The Archaeology of Watercraft Abandonment [recurso electrónico

The historical importance and archaeological potential of deliberately discarded watercraft has not been a major feature of maritime archaeological enquiry. While research on the topic has appeared since the 1970s as books, chapters, and articles, most examples have been limited in focus and distribution, and in most cases disseminated as unpublished archaeological reports (i.e. the “gray literature”.) So, too, has there been a lack of a single source representing the diversity of geographical, historic, thematic, and theoretical contexts that ships’ graveyard sites and deliberately abandoned vessels represent. In contrast with much of the theoretical or case-specific literature on the theme of watercraft discard, this volume communicates to the reader the common heritage and global themes that ships’ graveyard sites represent. It serves as a blueprint to illustrate how the remains of abandoned vessels in ships' graveyards are sites of considerable research value. Moreover, the case studies in this volume assist researchers in understanding the evolution of maritime technologies, economies, and societies. This volume is intended to expose research potential, create discussion, and reinforce the significance of a prevalent cultural resource that is often overlooked. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Abandoned Ships and Ship Graveyards: Exploring Site Significance and Research Potential....Pages 1-16 Scuttled, But Not Yet Abandoned: The Genesis and Evolution of Antipodean Studies on the Australian West Coast....Pages 17-37 The Thunder Bay Ship Graveyard, Lake Superior: From Abandonment to Deliberate Discard in a Deep Resting Place....Pages 39-58 Resting Places of the Pioneer Craft: Ship Abandonment at Kingston, Canada....Pages 59-78 A Ship Graveyard at City Point, Virginia....Pages 79-97 The United States Shipping Board Fleet at Mallows Bay, Maryland: Inventory and Assessment....Pages 99-117 Pacific Graveyard: Adaptive Reuse, Recycling, and Abandonment in San Francisco’s Maritime Graveyards, 1849–1959....Pages 119-136 The Ship Graveyards of New York Harbor: Damaging Drift or Vanishing Resource?....Pages 137-152 Yukon Hulks and Ship Graveyards....Pages 153-173 The Rural Vessel Abandonment Areas of North Creek, North Carolina....Pages 175-192 The Commercial Fishing Graveyard and Memory: Wright’s Creek, Belhaven, North Carolina....Pages 193-213 Cape Fear’s Forgotten Fleet: The Eagles Island Ship Graveyard, Wilmington, North Carolina....Pages 215-238 Annales School and the Elizabeth City Ships’ Graveyard: A New Theoretical Approach to Ship Abandonment Studies....Pages 239-258 World War One German-built watercraft on the Wingecarribee River....Pages 259-277 Bikini Atoll: Abandoning Hot Ships in a Cold War....Pages 279-296 Vessel Reuse and Abandonment in Post-military Contexts: Examples from the Colonial and Early National Navies of Australia and New Zealand....Pages 297-321 Raising Wilmington’s Forgotten Fleet: Uncovering History with Mobile Video Technology....Pages 323-336 Abandoned Watercraft as a Teaching Resource....Pages 337-354 Victoria’s Ship Graveyard and Abandonment Sites....Pages 355-369 Back Matter....Pages 371-375 The historical importance and archaeological potential of deliberately discarded watercraft has not been a major feature of maritime archaeological enquiry. While research on the topic has appeared since the 1970s as books, chapters, and articles of limited focus and distribution, most examples take the form of unpublished archaeological reports and graduate theses. Additionally, there is no existing single source that represents the great diversity of geographical, historic, thematic, and theoretical contexts of ship graveyard sites and deliberately abandoned vessels. In contrast with much of the theoretical or case-specific literature on the theme of watercraft discard, this volume communicates to the reader the common heritage and global themes that ship graveyard sites represent. It serves as an illustration of how the remains of abandoned vessels in ship graveyards are sites of considerable research value. Moreover, the case studies in this volume assist researchers in understanding the evolution of maritime technologies, economies, and societies. The Archaeology of Watercraft Abandonment is intended to expose research potential, create discussion, and reinforce the significance of a prevalent cultural resource that is often overlooked