The Maritime Research Division

05/12/2026

An impromptu interview while searching for a 1526 Spanish shipwreck off the Santee Rivers.

04/17/2026

This past month, the Division resumed drone magnetometry prospecting operations in partnership with the Jasper County 250th Committee and the LAMAR Institute. Work focused on the Euhaw Creek tidal marshes along the waterfront of Old House Plantation near Ridgeland.

The site is the birth and burial place of Thomas Heyward, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and was also the location of extensive rice agriculture carried out by enslaved individuals.

The project aimed to identify archaeological structures, sites, and objects such as watercraft and rice production structures. LiDAR was flown over the study area at low tide to model marsh terrain and identify potential features, while aerial imagery was collected to produce a high-resolution orthomosaic.

Preliminary analysis identified several magnetic anomalies and visible features. These will be investigated further during an upcoming East Carolina University Program in Maritime Studies field school this summer.

Images:
Aerial view of Old House Plantation waterfront along Euhaw Creek.

Drone magnetometer ensemble: DJI Matrice 300 RTK, UgCS Skyhub 3, and Sensys MagDrone R4 magnetometer.

Drone flying over marsh and near remnants of a rice agricultural feature.

Overall magnetics in the OHP study area.

Magnetic anomaly detected in the marsh.

LiDAR Digital Surface Model of the OHP study area, note the rectangular ruins of a shrimp pond from the 1950s.

01/16/2026

Great week at the 2026 SHA Conference in Detroit! Always inspiring to catch up with old friends, meet new colleagues, and hear about all the great work happening in underwater archaeology. We’re heading into the new year energized and excited to keep exploring and protecting South Carolina’s underwater heritage.

A few highlights from the week:
1️⃣ Jim sharing updates from our work in Port Royal Sound
2️⃣ Kendra and Wyatt talking about documenting the beach wreck in the ACE Basin
3️⃣ Inspecting a British cannon along the Detroit River (sorry Alyssa, no double vent or HP foundry mark found)—Canada in the background.
4️⃣ A plaque commemorating early navigation, shipbuilding, beaver trapping in Detroit
5️⃣ A little Great Lakes history at the Mariners’ Church, where yearly the bell tolls 29 times for the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald 🌊⚓️

11/14/2025

The MRD team has been busy with our drone surveys! Our latest mission took us to Sullivan’s Island near Fort Moultrie. Historical records indicate that several American Civil War blockade runners wrecked in the shallow waters around the fort, but their exact locations were forgotten.

Because Sullivan’s Island has been marching steadily southward in the area around Ft. Moultrie since the construction of the Charleston Harbor jetties, what once was water for ships to wreck in is now dry land. The remains of these vessels are now buried deep below the beach and adjacent woodlot. Our drone was able to fly over the rough coastal terrain with its attached magnetometer, and detected the magnetic anomalies of two (or three) of the four historically recorded wrecks. Knowing the precise locations will help to preserve our knowledge of this part of Charleston’s history for future generations.  

Thanks to the town of Sullivan’s Island and National Park Service for supporting our search and to all the curious beachgoers wondering what we were doing—providing us with impromptu opportunities to discuss the maritime/naval archaeological heritage of South Carolina.

Captions:
* 1865 nautical chart marking positions of wrecked blockade runners along the Fort Moultrie waterfront on Sullivan’s Island. (Library of Congress)
* Historic photograph of the remains of the wooden steamboat Celt wrecked along Bowman’s Jetty. (Library of Congress)
* Georeferenced locations of blockade runners on the modern landscape suggest four are now buried under the beach. (SCIAA graphic)
* Overview of the search area and coastal terrain accreted since the late 1890s. (SCIAA image).
* Our drone and magnetometer array with Fort Sumter and a cargo ship bound for Charleston in the background. (SCIAA image)
* Kendra and Wyatt controlling the drone at our mobile command cart. (SCIAA image)
* Magnetic field of the presumed location of the Celt. (SCIAA graphic)
* Magnetic field of the presumed location(s) of the Beatrice and Flora (misnamed Flamingo on the chart). (SCIAA graphic)

10/17/2025

Back to the beach (and beneath it).

The MRD team recently joined our colleagues from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to revisit the remains of a shipwreck slowly eroding out of the beach in St. Helena Sound. Throughout the past year, our partners have assisted us in monitoring the site’s condition as tides and storms reveal (and conceal) its remains. When we returned, the wreck was in about the same condition as our previous visit in late 2024, but this time, we brought new technology to learn more about what lies beneath the surface.

Using our DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone (with Aerostrive M-Ascend extended legs) equipped with a SENSYS MagDrone R4 magnetometer guided by the UgCS mission planning software and Skyhub 3, we surveyed the exposed wreck to detect magnetic components both visible and buried. We flew at heights between 1.5-3 meters with lane spacing 2 meters apart at a speed of about 5 knots. The data revealed strong magnetic anomalies where we could already see iron fasteners, as well as subtle signals that may relate to burning that occurred at some point in the vessel’s past. Interestingly, we also identified two other anomalies just west of the wreck. While their sources remain unknown, they could represent another portion of the ship or just be a simple crab trap.

We will continue to monitor this site and plan to conduct additional surveys as conditions change. Each visit contributes valuable data that helps us better understand and preserve this remarkable piece of South Carolina’s maritime heritage.

Captions:
1)—Aerial magnetometer operations over the beach.
2)—Drone magnetometer ensemble flying low over the wreck.
3)—Initial processing of the magnetic field indicating presence of the wreck in the upper left corner and a dipole magnetic anomaly in the middle, along with faint indications of another anomaly on the periphery of the lower right corner.
4)—View of the wreck eroding out from the maritime forest.
5)—Burnt frames and planks.
6)—Conglomeration of melted metal and ceramic sherds.

10/09/2025

Come join us this Sat., 11 Oct., for the annual ASSC Fall Field Day at the Cayce Historical Museum. We’re featuring our work with photogrammetry using as examples two wooden canoes on display at the museum. Come learn about photogrammetry and all the other exhibits.

10/07/2025

Sonar, silt, and centuries-old secrets beneath the Ashley & Cooper Rivers .

For several days we embarked on a shipwreck safari on the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.  On the Ashley River, we investigated a shipwreck reported to us after a water-skier struck the structure at low tide. Sonar revealed the wooden shipwreck with central timberline, framing, and scatter around the site.  The shipwreck measured about 35m in length and 5m in width.  Copper-alloy fasteners suggest the vessel dates to the late 18th or 19th-century.  Visibility was non-existent but the underwater camera and lights picked up some of the fasteners and wooden structure.  

Moving over to the Cooper River, and finding better visibility, we dove on a small barge and inadvertently encountered a shipwreck located in a creek. Afterwards, we moved further downriver to check on the conditions of the Lewisfield shipwreck, a Revolutionary War British gunboat, and on the Dean Hall shipwreck, a center-board schooner embedded bow on to the shore.  We concluded our operations on the Mepkin shipwreck, an early 19th-century wooden sailing vessel.  

Big thanks to Drew Ruddy and Nick DeLong for helping us on this venture.   

Here’s a look from our excursion— 
1) Sonogram of the Ashley River wreck. 
2) Copper-alloy fastener with a dislodged rove on the Ashley River wreck. 
3) Diving operations in the creek off the Cooper River. 
4) Wyatt and Kendra readying to dive with Drew looking on. 
5) Intersection of keel with garboard rabbet and floors of the capsized wreck in the creek. 
6) Flat scarph of the keel and garboard rabbet. 
7) Aerial view over the Dean Hall centerboard schooner wreck in the Cooper River. 
8) Embedded bow of the Dean Hall schooner with centerboard trunk visible in the middle of the wreck. 
9) Main mast step with a chock and brick fragments in the mortise of the schooner. 
10) Forward top end of the centerboard trunk.

09/12/2025

New Legacy magazine with an article describing our activities in 2024 and many others by our terrestrial colleagues.

Check out our newest edition of Legacy!

This edition features an update from the The Maritime Research Division, a section on the Camden Battlefield Project, an update on Dr. Steve Smith's project on Snow's Island, an overview of Chris Moore's research on the Younger Dryas Impact, and much more!

You can download it here: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/leg/63/

Physical copies are available at our office: 1321 Pendleton St., Columbia, SC

12/17/2024

Come join us to learn more about South Carolina’s maritime heritage. We’re presenting about archaeological investigations of early shipwrecks in the state. Hope to see you there.

Registration is now open for our newest program South Carolina’s Maritime History. Join us on Saturday, February 1, 2025 to be enlighten and entertained by a group of well-versed speakers discussing South Carolina’s maritime history. Go to https://scarchivesandhistoryfoundation.org/category/news-events/ for the event brochure and registration.

11/25/2024

This past week we conducted a water-borne aerial magnetometry survey to locate a shipwreck in the marshes around Edisto Island. The drone was launched from the roof of the boat and later hand-caught on its return to either hot swap the batteries to continue the route expeditiously or upon completion. Over four days we covered approximately 52 acres (21 hectares). For this venture we installed Aerostrive M-Ascend extended legs to improve data collection by lowering the magnetometer sensor from the drone and to increase safety while hand catching. We were joined by our colleague Dr. Chester DePratter and filmmakerJamie Koelker. Much appreciated assistance was provided by SCDNR-Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area personnel. Early analysis of the magnetic data suggests the search must continue. Here’re a few images and videos of our operations by:

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