CREATIONS BY DUGIE Norman "Dugie" Russell |
When this 2,332 ton ship of wood, copper and bronze fastenings burnt to the water line, the bronze nails, copper spikes, trunnel pins (large copper pins driven through under sized holes to hold timbers together) and other fittings fell inside. The ship went up against the rocks of Graves Island in Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts. Seams started to open, raining these fittings to the bottom where they laid in the rocks and sand below, waiting for someone to discover them. In some cases molten pools of bronze and copper poured through the seams, striking the cold New England sea water and forming some very unique sculptures by mother nature. The guy who discovered this wreck in the early fifties, not knowing the history of the ship, took tons of these fittings into the junk yards of Chelsea, MA. and sold them for pennies a pound. Divers gathered the remnants scattered among the rocks and sand. I started diving this wreck in the early sixties. My goal was to recover as many of the Paul Revere spikes, copper sheeting, bronze sheeting nails and bronze decking nails as I could. Between winter storms that buried the artifacts and other divers retrieving them, they were disappearing fast. I raised four tons of timber during my many days on this wreck and han crafted many items such as cribbage boards, candle holders, wall plaques and clocks, using the nearly petrified wood and the Revere bronze and copper fastenings. I saved some of the wood and some of the Revere fastenings for when i retired. I am now putting what I have left of these rare items for sale so that other people can hold a piece of history in their hands. |
| Diving the Wreck |
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| WHILE FLYING OVER GRAVES ISLAND. THE MAIN WRECKAGE LIES I TOOK THIS PICTURE IN 42 FEET OF WATER JUST OFF THE SEASIDE OF THE ISLAND |
| I LOVED DIVING THIS WEATHER WASN'T A FACTOR. THE TENDER |
| DICK PLOSS AND MY DIVING PARTNER, BOB GONET HEADING FOR THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DICK PLOSS AND MY WEATHER. CRAZY??? DIVING PARTNER, BOB OH YEAH. WINTER WAS A GOOD TIME TO WAS A GOOD TIME TO FIND SPIKES, NAILS & FIND SPIKES, NAILS & SMALLER ITEMS SMALLER ITEMS BECAUSE OF THE IMPROVED VISIBILITY |
| BACK TO THE SUMMER DIVING. A NEAT FIND. THERE ARE THREE TRUNNEL PINS WEDGED ON A PIECE OF COPPER SHEETING AND A FEW SHEETING NAILS LYING ABOUT |
| A LOBSTER TUCKED UNDER SEA CEMENT AND SITTING ON A PIECE OF COPPER SHEETING. THE SEA CEMENT WAS ASH THAT FELL TO THE BOTTOM ALONG WITH SPIKES NAILS TRUNNEL PINS AND OTHER ARTIFACTS THAT SANK TO THE BOTTOM. THE ASH SOLIDIFIED OVER THE YEARS AND BECAME SEA CEMENT |
| A) I’M HOLDING ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER ARTIFACTS OF THE U.S.S. NEW HAMPSHIRE—A REVERE COPPER SPIKE. B) FINDING A SPIKE ALWAYS BROUGHT A SMILE. C) THE HOLY GRAIL OF THE U.S.S. NEW HAMPSHIRE - 2 REVERE SPIKES. |
| BAG OF SPIKES & NAILS |
| A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE OF ME DIVING THE USS NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| BOB AND I SCOUTING OUT A SECTION OF THE MAIN TIMBERS. THIS SECTION WEIGHED APPROXIMATELY THREE TON |
| ME AND BOB SECURING THE TIMBERS WITH HEAVY NYLON LINE |
| ONCE THE TIMBERS WERE SECURED, I LEFT THE KNOT -TYING TO BOB. IT WAS HIS SPECIALTY |
| WITH EVERYTHING TIED-OFF AND IN-PLACE, WE ARE READY FOR THE LIFT |
| HAVING A CIGARETTE AND A BEER AFTER A FEW HOURS ON THE BOTTOM. THANK GOD I GAVE UP THE CIGARETTES. AND THANK GOD I DIDN’T GIVE UP THE BEER |
| WITH A SMALLER TIMBER ON DECK, AND ABOUT THREE-TON SECURED TO THE DRINKING SCHLITZ. THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO! |
| ANOTHER TIMBER I RAISED DURING A PREVIOUS DIVE |
| IN MY DAYS OF DIVING WE NEVER WENT HUNGRY. THERE WAS ALWAYS AN ABUNDANCE OF LOBSTER, CLAMS AND SCALLOPS |
| Dugie in dry suit |
| Ready to go! |
| C |
| B |
