{"id":962,"date":"2014-04-07T13:48:08","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T17:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=962"},"modified":"2024-07-03T08:43:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T12:43:49","slug":"the-science-of-shipwrecks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/the-science-of-shipwrecks\/","title":{"rendered":"The Science of Shipwrecks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
The riches of the North Carolina coast \u2014 sparkling beaches, winding shores and hidden coves, vibrant port cities, and abundant fishing \u2014 include another kind of treasure, often the buried kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of historic shipwrecks lie underwater, typically within a few hundred feet of shore. Occasionally they rise up from their watery resting places to emerge just beyond the waves or even wash onto the beach. Others, including Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship, rest on the sea floor, attracting recreational and scientific divers who are curious about these vessels’ history and cargo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with romance and mystery, these shipwrecks carry priceless caches of artifacts and information, making them valuable sites for scientific research and archaeology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since 2007, North Carolina Sea Grant has supported promising research at East Carolina University through its Maritime Heritage Fellows program for graduate students. In 2012, the program funded two projects that will significantly advance underwater archaeology and conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel Brown is looking for clues about the identity of an ancient wooden shipwreck that floated to shore near Corolla about three years ago. The oldest found in North Carolina, it also may be the oldest on the East Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas Horn is studying the 1877 wreck of the USS Huron just off the coast of Nags Head. His study will evaluate how seasonal variables, such as temperature changes, affect corrosion on an iron vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These projects, undertaken as part of their master’s degree studies, will answer some long-standing questions about the effects of salt water, ocean currents and the passage of time on ships of all kinds, while uncovering missing pieces of the state’s own story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n