Remote Sensing Investigations of Civil War Era Shipwrecks in the Vicinity of Fort St. Philip, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

摘要

This report presents the results of a cultural resource survey and testing project at historic Fort St. Philip in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The goal of this project was the discovery of vessel remains associated with a naval battle between Union and Confederate forces that occurred at this location in April 1862. Extensive historical research was conducted on both the battle and the ships that took part in it, in order to prepare an historical precis. An initial magnetometer survey was conducted In the Mississippi River and across the batture area in front of the fort. As a result of this survey, six magnetic targets were identified for subsequent testing. These targets later were examined by means of core borings taken at the target locations. Sixty core tests were drilled to a depth of at least fifty feet In the five target areas. Two historic vessels were located as a result of the survey and testing program. The first has been identified as the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Louisiana, based upon the size of the target, the fabric of material encountered by the core drill, and its location In relationship to historic accounts of its sinking. The second target, composed of iron and bald cypress planks, has been identified tentatively as the River Defense fleet vessel Defiance. Both vessels presently are buried under tens of feet of sediment on the batture between the levee and the Mississippi River. Because the remains of these vessels are inaccessible by conventional means, it is recommended that the New Orleans District produce informational materials to inform the public of these significant resources.