Trip report 7/26/05

[ScubaNorth]

Where is the Margaret ? Never heard of her. P.

Someplace off the Gooseberries to the South West if memory serves me right. I'll check it out tonight and post in a bit. The cargo on that ship would be virtually priceless. It contained containers of "flow blue" pottery from Holland. They would have packed the pottery in barrels of sand for shipping and when she went down the cargo was judged not worth the effort. Unlike gold, pottery doesn't last long so the value once for ounce at that age is more than gold. They tried some type of salvage effort if the records are correct but again it turned out not to be worth the trouble. As Mr. Mel Fisher found out wrecks tend to travel after sinking so she has had like 250 years of storms to shift her around good. Someone had permits a while back to look for her and that plan may be a clue as to where not to look.

 

[Boston Diver Services]

Gooseberries?

 

[ScubaNorth]

Gooseberries?

OK I really have to look this up! I am going off memory but I want to say in the Bakers Island area (North Shore) not to be confused with Gooseberry Island in Barnstable. I swear I will get a topo map when I get out of here, hey you know what the heck with it, I am out of here. I will look it up when I get home in my extensive research library, it's in one of my two books. I really wasn't going to look for the cargo so it is an old memory of something I read. I will post the entire blurb from the book and a topo map or link to one of the area. May the gods of plagarism forgive me.

 

[ScubaNorth]

On the evening of January 6, 1796 the 250 ton ship the Margaret with a cargo of Dutch porcelain, steel and gin struck hard aground in shoals waters. The ship wrecked off the Eastern Gooseberries, off Salem (there you go off Salem they are). 4 crew died in the accident. Workers began salvage effort the next day as the ship sank (translation they grabbed the strong box and as much booze as they could, think about it this was 1796 and these were guys, it was a Sunday and Football was like 100 years away. I assure you the booze first then the steel and lastly the porcelain.) The intent was to build a cofferdam in the spring but looks like that failed and an insurance claim was paid. So here is the scoop fairly easy to find this wreck (compared to the Atocha or the Central America) but I have to say visions of bring up 8 sweet place settings of china will not lure a lot of heavy duty investors. However the artifacts would be worth quite a bit of money if they are not sand blasted to junk. Mr Raymond Bates the author of Shipwrecks North of Boston Volume 1, claims to know where to find this wreck but is also not talking. All this info was taken from the above mentioned book of which I have a copy. Anyone interested in wrecks PM me and I will send you the book free of charge. Please post that it is taken first, so I don't get a bunch of repsonses.


I still think your find is cool.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.5231&lon=-70.7859&datum=nad83

 

[lord1234]

scuba, while I am interested, i am not a competent enough diver to even consider diving some of these...hey BDS, do you require certain certifications to dive with you?

 

[Boston Diver Services]

You must have at least your OW C-Card. Your level of expirence will, however, determine the sites we dive. You can check out the sites we offer at bostondiverservices.com. P.

 

[yak]

You must have at least your OW C-Card. Your level of expirence will, however, determine the sites we dive. You can check out the sites we offer at bostondiverservices.com. P.

Hey Pat, I just noticed the picture on your website of Jim and I with the lobsters! We'll have to try and replace it with bigger ones.

 

[jchaplain]

If you still have the book, I would like it.

John Chaplain

On the evening of January 6, 1796 the 250 ton ship the Margaret with a cargo of Dutch porcelain, steel and gin struck hard aground in shoals waters. The ship wrecked off the Eastern Gooseberries, off Salem (there you go off Salem they are). 4 crew died in the accident. Workers began salvage effort the next day as the ship sank (translation they grabbed the strong box and as much booze as they could, think about it this was 1796 and these were guys, it was a Sunday and Football was like 100 years away. I assure you the booze first then the steel and lastly the porcelain.) The intent was to build a cofferdam in the spring but looks like that failed and an insurance claim was paid. So here is the scoop fairly easy to find this wreck (compared to the Atocha or the Central America) but I have to say visions of bring up 8 sweet place settings of china will not lure a lot of heavy duty investors. However the artifacts would be worth quite a bit of money if they are not sand blasted to junk. Mr Raymond Bates the author of Shipwrecks North of Boston Volume 1, claims to know where to find this wreck but is also not talking. All this info was taken from the above mentioned book of which I have a copy. Anyone interested in wrecks PM me and I will send you the book free of charge. Please post that it is taken first, so I don't get a bunch of repsonses.


I still think your find is cool.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.5231&lon=-70.7859&datum=nad83

 

[ScubaNorth]

If you still have the book, I would like it.

John Chaplain

Done

 

[Boston Diver Services]

Jack, I would expect no less. P.