NNSY Celebrates Virginia Archaeology Month

Courtesy Photo | In January and February 2022, MEB uncovered three anchors near Dry Dock 1 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard while working to install the floodwall. Initial evaluation is that all three anchors were manufactured before the Civil War. One anchor is made from iron, but includes a large wood stock. The design suggests a relative date of the very late 18th century to early 19th century. Another anchor features a unique design due to having a short iron stock and little is known about this type of anchor. It is speculated that it was manufactured prior to the Civil War. As for the third anchor, it is yet a different design from the other two, consisting of a folding stock, which suggests dating it to the 19th century.  

PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

10.06.2022

Courtesy Story

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

October is Virginia Archaeology Month and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard has seen its fair share of archaeological work within the past year. The efforts ranged from determining the presence of archaeological deposits (referred to as a Phase I Survey) to ensuring historical resources are not adversely affected by projects through archaeological monitoring. Archaeological monitoring occurs when an archaeologist is on site during construction and conducts data recovery or excavation should artifacts be uncovered. A NNSY example is the recovery of three anchors discovered during the construction of a floodwall near Dry Dock 1.

During late January and early February of 2022, MEB General Contractors (MEB) were grading north of Dry Dock 1 for the installation of the floodwall, when an anchor ring became visible. Additional excavation to remove the ring unearthed the entire anchor. James River Institute for Archaeology, Inc. (JRIA) was contacted to further investigate the site. Through MEB’s and JRIA’s efforts two additional anchors were uncovered in alignment with the original anchor find. Initial evaluation is that all three anchors were manufactured before the Civil War. One anchor is made from iron, but includes a large wood stock. The design suggests a relative date of the very late 18th century to early 19th century. Another anchor features a unique design due to having a short iron stock and little is known about this type of anchor. It is speculated that it was manufactured prior to the Civil War. As for the third anchor, it is yet a different design from the other two, consisting of a folding stock, which suggests dating it to the 19th century.

So, how did they get there? A review of historical materials shows that there were anchor racks in the vicinity of the site. So it is plausible to think that the anchors were being stored at this location. Then the anchors were discarded for whatever reason and deposited into the landfill. However, the arrangement potentially suggests a different motive. All three anchors were buried with the flukes arranged vertically at a slight angle, allowing the anchor ring to be at a higher elevation than the flukes. This suggests that they were purposefully placed rather than being discarded. If true, the anchors could have been used as improvised mooring along the waterfront at the time. Additional research could potentially confirm or deny this theory. In the meantime, all three anchors are currently being stored and awaiting conservation and further research efforts.

Story Courtesy of Matthew Olson, Public Works Department Archaeologist

• Date Taken: 10.06.2022
• Date Posted: 10.06.2022 07:06
• Story ID: 430813
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US