New England Shipwreck Art by Capt. Dan Berg
Shipwrecks of New England

The paddle wheel steamship Portland was one of the largest and most palatial vessels afloat in New England during the 1890s. Built in 1889, the steamer ran between Portland, Maine and Boston until its loss with all hands in 1898.

According to the The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary "The sanctuary, in partnership with the National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut (NURC-UConn), visits Portland yearly with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to learn about the steamship's construction, why it sank, and the experiences of the passengers and crew
during the storm. Portland's loss is New England's greatest steamship disaster prior to the year 1900.

Four years of historical and archaeological studies by the sanctuary and NURC-UConn culminated in Portland's inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The steamship is significant to the history of New England and more specifically to the history of Maine and Massachusetts"

On December 8th 2008 the following story was posted on The Deco Stop. "Forget about the blizzard of 1978. The granddaddy of all New England storms is the Gale of 1898. Caught in the middle of its howling winds and towering seas, the steamer Portland tried, but failed, to ride out the waves, finally sinking and taking 192 passengers and crew to a watery grave. Tonight, Peter Mehegan recounts that fateful event. And Mary Richardson brings us a 21st century coda: the story of five Massachusetts adventurers who did the unthinkable, testing the limits of human endurance as they dove nearly 500 feet to see the wreck up close for the first time".

The Volund
Sank September 26, 1908
Discovered October 9, 2003 by the NOAA vessel Thomas Jefferson

First dive operations by the crew of the dive boat Baccala conducted October 17th, 2003.
Divers confirmed the wreck to be the Norwegian Tramp Steamer Volund.

Photo and side scan sonar image courtesy Mark Munro http://www.soundunderwatersurvey.com/SUS/Wrecks/volund.htm
 

Sailing Bark Trajan
The Sinking and Discovery of A 19^th Century Lime Carrier
On December 6^th 2008  the discovery and identification of the shipwreck Trajan in Newport Harbor was the culmination of luck, perseverance and research by Divers/Maritime Historians John Stanford and Mark Munro.

     The Trajan was a Bark rigged sailing vessel and took her name from the Roman Emperor Trajan.  She was built in 1856 at the yard of H. Merrian in Rockland Maine, had a length of 125’, a beam of 29’ 6” and a draft of 13’.  From 1856 to 1864 she made several passages between New York, Cuba, and England.  By 1867 she was engaged in the Rockland Lime Trade under the command of Captain W. Sleeper. At the time of the Trajan’s loss, August 17, 1867, she was on a voyage from Rockland Maine to New Orleans carrying a cargo of lime.  Lime was a dangerous cargo: if it got wet, a chemical reaction created heat and sometimes caused the schooner to catch fire.  This was to be Trajan’s undoing.

    On September 27, 2008 Munro and Stanford conducted a Side Scan Sonar and Magnetometer Survey in the area where extensive research indicated the Trajan shipwreck should be located.  On the fist side scan sonar pass a large prominent target was observed with the dimensions from the sonogram consistent with what might be expected if it were the Trajan. During post processing it was also noted that there was a significant magnetometer reading associated with this target. 

    Not wanting to wait until the spring to investigate this target they decided to plan a winter time exploratory dive.  On December 5^th 2008 they motored to the site in Stanford's AVON and using a depth recorder located a rise on the bottom at the predicted location of the target.  The two then anchored the boat over the site.  After donning they're dive gear and descending to the bottom they were greeted by a large mound of concreted Lime. Stanford and Munro then knew that they had indeed found the long lost remains of the Trajan.

Side scan sonar image and text courtesy Mark Munro
http://www.soundunderwatersurvey.com/SUS/Wrecks/Trajan.htm
 

The Shipwreck Diving E-Book  Instant Downloadable E-Book 

Shipwreck Diving, by Capt. Dan Berg is a complete how to book about the sport of wreck diving. This book is packed with information and heavily illustrated with over 80 sensational color photographs.