The NewsRoom
Release: #3905
Date: October 29, 2008
MMS Report Details Excavation of
Historic Shipwreck
Artifacts Yield Clues to
Colonial Commerce in the Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS The
archaeological excavation of a historic shipwreck, the deepest
scientific recovery of artifacts ever attempted in the Gulf of
Mexico, is the subject of a report published by the U.S. Department
of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS), the federal
agency that regulates the development of the nation’s offshore
energy resources.
The shipwreck lies 35 miles off the
coast of Louisiana in 4,000 feet of water near the Okeanos Gas
Gathering LLC gas pipeline, and was discovered as a result of the
permitting process, required by MMS, for laying pipelines.
“When it became apparent that the
shipwreck could be jeopardized by the construction of a deepwater
pipeline, MMS worked with industry, the State of Louisiana, and the
President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington,
D.C., to preserve this historic site,” said MMS director Randall
Luthi.
In 2004, MMS directed Okeanos to fund
the recovery of shipwreck materials. Texas A&M University’s
Department of Oceanography and Nautical Archaeology Program,
accompanied by MMS archaeologists, conducted the archaeological
recovery of the shipwreck artifacts in 2007.
Although the ship has yet to be
identified, archaeologists refer to it as the Mardi Gras Shipwreck
after the name of the pipeline near which it was found. A specially
equipped, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used to recover more
than 500 artifacts which have been preserved and analyzed for the
historical story they tell. The artifacts will be placed on public
display in Louisiana following their restoration at Texas A&M’s
Conservation Research Laboratory.
The artifacts recovered from the
seafloor indicate the wreck occurred between 1808 and 1820, and
include glass bottles and tableware from France, creamware ceramics
from England, British navigational equipment, personal items, a
variety of European weapons, a Scottish cannon, and a rare ship’s
stove.
“We believe this shipwreck tells an
important story about the role of the Gulf of Mexico during this
period,” said MMS archaeologist Dr. Jack Irion. “New Orleans was a
crucial part of the global clash between European empires. This was
a critical period, not only for Louisiana, but for both U.S. and
world history,” he added.
The final report written by Texas A&M
staff entitled Archaeological Excavation of the Mardi Gras Shipwreck
(16GM01), Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope (MMS Report 2008-037) is
available on the MMS web site at
http://www.gomr.mms.gov/PDFs/2008/2008-037.pdf. Additional
information on the Mardi Gras Wreck can be found at the project web
site at
http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/mardigras/ and at A&M’s
Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation website at
http://nautarch.tamu.edu/mardigras/.
The Mardi Gras shipwreck serves as
the theme for the Louisiana Division of Archaeology’s Archaeology
Month celebrations this October. The wreck is featured on the
official poster, and there will be showings of a film made about the
excavation: Mystery Mardi Gras Shipwreck. For more information go to
http://www.crt.state.la.us/archaeology/homepage/arch.htm.
Contact:
Eileen Angelico
504-736-2595
Caryl Fagot
504-736-2590
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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Last Updated:
10/29/2008,
01:35 PM
Central Time
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