Way Downstream, July 11, 2019
In Virginia, researchers on the York River last week reported a rare find: a British ship from the late 18th century complete with cannons — “a historic diver’s dream,” a team member tells the Virginian Pilot.
The ship, discovered by sensors in 23 feet of water, is believed to be the remains of the Shipwright, a British troop transport vessel. More than three dozen British ships were sunk here in 1781. Some were found decades ago, enabling the area to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Seldom do shipwrecks yield cannons. But that is just what divers found.
“Feeling their way along in near-zero visibility, probing into the river bed, they discovered a partially-buried iron cannon measuring more than seven feet long. … They found another and possibly a third buried even deeper. They also detected what they think is the hull of the ship, resting a foot or more down in the mud,” the newspaper reports.
“It’s so encrusted you can’t even put your hand in the muzzle,” Ryan Johnston, one of the researchers said. “Geez, we’d be happy to find even one cannon. This is huge.”