Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

In February of 2008, two 18-pounder carronades were discovered off the Oregon coast near Arch Cape in Clatsop County. In addition to the carronades, several associated artifacts were collected from the site, including lengths of chain, a heavy iron wedge and a mooring shackle. The carronades and associated artifacts were transported to Texas A&M University's Conservation Research Laboratory for long-term preservation and conservation. While the primary objective of this thesis is to detail the various methods used in conserving the Arch Cape artifact assemblage, the work also serves as an analysis of the carronades themselves. The design and caliber of the guns as well as historic accounts suggest the carronades are associated with Shark, a U.S. Navy schooner built at the Washington Navy Yard in 1821. During its 25-year career, Shark spent 18 years operating in the Atlantic Ocean suppressing piracy in the West Indies and the slave trade off the western coast of Africa. The schooner was also stationed in the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean before a final survey in the Oregon Territory in 1846 resulted in its loss in the Columbia River. It was reported that part of Shark's wreckage with three attached carronades came ashore south of Hug Point. In January 1898, a winter storm revealed one of the carronades, which was recovered, along with the schooner's capstan, a cleat and a chock. The discovery of the pair of carronades in 2008 is strong evidence that these, along with the carronade recovered in 1898, are the three guns attributed to USS Shark's wreckage. This thesis will also analyze indentifying features on the carronades, such as maker's marks and serial numbers, and explore the origins of the guns, determining how they came to be on board the American schooner by referring to records such as the Woolwich proof books and armament lists. The harsh conditions of the coastal environment affect the assemblage in a number of ways. While much of the metal of the assemblage is stable and can be treated using electrolysis, the delicate organic materials must undergo specific treatments. Since these organic artifacts were treated primarily with silicone oil, the thesis will compare some of the final results of using this polymer passivation technology with different materials, such as wood, leather and cordage. Finally, in addition to detailing the conservation of the assemblage, this thesis describe the reverse engineering required to disassemble the carronades and gun carriages.

In 1953 the tangled, skeletal remains of a ship were pulled from the small harbor of Penetanguishene, Ontario. Local historians had hoped to raise the hull of a War of 1812 veteran, but the vessel pulled from the depths did not meet the criteria. Identified as H.M. Schooner Tecumseth, the vessel was built just after the War of 1812 had ended. Historical research of Tecumseth and her sister ship Newash, which remained in Penetanguishene harbor, illuminated the ships? shadowy past. Conceived and built after the war, the vessels sailed for only two years before being rendered obsolete by the terms of the Rush-Bagot disarmament agreement. Nevertheless, the two vessels offer a unique perspective from which to view the post-war period on the Great Lakes. The schooners? hulls were interpreted and analyzed using archaeological evidence. A theoretical rigging reconstruction was created, using contemporary texts and documentary evidence of the ships themselves. Architectural hull analysis was carried out to explore the nature of these vessels. From these varied approaches, a conception of Newash and Tecumseth has emerged, revealing ways in which the hulls were designed to fulfill their specific duties. The hulls were sharp, yet had capacious cargo areas. The rigs combined square-rigged and fore-and-aft sails for maximum flexibility. The designs of the hulls and rigging also reflect predominant attitudes of the period, in which naval vessels on the lakes gave way to merchant craft. Taken as a whole, Tecumseth and Newash illustrate how ships, while fluid in the nature of their work, are also singular entities that truly encapsulate a specific point in time and place.

In 1997 a group of archaeologists from Texas A&M University's Nautical Archaeology Program traveled to Wasaga Beach, Ontario to document the hull remains of the eighteenth-century schooner Nancy. In 1927, the schooner was recovered from the banks of an island in the Nottawasaga River, near its confluence with Lake Huron. The hull is now on display in the Nancy Island Historic Site. Despite being available to the public for more than 75 years, the 1997 documentation was the first to thoroughly record the construction of the vessel. In addition to archaeological investigation, historical research was carried out to further our understanding of Nancy's commercial and naval career. The archaeological data reveal a schooner that was built by talented shipwrights using the fine timber harvested around the Great Lakes in the eighteenth-century. This study adds a considerable amount of new information to the otherwise scanty base of knowledge available on the construction of early Great Lakes sailing vessels. Historical research shows that Nancy and her crews were participants in many important events that shaped the Great Lakes Region. From her construction in Detroit in 1789, Nancy was employed in the fur trade. As tensions flared between Great Britain and the United States in 1812, Nancy was utilized as an armed transport for the British forces around the lakes. in August of 1814, the schooner was trapped in the Nottawasaga River by a strong American naval force. Nancy's commander set fire to the vessel to deny it to the enemy. This thesis examines the construction details and history of the schooner Nancy in detail. Preliminary chapters will provide the historical context for the vessel and describe Nancy's long journey that ended at the Nancy Island Historic Site. The second half of the thesis describes the construction of the schooner and compares it with other contemporary vessels. The study concludes that Nancy's hull represents an eighteeth-century construction tradition modified for use on the Great Lakes, and also demonstrates the vessel's dual roles as trader and military transport.