The Kingstown Harbor Shipwreck: An Interim Report

During the holiday season of 1997-1998 in Kingstown, St. Vincent, there was an added excitement in the air. Apart from the cheer associated with Christmas and the spirit of good-will and optimism as the New Year began, there was a curiosity and a sense of adventure. This was most particularly evident in the vicinity of the New Kingstown Fish Market where, at several times each day, a group of archaeologists with dive gear and underwater equipment arrived at the fisheries wharf. Traveling from their headquarters just down Bay Street, they would take a small, open speedboat out to a wooden platform moored at the southern confine of the harbor. From there, they would dive hundred feet to the sea floor and travel back more than two hundred years in time.

From December 10, 1997, to January 10, 1998, the Institute of Maritime History (IMH) conducted a detailed survey of a historic shipwreck in Kingstown Harbor with the assistance of the Academic Diving Program at Florida State University (FSU). The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines supported the expedition to explore and document the archaeological site. This assessment was performed with a number of considerations in mind. The primary intent of IMH’s investigation was to document the site in its undisturbed state, and perform a basic analysis of the historical relevance of the site. Other factors included determining the site’s potential for contributing to the development of cultural tourism in St. Vincent. Along these lines, consideration of a more detailed expedition to excavate a portion of the site was undertaken.

I. Introduction

During the holiday season of 1997-1998 in Kingstown, St. Vincent, there was an added excitement in the air. Apart from the cheer associated with Christmas and the spirit of good-will and optimism as the New Year began, there was a curiosity and a sense of adventure. This was most particularly evident in the vicinity of the New Kingstown Fish Market where, at several times each day, a group of archaeologists with dive gear and underwater equipment arrived at the fisheries wharf. Traveling from their headquarters just down Bay Street, they would take a small, open speedboat out to a wooden platform moored at the southern confine of the harbor. From there, they would dive hundred feet to the sea floor and travel back more than two hundred years in time.

From December 10, 1997, to January 10, 1998, the Institute of Maritime History (IMH) conducted a detailed survey of a historic shipwreck in Kingstown Harbor with the assistance of the Academic Diving Program at Florida State University (FSU). The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines supported the expedition to explore and document the archaeological site. This assessment was performed with a number of considerations in mind. The primary intent of IMH’s investigation was to document the site in its undisturbed state, and perform a basic analysis of the historical relevance of the site. Other factors included determining the site’s potential for contributing to the development of cultural tourism in St. Vincent. Along these lines, consideration of a more detailed expedition to excavate a portion of the site was undertaken.

This report briefly summarizes the activities of the survey team during the month-long period of examination. During that time, the team collected a significant amount of information regarding the archaeological nature of the site. This data set, which is curated and maintained by IMH, includes scaled and measured drawings, photographs and video recordings, maps and detailed notes of the surface features of the site and the artifacts that had been recovered from it and were available for examination.

Detailed analysis and interpretation of this entire set of data is ongoing and final conclusions have yet to be drawn. Pertinent examples of collected information will be presented in this report, as they are relevant. The report includes a brief discussion of discoveries made during the survey and contains a preliminary analysis of the site itself. This report concludes with recommendations concerning the further examination and management of the shipwreck as a cultural resource of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

II Survey

A. Site Discovery and Previous Investigations

There are various reports regarding the discovery of the historic shipwreck in Kingstown Harbor. Some reports indicate that the site was first encountered by an enthusiast in marine biology from the neighboring island of Mustique. Dr. Earl Kirby of the Archaeological Museum in Kingstown claimed that this woman, Mary Margaret Goodwin, discovered the wreck in the 1970’s while looking for sharks.

Bill Tewes, owner and operator of the dive shop Dive St. Vincent in Young Island Harbor, came upon the wreck following the sinking of the steel ships Seimstrand and Nomad in the mid 1980’s. While diving the modern wrecks as a sport diving attraction, Tewes reports that he began to notice the outlines of anchors and cannons amid the coral reef to the stern of Seimstrand. Tewes and his staff continued to dive the site for several years and led many sport diving tours on it. He reports that the site of the two modern wrecks and the historical shipwreck were a popular attraction.

Tewes and members of his staff did recover some cultural material from the site during that early time, although his report is that this recovery was restricted. For the most part, this was due to his own directive that the site would make a better attraction for dive tours if it was left intact. One artifact that was recovered was a large brown salt-glazed ceramic vessel with a handle. Tewes photographed this artifact and sent copies of the prints to Mensun Bound, an English archaeologist who has some experience in maritime archaeology and the historical period. Bound returned Tewes correspondence, suggesting that the artifact appeared to date to the later portion of the 18th century. It appears that Bound was the first person to suggest that the shipwreck could be the remains of an English slaver, Africa.