J. Barto Arnold

The Padre Island crossbows

This article presents a detailed study of crossbows recovered from the shipwrecks of Padre Island, Texas, dating to 1554. Traditional archaeological and historical analysis is enhanced by production of working replicas of the light Spanish-style crossbows. A possible maritime adaptation of the weapon is identified.

USS Monitor : Results from the 1987 season

In 1987, the wreck site of USS Monitor was the scene of a systematic gathering of baseline archaeological data to assess the condition of the wreck. Advanced oceanographic tools, a ROV, and a sonar-based positioning system were used to carry out the project. Four tasks were planned and executed: (1) to define the extent of the archaeological site through analysis of the artifact scatter away from the wreck proper; (2) to make a controlled photographic map of the hull in plan and elevation views; (3) to study the corrosion processes at the site; and (4) to acquire 35-mm stereo photographs of selected specific details of the vessel’s construction for historical engineering analysis. Additionally, the opportunity arose to carry out a fifth task, the acquisition of detailed, close-range, high-resolution imagery of the hull by sector-scanning sonar. With the present study accomplished it became apparent that the site is rapidly being destroyed by human and natural causes. Active steps to preserve the Monitor are recommended up to and including the complete recovery of the wreck and its contents.

Marine magnetometer survey of archaeological materials near Galveston, Texas

During June and the first week of July 1980, the Underwater Archeological Research Section of the Texas Antiquities Committee carried out a reconnaissance-level magnetometer survey of marine archaeological resources near Galveston, Texas. One purpose of the survey was to progress toward the agency’s long-term goal of examining the areas with the highest probability of yielding historic shipwrecks along the Texas coast and to protect the located sites from future disturbance. Another goal was to locate and, in future seasons, identify and assess for possible extensive excavation certain wrecks of historic significance known to lie in the area.A completely interfaced electronic system including magnetometer, microwave radar, and computer-plotter positioning system was utilized. Positioning equipment was made available by Decca Survey Systems, Inc., of Houston and was leased for the survey.Four locales were selected for survey (Figure 1): (1) the area just off the Gulf shore of Galveston Island from the jetties southwest; (2) the area just off the Gulf shore of Bolivar Peninsula from the jetties northeast; (3) the Galveston Bar area between the jetties; and (4) that part of Bolivar Roads between Pelican Island and the end of the Bolivar Peninsula.Three hundred eighty-two individual magnetic anomalies were recorded in the four survey areas, totaling 16.85 square miles. One hundred two of these were caused by pipelines, leaving 280 anomalies for further investigation in the category of possible cultural resources. Many wrecks are known to have been lost in the Galveston area, but the positive correlation of specific ships with recorded magnetic anomalies must await later phases of investigation.

The Texas Historical Commission’s underwater archaeological survey of 1995 and the preliminary report on the Belle, La Salle’s shipwreck of 1686

The Texas Historical Commission’s underwater archaeology project of 1995 was intended to locate historic shipwrecks and other underwater archaeological sites. The project succeeded in the investigation of several sites in the Matagorda Bay, Texas, area. The sites included wrecks on the Gulf beach of Matagorda Island, lighthouse sites, wharf areas of the historic port of Indianola, and ships associated with World War II. The most important discovery was the remains of the Belle (41MG86), a ship of the French explorer La Salle wrecked in 1686 during his unsuccessful attempt to found a colony on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The site consists of the lower hull of the ship and many in-situ artifacts. Preservation of organic materials was exceptional.

The Denbigh Project: Test excavations at the wreck of an American Civil War blockade-runner

The wreck of the Denbigh , one of the most successful and famous blockade-runners of the American Civil War (1861-5), was located and recorded near Galveston in Texas in 1997. The vessel was built in 1860 as a coastal paddle steamer by Laird,Sons & Co.of Birkenhead (Merseyside, England), and incorporated all the latest features of design and technology. After three years as a passenger steamer on the Irish Sea the Denbigh sailed for Cuba, where she worked as a blockade-runner taking material to and from the Confederate South from early 1864 until her grounding and destruction by Union forces on 23-4 May 1865. This paper provides updated findings on the ships history and covers the 1999 test excavation phase of an underwater archaeology project to investigate the wreck. As a case-study in historical archaeology the Denbigh Project seeks to integrate documentary, pictorial and material evidence in a way which provides a model for future investigations of shipwrecks of the recent historic past.

A magnetometer survey with electronic positioning control and calculator-plotter system

This paper describes the instruments, methodology, and results of a marine magnetometer survey of twenty-five miles of the South Texas coast conducted by the Underwater Archeological Research Section of the Texas Antiquities Committee. Three electronics systems were interfaced and data was recorded on magnetic tape cassettes. The electronics systems utilized were the Varian V-85 Proton Magnetometer, the Motorola Mini-Ranger III, and the Hewlett-Packard 9821 Programmable Calculator and 9862 Plotter. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of computer drawn contour maps.