New Jersey Scuba Diving

China & Silverware (1/2)

China from the shipwreck SS Mohawk
China makes happy divers
China from the shipwreck SS Mohawk
Divers with part of over 1000 dishes recovered from the Mohawk in 1996
China from the shipwreck SS Mohawk
2004 - there are still plenty more to be found
China from the shipwreck SS Mohawk

A stack of 9" dishes from the Mohawk (1935), some of many recovered in 2004. The inset shows the manufacturer's stamp on the back. "Vitrified" refers to the shiny non-porous glaze. The Grindley company is still in business, since 1889.

These dishes were part of the cargo, probably bound for Cuba, and are quite ordinary and unremarkable. If they had actually belonged to the ship, they would most likely bear the Line's name and emblem - in this case Clyde, Clyde-Mallory, or Ward ( the Mohawk changed hands several times. ) Apart from a few stains, they are perfectly usable, after 70 years buried in the shipwreck!

China from the shipwreck SS Mohawk
A fancy dish from the Mohawk
German Navy markings on a dish
German Navy markings on a dish from the U-869
marmalade jar
An ordinary marmalade jar from 1870 - Emerald
teapot
A broken teapot on the Carolina
teapot
The same teapot, with some other pieces

From the Andrea Doria:

China from the shipwreck Andrea Doria
China from the shipwreck Andrea Doria
China from the shipwreck Andrea Doria
from the collection of Dan Crowell
China from the shipwreck Andrea Doria

Miscellaneous:

Horenberg knife
The now-famous "Horenberg knife" from the U-869
Cheap spoons from the shipwreck Mohawk
Cheap spoons from the Mohawk
Cheap coffee cup from the shipwreck Mohawk
Cheap coffee cup from the Mohawk
 1 2  

China Wreck

Type:
shipwreck, sailing ship
Specs:
( 140 ft ? )
Depth:
45 ft

The "China Wreck" is the partial remains of an unidentified late 19th-century wooden sailing ship, with a cargo of china plates and cups, and miscellaneous articles. This site is believed to be the wreck of the D.H. Bills, a 167'-long wooden-hulled barkentine that sank with a cargo of British-made earthenware during a storm in March 1880.

The wreck must be dived at slack tide, and even then conditions at the mouth of Delaware Bay tend to be muddy. The plates themselves date from about 1875, and are fairly ordinary and of little value except to divers who prize such artifacts; and despite years of plunder, there are still more to be found.

More: China Wreck ...

Disclaimer:

I make no claim as to the accuracy, validity, or appropriateness of any information found in this website. I will not be responsible for the consequences of any action that is based upon information found here. Scuba diving is an adventure sport, and as always, you alone are responsible for your own safety and well being.

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