MS archeologist & dewatered tug

VICKSBURG, Miss. - In mid-October, a fisherman on the Yazoo (Miss.) Canal north of here stumbled upon a piece of history usually concealed by muddy waters. The 1920’s-era vessel lay in the mud of the canal bed half exposed due to low water conditions on the Mississippi River, which swerve around Vicksburg on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The fisherman contacted the state Department of Archives and History to put the wreck on the radar. While the state controls the wreck, archeologist Kad Henderson, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Vicksburg District’s Regulatory Division, stepped in to identify the remains. He surmised that the vessel's small but heavily built construction led him to believe it was a tugboat. Wooden vessels were impossible to salvage after periods of use, Henderson explained During the 1920s era were simply steered into the bank and abandoned. Those abandoned sites, however, served a later unintentional purpose. Sometimes abandoned wrecks were used as breakwaters or to stop bank erosion, Henderson explained. He also noticed that the "ribs" of the tug had concrete between them - a detail he’d seen before in both 1920’s-era fishing boats and 17th century Spanish warships. Shipbuilders poured concrete into the empty space to add weight to the bottom of the ship - primarily on cheap ships that were disposable. All in all, in was more of a peak into historical maritime practices. He estimated that the tugboat was between 75 to 100 feet long. There are no plans to excavate the vessel since it had no historical significance and very expensive. Now that water levels have risen on the river, the wreck is mostly under water again. One of the few maritime archeologists in the state, Henderson has lent his expertise to sites across 16 states. His primarily job is reviewing all permits issued by the Regulatory Division for archeological or cultural interests. A native of Pensacola, Fla., Henderson spent time as an undergraduate exploring artifacts from a 17th century Spanish warship, among other sites. (USACE Vicksburg 11/29/22)