The type of watercraft that have been used in the Ocracoke Inlet area have evolved over time based on cultural and economic requirements during both the prehistoric and historic periods. Ocracoke Inlet was employed as a major transportation artery for commerce during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The Shipwreck database has identified two thousand vessels that fall within the primary research area. A statistical analysis of the database shows sixteen different types of vessels reported lost within this area.
Database record of vessels lost within Ocracoke area by type.
Analysis of the database also compared the number of vessels lost per century. This may be indicative of the increasing number of newspapers springing up in the New World as compared to the earlier centuries (15th and 16th) along with the establishment of the United States Life Saving Stations in the early 1800's. The decrease in the number of vessels lost during the 19th century may also indicate the decrease in importance and therefore a reduction of maritime traffic through Ocracoke Inlet.
Database record of vessels lost within Ocracoke area by century.
To understand the smallest amount of uncovered material culture and associate these with a shipwreck, it is necessary to develop criteria from which identification can be made. Wrecks with little or no associated artifacts can often be dated by structural evidence left behind. While conducting a magnetic search for wrecks within the Ocracoke area, it is important to look at the amount of iron which could be reasonably expected to be present within the ship. Vessels from the early colonial period would use wooden dowels called treenails to fasten timbers and planking to a vessel. Iron was used sparingly and may be present only in keel bolts, rudder straps, and anchors. Many vessels wrecked prior to the middle 17th century contain little at all. It was during the late colonial period that we see the use of iron in ship construction increase. Iron was used in the superstructure of a vessel when planking was less than 1 ½ inches thick. Iron gudgeons and pintles held the rudder to the ship, and rigging was attached to the hull with iron bolts. A 100-ton vessel would use about 1 ton of iron while a 300-ton vessel would require 3 tons of ironwork (Goldenberg 1976:16). The side scan sonar can assist in the absence of iron to identify ship features such as number of masts and ship framing patterns.
Click on any of these links to learn more about a particular vessel type.
