On a weekend in late July, local pilot Joe Roberts was about to make a landing at this airstrip in East Windsor along the banks of the Connecticut River. He and his wife, First Selectman Linda Roberts, noticed a symmetrical shape beneath the water, something they had never seen before. Mr. Roberts commented to his wife, "Doesn't that look like the outline of a ship?" He had been flying over the Connecticut River for the past 20 years and this was the first time he had observed the object.

Intrigued by his finding, he notified local historian George Butenkoff and the author. Roberts provided a sketch of what he was seeing from the air, and armed with this information Butenkoff and myself journeyed about three miles down the Connecticut River in search of the vessel. The river was extremely low at this time of the year and navigating the river was a challenge to say the least.

We subsequently located the vessel, which was sitting in only four feet of water. We could observe the ribs of the ship as well as several large cuts of brownstone. A large portion of the ship was not visible, being embedded in silt and sand and located in the middle of the river. Our initial estimate of the length of the vessel was over 60 feet. Following this excursion the author met with Nick Bellantoni who agreed to an archaeological excavation and evaluation.

On Tuesday, August 7, 2001 a team of 11 "explorers" led by our intrepid leader Nick Bellantoni set out in three dinghies down river toward the site. The team included FOSA members Dave and June Cooke, Ken Beatrice and other volunteers as well as myself.

Nick was able to determine a GPS reading as well as identifying other coordinates to help determine the vessel's exact location. Several members of the team were equipped with snorkeling gear.

Due to the low water level it was possible to stand in the water while taking measurements and retrieving several artifacts found on or near the vessel.

The vessel was measured to be 22 feet at its widest part and tapered to 14 feet at its bow and stern. Its length was measured at over 90 feet with the possibility that part of the vessel had broken off at the stern, suggesting a ship of up to 130 feet in length. Many pieces of brownstone were observed. Bill Gleason, an underwater diver at the site commented, "Although some of the stone does show quarry marks, the majority of it is irregular in shape." Artifacts uncovered included what appeared to be a 19^th century vase, pottery shards, pieces of coal, burned wood and several pieces of brownstone. Underwater photography by Bill Gleason, revealed a lateral weight-bearing beam which raised the question of an engine mount, and the possibility of a paddle wheeler.

Several working hypotheses were made following the excavation.

• Vessel was a barge dating back to 1870-1890 and was transporting bownstone from a local East Windsor quarry.

• Vessel was a steamship that caught fire and was salvaged and converted to a barge.

• Vessel was a steamboat constructed in a fashion to be able to navigate the shallow water found north of Hartford on the Connecticut River.

• It is unclear why the wreck became visible only recently. It is obviously related to the washing away of sand and silt.

Follwoing the excavation, staff at the Connecticut Historical Society, Connecticut River Museum at Essex, Enfield Public Library and the Mystic Seaport Museum carried out extensive historic research. Local newspaper accounts were examined as well as archival material from the Hartford Courant. Results of the research have been disappointing. An exact identification of the vessel have been elusive.

A next step will be to revisit the site with special equipment to remove some of the sand and silt. The goal would be to uncover the keel of the vessel, which may help to identify our mysterious shipwreck. Hopefully this can be done in the summer of 2002.