I am not a diver, but I found an interesting old book that talks about a dive site in Newport, Rhode Island. Not finding much in google search about this site, I decided I would make a post here so that the site's existence would not be unknown. It is in a book written by an archaeologist who has unorthodox views, but is articulate and mostly factual in his writing.
Paradox: The Case for the Extraterrestrial Origin of Man
Author: John Phillip Cohane
Publication Date: 1977
page 96
The attribution to Norsemen or Vikings is obviously a laugh, but I am curious as to what was found about the site. If I were to guess, I would say that the blocks were just ship ballast. I did find this article while doing a google search:
Newport Daily News from Newport, Rhode Island · Page 3
Newport Daily News, January 14 1960
Paradox: The Case for the Extraterrestrial Origin of Man
Author: John Phillip Cohane
Publication Date: 1977
page 96
Forty miles south of Mystery Hill two underwater structures have been periodically reported off Newport, Rhode Island. One is near Brenton's Point, and the best firsthand description of it came from a scuba diver, Jackson Jenks, in 1958. It was "conical in shape, 50 to 60 feet high, 40 to 50 feet in diameter, with the top about 40 feet below the surface." It was "built of quarried, uncemented stones, each as big as an office desk, with a parapet encircling the top"
The conical shape and parapet lead some investigators to believe the structure is related to the well known prehistoric round tower in Newport, the origin of which is unknown but which has often been attributed to the Vikings. On the other hand the "quarried, uncemented stones, each as big as an office desk," are quite unlike the land tower and strike a familiar chord. One suspects an earlier ruin modified by Norsemen"
The other submerged structure just north of Newport was observed during an abnormally low tide about ten years ago and was described as an arch. Its exact location has not been determined, but an investigative project embracing the entire area has been set up by the New England Archaeological Research Association.
The conical shape and parapet lead some investigators to believe the structure is related to the well known prehistoric round tower in Newport, the origin of which is unknown but which has often been attributed to the Vikings. On the other hand the "quarried, uncemented stones, each as big as an office desk," are quite unlike the land tower and strike a familiar chord. One suspects an earlier ruin modified by Norsemen"
The other submerged structure just north of Newport was observed during an abnormally low tide about ten years ago and was described as an arch. Its exact location has not been determined, but an investigative project embracing the entire area has been set up by the New England Archaeological Research Association.
The attribution to Norsemen or Vikings is obviously a laugh, but I am curious as to what was found about the site. If I were to guess, I would say that the blocks were just ship ballast. I did find this article while doing a google search:
Newport Daily News from Newport, Rhode Island · Page 3
Newport Daily News, January 14 1960
Giant Manmade Tower Off Lightship Tantalizing To Underwater Hunter
An underwater conical pile of massive quarried stones half a mile offshore has been disclosed by Jackson Jenks 'as the prime reason for his coming to Newport to conduct historical research." He offered the thought yesterday that the structure very probably is eight or nine centuries old, which would point to a Norse origin, but he is making no claims, assumptions or positive statements.
Director of Protection of Historical Sites (Underwater), a national marine archaeological group, Jenks first mentioned the underwater structure at a Newport Waterfront Commission meeting last October. He asked at that time for secrecy on the matter until he had a chance to explore the thing further. The cat was let out of the bag Monday night, however, when Capt. Ehvell B. Thomas of Stonington, Conn., motel and shipyard operator who is a frequent visitor here, spoke lo the Waterfront Commission about the underwater stones.
Because he could not .get. a suitable boat last fall, Jenks kept quiet about the ocean structure and instead concentrated on. underwater relics inside the harbor. But he revealed yesterday that he had been in Newport in July, 1958 and had viewed the mysterious pylon vowing to come back for a full survey. Jenks said the structure is about 60 feet high, silting in 90 feet of water, which means it has about 30'feet of water over its top. He said it is made of fitted stones, without any mortar. Each stone is as big as a telephone booth, he reported. Among the things Jenks is sure of is that the structure is not-the old Whale Rock Light or any form of modern lightship or lighthouse. Nor is it a "Navy septic tank" or "a place to store salt water," as some well-meaning observers have suggested to the underwater research expert
Any opinions? Locating the site might be a challenge, although the reported depth might be a useful clue.An underwater conical pile of massive quarried stones half a mile offshore has been disclosed by Jackson Jenks 'as the prime reason for his coming to Newport to conduct historical research." He offered the thought yesterday that the structure very probably is eight or nine centuries old, which would point to a Norse origin, but he is making no claims, assumptions or positive statements.
Director of Protection of Historical Sites (Underwater), a national marine archaeological group, Jenks first mentioned the underwater structure at a Newport Waterfront Commission meeting last October. He asked at that time for secrecy on the matter until he had a chance to explore the thing further. The cat was let out of the bag Monday night, however, when Capt. Ehvell B. Thomas of Stonington, Conn., motel and shipyard operator who is a frequent visitor here, spoke lo the Waterfront Commission about the underwater stones.
Because he could not .get. a suitable boat last fall, Jenks kept quiet about the ocean structure and instead concentrated on. underwater relics inside the harbor. But he revealed yesterday that he had been in Newport in July, 1958 and had viewed the mysterious pylon vowing to come back for a full survey. Jenks said the structure is about 60 feet high, silting in 90 feet of water, which means it has about 30'feet of water over its top. He said it is made of fitted stones, without any mortar. Each stone is as big as a telephone booth, he reported. Among the things Jenks is sure of is that the structure is not-the old Whale Rock Light or any form of modern lightship or lighthouse. Nor is it a "Navy septic tank" or "a place to store salt water," as some well-meaning observers have suggested to the underwater research expert