<P>64The Military Engineer ? July-August ? 2010 On the morning of Jan. 1, 1863, USS West?eld ran aground a 7-ft sand bar north of Pelican Island in Galveston Bay just as Confederate steamers were launch- ing an attack on Union soldiers occupying Galveston. Union forces were routed dur- ing the brief Battle of Galveston; however, USS West?eld remained grounded during the entire engagement. As the Union ?eet prepared a hasty retreat, Capt. William Renshaw ordered the heavily-armed USS West?eld destroyed to prevent its cap- ture. Capt. Renshaw poured turpentine over the deck and laid a fuse trail from the powder magazine, but when the fuse was lit, he and 13 of his crew were killed by a premature explosion. USS West?eld was extensively salvaged in early 1863 by Confederate troops, who removed portions of the gunboats ma- chinery, six cannons, and thousands of pounds of iron and brass. The boiler re- mained visible for 23 years following the wreck before disappearing in 1886 during a hurricane. In 1906, the site was deemed a navi- gation hazard and was dynamited. Over time, tidal effects produced a marked lowering of the ships elevation. Shift- ing currents have scoured nearly 40-ft of sediment from beneath USS West?elds remains. Luckily, the site had never been dredged, and after 146 years under water, the ships wooden frame had disintegrat- ed, leaving only artifacts behind The Excavation Begins Removal and documentation of USS West?elds artifacts had to be completed before the $71 million dredging project for the Texas City Ship Channel could com- mence. Archeological recovery of West- ?elds remains began in mid-November 2009 and was completed six weeks later. The area of the excavation site was di- vided into a series of 15-ft by 15-ft units. Because of the low visibility in the murky water, archeologists used sonar to guide commercial divers to the locations of larg- er artifacts. Items recovered include a 9-in Dahlgren cannon, 18 shells, plates used as armor on the exterior of the vessel and steam machinery (boiler and ?re box). The Navy Supervisor of Salvage assisted with the heavy lifting needed to recover artifacts and sediment from the sea?oor at the wrecks hazardous location near the mouth of Galveston Bay. After large arti- facts were hoisted from the water onto a barge and placed in water-?lled storage containers, sediment from each of the sites units was collected using an envi- ronmental clamshell dredge. Sediment was then shipped to a separate facility in Freeport, Texas, for screening and docu- mentation. Artifacts screened from the sediment were cataloged and photographed over an eight-week period beginning in De- cember 2009, and then transported to the Conservation Research Lab (CRL) at Texas A&M University for stabilization. Potentially explosive shells posed a par- ticular challenge. Round shells, unlike solid iron shot, are hollow and ?lled with gunpowder. A timed fuse seals the gun- powder in the shell. When the recovery op- eration began, it was not known how many shells were resting on the channel ?oor, or whether any of them would be capable of detonation after they were raised. To ensure the safety of the recovery team, USACE as- sumed all of the shells were live. A team of ordinance specialists from the Navy took control of the 18 shells. The munitions were kept wet so that fuses could not be lit accidently by sparks as they were transported to shore. Once on land, a team of U.S. Marines took the shells to a special blast zone in an isolated area, separated from the nearby Galves- ton District headquarters by an earthen levee. Using closed-caption television, a remotely-controlled drill press penetrated the shells under water. Black gun powder was washed out, rendering the munitions inert and saving the shells for future con- servation and museum display. USS Westfields New Life Construction of the Texas City Chan- nel Deepening Project is now in full force and will be completed by 2013. In total, more than 7,700 artifacts were collected from the shipwreck site and transported to CRL. There, items are being kept in wa- ter to prevent further deterioration while they are being assessed. At a later date, CRL will use various chemicals (depend- ing on the material being conserved) to provide long-term stabilization, so the artifacts can be stored or displayed in air without risking further decay. Thanks to USACE, the Naval History and Heritage Command, and Texas His- torical Commission, the public will soon have the opportunity to learn more about and view remnants of military history from our nations greatest civil con?ict. All of the artifacts from the site are the prop- erty of the Navy, under the jurisdiction of the Naval History and Heritage Com- mand, which retains permanent own- ership of all sunken military ships and aircraft. Once conservation is completed in 2012, a selection of artifacts, including the Dahlgren Cannon, will be displayed in various museums under long-term loan agreements with the Navy. Robert Gearhart is Group Manager, Hydro- graphic Survey and Nautical Archaeology, and Amy Borgens is Nautical Archaeologist, PBS&J. They can be reached at 800-880-5949 or blgear- hart@pbsj.com, and 800-880-5949 or aabor- gens@pbsj.com, respectively. Janelle Stokes is Regional Environmental Spe- cialist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District; 409-766-3039 or janelle.s.stokes@usace. army.mil. Archaeologists screen sediment for small remains from the shipwreck site. More than 7,700 artifacts were collected and transported to the Conservation Research Lab at Texas A&M University in Bryan.</p> <UL><LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/1/1/">Front-Cover</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/2/2/">Inside-Front-Cover</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/3/3/">Page-1</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/4/4/">Page-2</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/5/5/">Page-3</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/6/6/">Page-4</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/7/7/">Page-5</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/609/tofzxaosm/8/8/">Page-6</a></LI> <LI><a 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