Please God Send Me a Wreck: Responses to Shipwreck in a 19th Century Australian Community (When the Land Meets the Sea Book 3)

This Book Explores The Historical And Archaeological Evidence Of The Relationships Between A Coastal Community And The Shipwrecks That Have Occurred Along The Southern Australian Shoreline Over The Last 160 Years. It Moves Beyond A Focus On Shipwrecks As Events And Shows The Short And Long Term Economic, Social And Symbolic Significance Of Wrecks And Strandings To The People On The Shoreline. This Volume Draws On Extensive Oral Histories, Documentary And Archaeological Research To Examine The Tensions Within The Community, Negotiating Its Way Between Its Roles As Shipwreck Saviours And Salvors. Martin Gibbs; Brad Duncan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Acknowledgments 7 Contents 10 About the Authors 14 1 Introduction 15 2 Shipping Mishaps and the Maritime Cultural Landscape 20 Maritime Cultural Landscapes and the Archaeology of Maritime Communities 21 Key Components of Cultural Landscapes 23 Landscapes Are Physical and Cognitive 23 What Cultural Landscape Is Not 23 Land Versus Sea Divide 24 Landscapes Are Continuous, Dynamic and Evolve Over Time and Space 24 Landscapes Are Multivalent and Overlapping 25 History Is Tied to Cultural Landscapes 25 Other Landscape Components 25 Landscapes of Movement (Sailing Routes) 25 Empty Space Is a Significant Landscape Feature 26 Authoritarian Structures Create Landscapes of Power and Resistance 26 Technological Change Is a Dynamic Factor in Landscape Evolution and Change 26 Actions and Events Are as Important as the Archaeological Signatures They Generate 27 Alternative Sensory Perceptions and Ancestral Knowledge Are Key Indicators of Landscapes 27 Environmental Change Shapes and Is Shaped by Cultural Landscapes 27 Social Hierarchy Plays a Key Role in Landscape Formation and Change 28 Alternative Landscapes Can Be Accessed Through Gender Studies 28 Cultural Practices, Ideologies and Beliefs Are Transported Along with People 28 Ritual, Superstition and Symbolism Play a Vital Role in the Determination of Landscapes 29 Maritime Cultural Landscapes and Shipwrecks 29 Behaviour in Response to Shipping Crises: A Model 30 Role of Risk in Maritime Cultural Landscapes 33 Defining Shipping Mishaps 35 Salvage 37 Methodological Approaches to Maritime Cultural Landscape Studies 40 Documentary and Ethno-Historical Analysis 41 Oral Histories and Folklore 42 Toponymy 44 Archaeological Data 45 Thematic Approaches and GIS Data Manipulation 45 Conclusion 46 3 Preparing for Shipping Mishaps 47 Emergence of a Maritime Community 47 The Foundation of Queenscliff 51 Shipping Mishaps Around Port Phillip Heads 54 Unofficial Risk Mitigation Strategies---Deliberate Stranding 58 Official Mitigation Measures 60 Port Phillip Pilots Service 60 Lighthouse Service: Navigational Beacons and Lighthouses 64 Hydrographic Surveying and Channel Deepening 66 Long-Term Mitigation Responses 66 Lifeboat Rescues 67 Customs Services 69 Conclusion 70 4 Crisis Phase Responses 71 Altruistic Responses to Wrecks 72 First Response to Crisis: The Wreck Bell and Lifeboat Launching Procedures 72 On-Site Rescue Procedures and Facilities 75 Other Community Assistance in Shipwreck Rescues 79 Philanthropic Responses 80 Death and Burial 81 Exploitation Responses to Shipping Crises 82 Salvage Claims 83 Financial Benefits of Lifeboat Crew Membership 84 Wreck Tourism 85 Looting 86 Overindulgence 91 Camouflaging or Caching 92 Contraband in Houses and Public Places 93 Deliberate Wrecking? 94 Conclusion 96 5 Mid- and Long-Term Responses 97 Systematic (Official) Salvors 97 Opportunistic Salvage: Flotsam/Jetsam Traps and Beachcombing 107 Shipwrecks as Places 112 Wreck Tourism 113 Conclusion 116 6 Landscapes of Risk Prevention and Mitigation 117 Methods of Site and Place Identification 117 Navigational Structures and Facilities 119 Lighthouses and Associated Structures 119 Beacons and Buoys 125 Marine Beacons and Markers 126 Lightships 129 Other Mechanisms of Risk Mitigation 132 Hydrographic Service 135 Toponymy of Risk Management Landscapes 137 Navigable Channels 137 The Pilots Service 139 Pilot Accommodation 141 Pilot Anchorages 142 Pilot Boats 143 Offshore Activities: Transferal of Pilots 147 Pilot Folklore and Toponymy 148 Customs Service Landscapes 149 Conclusion 151 7 Landscapes of Crisis and Long-Term Response 153 Crisis Response 153 The Wreck Bell 153 Lifeboat Service 154 Shipwrecks 160 Stranding Sites 161 Post-crisis/Post-trauma Phase 163 Shipwreck Victims 164 Official Salvage 168 Shipwreck Looting and Caching 173 Beachcombing and Flotsam/Jetsam Traps 177 Deliberate Wrecking Behaviour Revisited 179 Conclusion 182 8 The Social Landscapes of Shipping Mishaps 183 Community and Crisis 183 Formal Responses to Risk and Crisis 188 Informal Responses to Risk and Crisis 193 Religion and Commemoration 193 Superstition and Traditions for Risk and Safety at Sea 195 Social Structure 197 Economies of Crisis 199 Shipwreck Exploitation as Traditional Practice 199 Tourism 202 Souvenirs 205 Shipwrecks and Dark Tourism 206 The Creation and Manipulation of Folklore 207 Modern Relationships to Shipping Mishaps 208 Conclusion 210 9 Conclusion 211 Responses to Shipping Mishaps in International Perspective 212 Lifeboat Service 212 Wrecking 213 Wreckers and Professional Salvors 215 Opportunistic Looting and Beachcombing 215 Smuggling 217 The Ethno-Archaeological Approach 218 Shipping Mishaps and Maritime Cultural Landscapes 219 Maritime Cultural Landscapes Versus Regional Site Studies 223 Conclusion 224 References 226 Index 245 Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-5 Shipping Mishaps and the Maritime Cultural Landscape....Pages 7-33 Preparing for Shipping Mishaps....Pages 35-58 Crisis Phase Responses....Pages 59-84 Mid- and Long-Term Responses....Pages 85-104 Landscapes of Risk Prevention and Mitigation....Pages 105-140 Landscapes of Crisis and Long-Term Response....Pages 141-170 The Social Landscapes of Shipping Mishaps....Pages 171-198 Conclusion....Pages 199-213 Back Matter....Pages 215-243