Those of you who have been following my blog about the Flinders University maritime archaeology field school in South Australia know that the students have been divided up into three groups (Red, Yellow, and Green teams). These different teams continue to rotate through three primary areas to gain a variety of experience on different kinds of maritime archaeological sites. Teams have been diving and mapping the remains of the Star of Greece shipwreck in Port Willunga, they have been recording the historic pier and baths at Victor Harbor, and have been mapping the remains of the Showboat wreck on the mud flats at Hindmarsh Island. But in addition to these three, there is another project, the magnetometer survey at Middleton Beach.
Many of those who have followed LAMP’s exploits over the years know that magnetometers are devices that can be towed behind a boat, to search a large area of the seafloor for historic shipwrecks. Magnetometers record the intensity of the earth’s magnetic field, which is distorted by the presence of ferrous material (iron or steel). Thus, a wreck with significant amounts of iron (cannons, anchors, nails or bolts) can be detected by this means.
But there are also versions of the magnetometer that can be used on land. This technology can be especially useful to locate the remains of beached shipwrecks, or wrecks that went down on shoals which have over time become islands (such is the case with Conch Island off St. Augustine).
On February 8th, I accompanied the students of Green Team as they did their part to search for the Emu, a shipwreck that wrecked in 1853 as it attempted to seek safe haven in Port Elliot. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, Port Elliot was not a very safe harbor, and the Emu was one of many ships plying that trade that went down. The Emu is especially interesting as it was built in Australia relatively early, in 1841. Historic photographs show its remains partially buried in the sand dunes at Middleton Beach, just east of Port Elliot.
Today Middleton Beach is popular with surfers and beachgoers. It boasts beautiful views of the bluffs of Port Elliot in the background. On a rough day like today, it is easy to see how a sailing ship could come to peril in these turbulent waters.
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