Shipwreck Search Flashcards
Who is Harry Pecorelli?
He is an an archaeologist, who discovered the missing H.L. Hunley.
What does an archaeologist do?
They scientifically study people of the past and how they lived.
How long is the H.L. Hunley compared to modern day submarines?
The H.L. Hunley is 40’ long, and 4’ 3” tall, compared to a modern submarine which measures the length of ten Hunley submarines.
How did the team actually begin to raise the Hunley?
They set up a barge with legs resting on the seafloor. A crane on the barge lowered a set of strong metal bars around the submarine. The bars which are called trusses, surrounded the Hunley as a cage.
What year was the Hunley raised?
2000
What was the boat called?
The submarine is called the H.L. Hunley.
Why was the H.L. Hunley exceptional?
It was an iron submarine, used in the Civil War. It was the first submarine that ever sunk a ship.
When did the Confederate Hunley sink the USS Housatonic?
It sunk the Housatonic on February 17, 1864.
Since the H.L. Hunley is made out of iron, in the 1980’s and 1990s what instrument did archeologists use to search the sea floor for iron?
A magnetometer, is an instrument used for locating iron.
Who went with Harry on May 3, 1995 to locate the Hunley, and how did they find it?
Harry with the help of Wes Hall, and Ralph Wilbanks used a probe and searched the seafloor carefully every few feet. Finally he hit a smooth curved object with his probe, the tower of the Hunley.
What was the name of the barge that brought up the Hunley?
Titan. (picture on page 20)
How many bones and teeth did they find?
1600 human bones and teeth.
Who put the clay on the skulls to make them look more real?
Sharon Long put the clay strips on the skulls adding cheeks, chins, and noses. Then she added hair and eyes.
What is the powdery orange material that can form on iron, and cause it to weaken and fall apart?
Rust.
When did the Civil War begin?
1861.
When and where did the H.L. Hunley sink?
It sank in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 17, 1864.
When and where did archeologists Harry Pecorelli, Wes Hall, and Ralph Willbanks search for the H.L. Hunley?
They searched for the Hunley May 1995, in Charleston, South Carolina.
What did they do when they discovered the Hunley?
They buried it in sand so no one else could find and steal it. They did this while they secretly planned a complex excavation for the Hunley.
Why was it difficult to raise the Hunley?
The Hunley was filled with sediment weighing 46,700 lbs. It’s surface was made out of iron templates held together by thick bolts called rivets, that were now weak. The rivets holding iron plates together would fall apart if they were lifted in this condition.
How did they protect the Hunley, before raising it?
Divers put a sling on each side of the many trusses, they added bags between them, and squeezed soft foam into the bags between them. They did this for each of the 32 bags. The foam hardened into the shape of the boat, protecting it.
After preparing the Hunley with the protected trusses around the surface of the submarine, were they able to lift it successfully?
Yes!
Where did they put the Hunley when they brought it out of the ocean?
The excavated Hunley was put in a big tank of cold water to prevent rust, fungi or algae from destroying it.
What is the shape of the Hunley.
It has a sharp front end, a sleek hull, and 2 towers with round windows in them.
How did the archaeologists manage to get into the submarine to explore?
Since all of the hatches were too small for people to fit through, they had to remove an iron template to get into the submarine.
