For all of you out there, this is the Okeanos Explorer, we are starting dive 7.
Today we are looking at a shipwreck, what we call Monterrey B.
It’s the third in what we think may have been a fleet of three ships that all sank together somewhere in the early 19th century.
This is the only of the three ships that isn’t clad in copper.
But it also seems, ironically, to be the best preserved of the three.
The starboard side seems a little more exposed.
But then there’s also a bulkhead towards the aft quarter of the vessel.
And there was some question about what appeared to be a mast, but it seems to be a little off center.
Everybody take a look at the staining. You can really see the form the lines of the stern here.
Look here and you can see the edge of the planking frames underneath.
I believe this vessel has healed over.
Does that look like it’s sitting inside of another bowl?
It almost looks like.
Could be.
So this wouldn’t be an hourglass. It’d probably be a minute clock.
These would come in seconds and minutes and they’re used for navigation.
Ah. Great. Thank you.
You see the gimbal and you see the remains of the box.
This, if it’s not the compass, this may be what’s left of this ship’s chronometer.
I’d like to look at the edges of them. One of the things that you sometimes will see is where they had laced and stretched them.
But again, we just don’t know a lot about the transport of these types of commodities.
As you approach the bow, what we’re going to want to do is take a look at the anchor.
Not only the fulcrum and flukes, but also the stock or the body.
We are diving on Monterrey B. This is the third vessel in a fleet of vessels that may have sunk together in the early 19th century.
So who’s sailing around in soft wood, possibly pine, built, two-masted, unsheathed, iron-fastened vessels in the early 19th century?