Threatened Sites program, but no further funding has been secured for further exploration or excavation. “The next step gets much more involved and costly,” he said Thursday evening. “Should anybody come up with the interest, time or money, we’ll get to work.”

The first step would be preserving the wreck, which is vulnerable to marine worms. Hazzard says they could put some silt, filter cloth or chainlink fence over the ship to protect the site. It’s difficult to guard against looting, which has been a problem in the past, but Hazzard says the wreck is in a very visible area, just off the beach, and anyone working in that area must have a permit.

Hazzard, who first started exploring the wrecks in 1975, said setting eyes on the new shipwreck was a thrill. “To put your hands on something that’s been hidden for 200 years, that was part of such an important slice of history, part of the last Revolutionary land battle … it’s a real thrill, and exciting to be involved,” he said.

If the archaeologists succeed at securing future funding, the project could have big implications for the nearby Watermen’s Museum, where the crew was based this week. David Niebuhr, the museum’s executive director, said he hoped the survey will draw attention to the important role of coastal vessels and ships in the battle at Yorktown. The museum’s long-term vision is to create a major attraction devoted to interpreting Chesapeake Bay maritime life and the role of the country’s early Navies. He also said he could envision future exhibits revolving around the new find and the archaeological activity.

“If the wreck is significantly linked with our Virginia history, we know of no better way to interpret her story than to build a replica vessel, so that seeing her reproduction, visitors would be able to understand the story of the vessel’s life,” he wrote in an e-mail. “And through the archaeological dig, visitors would be able to understand her demise as part of Washington’s victory at Yorktown.”