H Richard Moale

Notebook on Shipwrecks, Chesapeake Bay, 1800-1977 H Richard Moale

This notebook represents nearly thirty years of research into the history of wrecks in the Chesapeake Bay. The wrecks are listed both in alphabetical and chronological order from 1800 to 1977. It covers the area from the Virginia Capes at the entrance to the Bay on the south to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and headwaters to the north. The shipwrecks listed resulted from many causes including severe weather, collisions, fire, piloting error, unseaworthiness, and abandonment. A serious attempt was made to separate fact from fiction; newspaper accounts were checked against Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service and other government records. Other valuable research resources included the U. S. National Archives in Washington, D. C.; Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore, Maryland; The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia; Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine; The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data; scuba divers' logbooks and interviews with Bay water-men. Many photographs of vessels, interesting newspaper accounts, photocopies of Coast Guard wreck reports, and official documentation papers of vessels enhance the narrative. Important sources are provided for those wishing to continue research for the many vessels listed with "unknown" data. Like H. Richard Moale's previous book, Notebook on Shipwrecks: Maryland Delaware Coast, this book is based on data of record. The author even performed his own amateur archeological survey of the wrecks; personally diving, taking measurements and collecting data to prove identification.