Notice the blocky shape and structure of this stranded but otherwise typical old wooden barge. Barges usually have minimal crews, to tend the lines.
A barge is a vessel that does not have its own means of propulsion ( usually. ) Barges are towed or pushed from place to place by tugboats, or anchored in place to serve as temporary work platforms, floating docks, or storage. Some barges are self-propelled, in a limited way. These are known as scows, and their limited propulsive power restricts them to protected waters without the assistance of a tugboat.
The Alex Gibson shipwreck is the remains of a wooden barge. The barge was built in 1877 was 180 ft long and displaced 2154 tons. She was sunk in the 1930s and now sits in 40 ft of water on a clean sand bottom.
H10224/86-88 -- OPR-C121-WH-86-88; DEVELOPMENT 240; PREVIOUSLY UNCHARTED WRECK INVESTIGATED WITH 50M RANGE SIDE-SCAN SONAR AND DIVER; DIVERS FOUND A BADLY DETERIORATED WOODEN 140 X 40 FT BARGE, SITTING UPRIGHT ON A SAND BOTTOM; ALTHOUGH THE SOUTHEAST END OF WRECK IS MORE INTACT, THE LEAST DEPTH WAS LOCATED ON THE NORTHWEST END; 49 FT PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH TAKEN ON THE TOP OF A WOODEN SUPPORT RIB. (ENTERED MSD 4/91)