Cultural Site Formation Processes in Maritime Archaeology: Disaster Response, Salvage and Muckelroy 30 Years on

Abstract

Thirty years after Muckelroy's seminal 1976 paper on shipwreck site formation, research on the cultural processes which contribute to the creation and modification of shipwrecks remains limited. It is proposed that by adopting a process-oriented framework, we can integrate and synthesize the documentary, oral and archaeological evidence of human response to shipwreck into a structure which parallels the physical progress of the disaster. Possible cultural responses to shipwreck are considered, from pre-voyage planning through to post-impact salvage, including physical correlations potentially visible in the archaeological record.

Investigating archaeological site formation processes on the battleship USS Arizona using finite element analysis

“…A variety of recent literature reviews the fundamentals of archaeological site formation processes on submerged sites (e.g. Gibbs, 2006;O'Shea, 2002;Quinn, 2006;Stewart, 1999;Ward et al, 1999), however FEA has not been applied to modeling site formation processes on submerged archaeological sites or other underwater cultural heritage (although the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley was subjected to a pre-recovery FEA to determine if the hull would withstand recovery, see Oceaneering International, Inc., 2000).…”

Whatever Works: Amphibious Tractors and Field Expedient Armor Modifications

“…The towing ring on the bow is mounted horizontally, while late production models have a vertical towing eye through which a large shackle is secured. The LVT(A)-4 was designed with a 75 mm Howitzer specifi cally engineered to destroy reinforced bunkers in response to pre-impact threats revealed through previous Pacifi c invasions and aerial reconnaissance (Gibbs 2006 ;Mesko 1993 ).…”

Evidencia arqueológica de naufragios en zonas costeras: El caso del Parque Nacional Monte León (Provincia de Santa Cruz)

“…En función de las distintas circunstancias que pudieron haber originado la pérdida de una embarcación y las condiciones del medio ambiente en que ello tuvo lugar, el proceso de naufragio pudo ocurrir en forma rápida o bien a lo largo de varios días (Gibbs, 2006). Por ejemplo, no es lo mismo que una embarcación haya naufragado a causa de una explosión, a que se haya hundido sin mayores daños de su casco.…”

“…En este sentido, cabe señalar que la recuperación o salvamento de restos náufragos ha sido una práctica recurrente a lo largo de la historia (Gibbs, 2006). Para las costas patagónicas se han citado varios antecedentes de dichas actividades, tanto por parte de grupos indígenas como de otros pobladores (ver, por ejemplo, Solari, 1992;Vázquez et al, 2011;Murray et al 2012).…”