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The northernmost cannon
had rolled away from the other seven during the wrecking process, and
therefore was not encrusted to the other guns. This gun was selected for
recovery as it could be done without disturbing the rest of the site.
Three-inch nylon straps were placed around the cannon and brought together
at one spot above the central balance point of the cannon. The cannon
and its associated concretions were then directly lifted out of the water
with a crane and taken to the site’s field conservation laboratory,
kept in water the entire time.
In addition to the fieldwork that was completed in 1998, SOAR also began
archival research on the site. This included research at libraries in
Florida, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and the Library of Congress in
Washington D.C. Attempts were made to determine the identity of the wreck
site. Early research focused on the slave ship General Nicholls which
sank in 1797, but this did not prove correct. Public archaeology associated
with the site also began in 1998. SOAR sought to reach the people of the
St. Augustine area through public talks, newspaper, newsletters, journal
articles, and TV. An internship was also set up for local high school
students to offer them a chance to not only work on the site, but to get
a general training in museum studies, nautical archaeology, and public
interpretation in the form of exhibits and displays. An exhibit was set
up at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum to incorporate both information
on the site, as well as artifacts that had already been recovered.
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