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Articles
A
Re-examination of the Hull of the
Henrietta Marie
Corey Malcom
May 28-June 4, 2001
In Accordance with FKNMS Permit
Acknowledgements
This project was able to proceed only through the generosity and
support of the RPM Nautical Foundation. A sincere thanks goes to
all RPM staff who worked tirelessly to make sure everything went
as planned. A special debt of gratitude is owed to George E. Robb,
Jr., President of RPM for his continuing commitment to shipwreck
research; the Henrietta Marie in particular. Thanks to David Moore
for traveling to Key West and volunteering his time while
continuing his long involvement with this ship.
Project Participants
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society :
Corey Malcom - Project director
Dylan Kibler - Photographer
Brian Blanco - Archaeological Assistant/Videographer
Gina Ferris - Student Intern
RPM Nautical Foundation :
George E. Robb, Jr. - President
Dan Davis - Operations Manager
Cristian Swanson - Captain, R/V ROBO/Videographer
Bruce Darby - Captain, R/V Lakota
Craig Jones - Mate/Archaeological Assistant
Paul Major - Diving Safety Officer
Sara Hoskins - Student Intern
Ashley Porter - Student Intern
National Geographic Society :
Michael Cottman - Writer
Courtney Platt - Photographer
Volunteer :
David Moore - Archaeologist
History
The modern history of the Henrietta Marie spans nearly thirty
years (Malcom and Moore, 2000). The wreck was first discovered in
the Summer of 1972 by Armada Research, Inc., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Treasure Salvors, Inc. Shortly after this discovery,
a portion of the ship's hull was uncovered. Notes on its location,
and rough features were recorded. A small number of photographs
were taken. The site was re-visited in 1973, but little progress
was made in understanding the wooden remains. In 1983, working
with a Treasure Salvors sub-contractor, Mr. Henry Taylor of
Neptune Explorations, Inc., David Moore began a definitive study
of the wreck (Moore, 1997). With a more focused and refined
excavation, they began a process of systematically recording the
remaining hull components of the Henrietta Marie. This work
continued in 1984, and was concluded in March of 1985. Additional
excavation and survey continued at the site, but the wooden
remains were not seen since the March 1985 visit.
Objectives
Because the hull of the Henrietta Marie had not been seen in over
16 years, questions lingered regarding its condition. The basic
intention of this present project was to assess the status of the
structure. Assuming it was in good condition, the remainder of the
work was to be geared toward uncovering it, and building upon the
survey started in 1983. Portions of the wreck had never been
uncovered, and measurements from these areas were needed to assist
in an accurate reconstruction of the vessel. Another important
objective was to complete a photographic and videographic study,
with images that could fulfill both scientific and popular goals.
Toward this end, representatives of the National Geographic
Society joined the project for an upcoming story in their
magazine.
Methodology
The hull lay buried in the sand at the southern end of the known
wreckage. Earlier survey work had placed the monument at
approximately 72' NW of the hull structure (a theoretical
measurement because the monument was placed in 1993, and the two
had never been seen together). Using this distance as a guide, it
was relatively easy to relocate the area of the buried hull, but a
large volume of sand, rubble and silt had to be removed to expose
it. All excavation in this project was conducted with a pair of
4'' water-fed, venturi dredges, and within four days the hull was
completely uncovered.
A large number of loose structural components were also found,
buried to the immediate south, and also to the west of the main
part of the hull. These had been placed in "storage"
there in 1985. After they were uncovered, and taken to an area
away from the excavation for detailed recording.
Data on the loose structural elements was collected via hand
measurements, 1:1 tracings, photo mosaics, and video images.
Various faces of each component were recorded, as were fastener
patterns. All of this information will be distilled into
representations of each piece that will, hopefully, be able to be
schematically incorporated into the rest of the hull.
Features of the main part of the structure were recorded by hand,
along with photo-mosaics, and video. Details such as fastener
patterns, frame curvatures, scarphs, and other construction
features were documented to supplement earlier work.
 Results
In general, this excavation followed and revealed the "best
case" scenario. The remains of the Henrietta Marie were
located, and found to be in an excellent state of preservation.
Portions of the hull that had never been seen before were
uncovered, most notably the entire keel and all of the sternpost.
A 3rd rudder gudgeon was uncovered near the lowest part of the
sternpost. An additional group of at least three components was
found approximately 25 feet to the south of the intact hull.
Unfortunately there was not enough time to investigate and define
these pieces. With the exception of one loose hanging-knee, all
the previously noted loose structural elements were relocated. The
bearing/distance relationship of the hull to the monument was
found to be exactly as anticipated, measuring 72' 6" from the
center of the monument to the top of the existing sternpost.
With a large crew focused solely on the structure, a tremendous
amount of detailed information was recorded. Scattered, loose,
components were recorded individually. The overall dimensions of
the entire hull, and construction details such as scarphs and
fastener patterns were measured. Additionally, the curvature of
the frames of the intact structure were recorded, which will allow
for more accurate lines to be calculated. Approximately 500 35mm
photographs were taken, and ten hours of 8mm videotape recorded.
With all of this new information, the ability to convey the
situation of the Henrietta Marie, and the objects recovered from
her, will be much easier.
Bibliography
2000 Malcom, Corey and David Moore
"The Henrietta Marie Shipwreck Site." Unpublished
manuscript on file at Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Key
West.
1997 Moore, David
"Site Report: Historical and Archaeological Investigations of
the Shipwreck Henrietta Marie." On file at Mel fisher
Maritime Heritage Society, Key West.
Email archaeology for more information.
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