Objects


Bits of Ancient Village Hide in Murk

divers
As diver Henry Shrefer returns to the chartered boat, fellow archaeology student Greg Porter, left, examines the items Shrefer has retrieved from the floor of the Atlantic.

A team of archaeologists in scuba gear combs what was once dry land for pre-Lenape artifacts


porthole diagram

Portholes are used to let light and air into a ship. They are usually constructed of brass for corrosion resistance, which makes them highly desirable as collector's items. The drawing at right shows all the major parts:

  • The immovable backing plate, bolted to the vessel's hull, which carries the hinges for the swing plate and deadlight
  • The glass swing plate, which is secured shut by large butterfly nuts called 'dogs'
  • The deadlight, used when it is desired to black-out the vessel, as in time of war

Or "heads", as real sailors call them.

head
Here's an object that probably doesn't deserve to be recovered - the head on the Matt Turecamo.

plastic coke bottle

What I know about antique glass bottles wouldn't cover both sides of a matchbook. But here are some excellent links on the subject, so you too can learn the difference between a pontil and a blob:

Miscellaneous Links:

Right: Plastic Coke bottle with screw top


While not exactly shipwreck artifacts, lobster traps, scallop dredges, and other fishing equipment are not uncommon sights on and around New Jersey shipwrecks.

Lobster Traps

modern wire lobster trap
A modern wire lobster trap - a common sight around shipwrecks.

A Glittering Piece of History is Recovered From the Briny Deep

disco ball

ASSOCIATED PEST
July 25, 2004

Chatterbox

Deep Sea Defectives is proud to announce the recovery of the Andrea Doria's disco ball. World-famous deep-sea scuba diver John Chatterbox found the ball after mining hidden nuggets from blueprints and records of the vessel to determine its most likely location. He then did a hazardous penetration deep into the bowels of the wreck, which is lying on its side in crazy deep lotta water.

Right: Chatterbox "gets down" with some hot wreck-diving moves


Feather Blenny

Hypsoblennius hentzi

Size: to 5"

Habitat: bays, estuaries, protected coastal waters

Notes:

Blennies live on the bottom in oyster beds or mussel beds. If you find an old piece of pipe or a bottle in the river, look inside - you'll probably find a blenny.

Printed from njscuba.net