Herbert D. Maxwell Wreck

General Comments

HISTORY H8523WD/60-- SPECIAL PROJECT 10,000-816 (FIELD NUMBER WA-HI-10-60 WD); WRECK HUNG AT 60 FEET, CLEARED BY 50 FEET IN LAT. 38-55-58.8N, LONG. 76-23-38.4W. THE WRECK CHARTED IN LAT. 38-54.82N, LONG. 76-23.85W, COVERED 45 FEET WAS CLEARED BY 61 FEET. NOT HUNG. THIS WRECK IS DESCRIBED (CL36/40) AS A PILE DRIVER, STEEL HULL, 60 FEET X 25 FEET. WRECK HUNG IS CONSIDERED TO BE THIS PILE DRIVER. PREVIOUSLY CHARTED WRECK COVERED 45 FEET DELETED AND WRECK CLEARED TO 50 FEET CHARTED. D71-- OPR-E609-RU/HE-AUG/87; WRECK NOT LOCATED (UP 6/16/89, LQ) FE296/87SS-- OPR-E609-RU/HE-87; WRECK LOCATED IN LAT. 38-55-57.72N, LONG. 76-23-37.73W WITH A LD OF 50.4 FEET FOUND BY DIVER PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE. RECOMMENDED CHARTING AS 50WK WITH DANGER CURVE (UP 4/89, LQ) H10691/96-- OPR-E346-AHP; SIDE SCAN SONAR SEARCH NEGATIVE FOR ANY CONTACTS FITTING THE AWOIS DESCRIPTION OF THE PILE DRIVER. EVALUATOR RECOMMENDS NO CHARTING ACTION BE TAKEN FOR AWOIS 4456. SONARGRAMS DEPICT THE WRECK OF A LARGE SAILING VESSEL AS EVIDENCED BY IMAGES OF PROMINENT BOWSPRIT AND MAST STUBS. ALSO CLEARLY SHOWN WERE THREE LARGE SQUARE CARGO HATCHES. ALL THESE ATTRIBUTES PLUS THE SIZE OF THE WRECK (185.9 FEET) AND LOCAL HISTORY (BELOW) INDICATE THAT THIS IS THE WRECK OF THE "MAXWELL". DUE TO POOR VIS., NO DIVE OPS UNDERTAKEN. ECHO-SOUNDER LD OF 52 FEET OBTAINED ON TIP OF BOWSPRIT IN LAT. 38-55-57.707N, LONG. 76-23-37,639W. EVALUATOR RECOMMENDS RETAINING CHARTED DEPTH OF 50 FEET ON WRECK BUT REVISING TO PRESENT SURVEY POSITION AND DELETING NOTATION "REP(1987)" ON ALL AFFECTED CHARTS. EVALUATOR ALSO CONSIDERS AWOIS NO. 4456 (DERRICK BARGE) AND AWOIS NO. 9424 ("MAXWELL") TO BE THE SAME ITEM. DESCRIPTION **** TELCON, S. VERRY (N/CG241) AND PETER VOGT (NRL, MARINE PHYSICS BRANCH, CODE 7420), 202-767-2024, 4/27/95; WRECK OF THE MAXWELL IS USED FOR DEMONSTRA- TIONS OF VARIOUS SONARS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS. VESSEL STATISTICS: 4-MASTED SCHOONER LAUNCHED 11/7/95 BY NEW ENGLAND COMPANY, BATH, MAINE; HARDWOOD/PINE CONSTRUC- TION; COMPOSITION & GALVANIZED FASTENED; ALL IRON WORK ABOVE THE WATER LINE WAS GALVANIZED; RIGGING SET UP WITH TURNBUCKLES. SHE CARRIED "HYDE" HOISTING ENGINES AND PUMPS AND TWO BOATS, LARGEST BEING 23 FEET LONG. MEASURED 185.9 FEET LONG, 38.4-FOOT BEAM, 14-FOOT DEPTH, 772 GT. 4 LOWER MASTS 92 FEET LONG, 26 INCHES IN DIA.; TOPMASTS 48 FEET LONG AND 17 INCHES IN DIA. SINGLE DECK WITH THREE LARGE HATCHES FOR LUMBER HANDLING. BUILT FOR SOUTHERN LUMBER TRADE WITH CAP. FOR 700,000 BOARD FEET. COLLIDED WITH S.S. GLOUCESTER 5/16/10 AND SANK OFF ANNAPOLIS, MD. FOUR OF THE NINE PERSONS ON BOARD DIED. EFFORTS TO RAISE WRECK IN SEPTEMBER, 1912 APPARENTLY ABANDONED. POSITION OF WRECK (GPS) TO BE FORWARDED AFTER DEMO. ON MAY 3,1995. (UP 4/28/95, SJV) **** POSITION NOT OBTAINED BY NRL. (UP 4/24/96, SJV) **** TELCON, 9/4/96, RICK BRENNAN (LT., NOAA, AHP) AND STEVE VERRY, OPS, HYSURDIV, NOAA); WRECK WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF THE "MAXWELL" IMAGED BY PRELIMINARY SIDE SCAN SONAR IN LAT. 38-55-58.1278N, LONG. 76-23-38.4617W. THIS GP IS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THAT ASSIGNED TO THE "DERRICK BARGE" (AWOIS 4456) SUNK IN 1940. H8523WD/60 AND FE296/87SS MAY HAVE LOCATED THE "MAXWELL" AND MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED IT AS THE "DERRICK BARGE". (UP 9/4/96, SJV) 7438