California Shipwrecks

California Shipwrecks

Intertidal Shipwrecks

A global array of case studies demonstrating practices for preserving the maritime cultural heritage of vulnerable shipwrecks Shipwreck sites in intertidal zones—the parts of shorelines that are exposed at low tide and covered at high tide—are located within dynamic environments. Periodically uncovered and reburied, these stranded vessels are affected by surf and currents that accelerate the decay of their remains, and their materials are often salvaged. This volume presents 17 case studies from 9 countries on the management of intertidal shipwrecks and strategies for conservation, archaeological research, and public outreach focused on such sites.  These case studies explore topics such as legislation protecting shipwrecks along the Pacific coast of New Zealand, the ways wreck sites in Germany’s North Sea coastline are safeguarded and studied, local community participation in the preservation of shipwrecks along the Patagonian Atlantic coast, and the effects of climate change on sites along the Potomac River in Maryland. Pioneering intertidal resource managers discuss innovative strategies for preventing damage to ships and losses to local maritime heritage. The first volume to examine these sites at varying scales across the globe, Intertidal Shipwrecks is an important resource as climate impacts increase and the role of citizen science programs becomes more significant.  A volume in the series Society and Ecology in Island and Coastal Archaeology, edited by Victor D. Thompson and Scott M. Fitzpatrick  Contributors: Edward Pollard | Jose Manuel Mates Luque | Bev Parslow | Susan B.M. Langley | Karl Brady | Monica Grosso | Linda Shine | Hefin Meara | Guillermo Gutiérrez | Christian Murray | James P. Delgado | Mark Harrison | Anthony Corn | Sandra Henry | Athena Trakadas | Nathan Richards | Carlo Beltrame | Maria Paula Bunicontro | Stephen B. Atkinson | Kurt Bennett | Stefan Claesson | Brad Duncan | Taylor Picard | Andy Sherman | Amy A. Borgens | Chuck Meide | Mariam Pousa

A Long, Dangerous Coastline

On September 8, 1923, seven US Navy destroyers rammed into jagged rocks on the California coast. Twenty-three sailors died that night. Five years earlier, the Canadian Pacific passenger ship Princess Sophia steamed into Vanderbilt Reef in Alaska's Lynn Canal. When she sank, she took 353 people to their deaths. From San Francisco's fog-bound Golden Gate to the stormy Inside Passage of British Columbia and Alaska, the magnificent west coast of North America has taken a deadly toll. Here are the dramatic tales of ships that met their end on this treacherous coastline--including Princess Sophia, Benevolence, Queen of the North and others.