Dive report Nantucket Sound Ma.

[AfterDark]

Dive 2097 Sat 10-03-2020 Wreck site of the Pemberton Nantucket Sound buddy @DanSinks

A perfect day to be on the water and diving. @DanSinks Capt. and owner of the L.D. got us right over the site and firmly anchored like a pro 1st time. The current was still moving when we got in and it turned out to deviate quite a bit from the predicted time of slack. After pulling ourselves to and down the anchor line we reached a sandy bottom in 35FSW where we could manage the current. After getting a reel on the anchor line we swam around looking for evidence of a wreck and @DanSinks found it! I spent 30 mins at 35FSW a bot temp of 66F and found nothing but my way back to the anchor and later the boat. Post dive Dan showed off some coal he found, some of the coal had chucks of once molten metal embedded in it. The Pemberton was a wooden schooner converted to a coal barge, it was sunk after burning to the waterline. The metal was probably the from bins or perhaps some metal reinforcement structure to handle the weight of the coal and likely in contact with the coal. Makes me think the Pemberton was right under the sand we swam over.

Post dive Mrs.AD spotted a BIG grey seal swimming by 150yds away. Looked like a big bull 8-10' long 400+lbs. After hearing us he sounded and didn't reappear.

Thanks for a fine day Dan! On to the Port Hunter!

 

[formernuke]

We tried to return Sunday but the currents were to strong.

 

[AfterDark]

We tried to return Sunday but the currents were to strong.

We definitely need to find a way to get a better handle on the time of ebb, high or low. The P H will be another schooling.

 

[formernuke]

We definitely need to find a way to get a better handle on the time of ebb, high or low. The P H will be another schooling.

Yes it will in all reality that will likely be next year.

 

[DanSinks]

The huge wreck reel that @AfterDark made was very valuable to make big sweeps of the area around our anchor, it's a very effective way to search an area. I enjoyed that dive, it was nice to find some coal, we know the Pemberton must be close by, although as @AfterDark said it could be buried in the sand(I would bet that some part of the hull is above the sand though, we will search the area again in the future). This 3 masted schooner sunk in 1907 and the exact location is unknown so we are happy to find what we did. I wanted to put together a nice video of this dive, I was intending to install some video editing software but did not do it yet.

In regards to the tide chart time, yes we used the Tide chart of numbers listed for Falmouth Heights and it was off by more than 25 minutes, slack tide was later than listed. We could have used numbers listed for Martha's Vineyard, Buzzards bay or some other location. But all we really need is a ball park number so we can be sure to be anchored at the spot long before the slack comes, it should be about 2 hours before. Then we suit up and watch the current gradually slow down and enter the water when it has slowed sufficiently, by the time we end the dive it should be close to slack. I would continue to use Falmouth Heights Tide chart for the various dive spots in the area and make a note in the ships log of how far off slack it is each time.

Here is the first raw video:

 

[DanSinks]

here is the second video that just shows a few pieces of coal......

 

[formernuke]

I still think you guys found it. If the fire was hot enough to melt the steel bolts to the coal it likely burnt to the water line and the little remaining wood has disintegrated in the salt water.

 

[DanSinks]

I would bet the house that there is some significant part left to the hull. I've seen some old wrecks up in Rockport that had peg construction and brass etc that must have been 200 years old. The Pemberton is only 100yrs. The thick timbers those old ships were made of last a long time. And the fire has chared part of it that will preserve it somewhat. We will find it!!

We should use a magnet to see if the chunks of melted metal we recovered is steel or brass or some non ferrous metal.

Also the chart shows another unkown wreck in the area, it's worth going back since we could find that as well.

 

[formernuke]

I would bet the house that there is some significant part left to the hull. I've seen some old wrecks up in Rockport that had peg construction and brass etc that must have been 200 years old. The Pemberton is only 100yrs. The thick timbers those old ships were made of last a long time. And the fire has chared part of it that will preserve it somewhat. We will find it!!

We should use a magnet to see if the chunks of melted metal we recovered is steel or brass or some non ferrous metal.

Also the chart shows another unkown wreck in the area, it's worth going back since we could find that as well.

Let's go find wrecks.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

make sweeps with sidescan in the area then dive it. alot of marked wrecks in buzzards bay/vineyard sound are no more, i've made a ton of passes looking for evidence and there's just nothing there anymore on a few. and on the flip side, there are a few that look interesting still...

as far as getting the currents under control, get yourself an Eldridge.