Survey and Project Work in 2010
NAS East Anglia will once again be carrying out survey work in the intertidal area east of Hunstanton in 2010. This offers an excellent opportunity to build on your survey skills and also collect data towards your NAS Part II survey project. The proposed dates for work are:
Saturday 17 April: exploration of coastline east of Hunstanton to identify the next subject for survey. We will use data from the Government-funded Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Survey to identify targets.
Weekend 18/19 September: survey work on a new project site with the additional opportunity to finalise work on the wreck of the Sheraton.
There will be no charge for coming along and getting involved with the survey work, however if you wish to take advantage of the project as an opportunity to collect Part II project data, there will be a fee of £20 to help cover the costs of the material
If you are interested in attending either weekend, please contact the NAS Office
Sheraton Survey - Intertidal wrecks of Norfolk
The Steam Trawler Sheraton was built in 1907 for fishing and was later used for boom defence work during World War I and served as a patrol vessel in WWII, for which she was fitted with a six pounder gun. During a gale in 1947 she broke free of her mooring and drifted onto the beach at Hunstanton. Much of the Sheraton was salvaged but the bottom of the hull remains on the beach in the intertidal zone.
The Sheraton represents a historic phase in deep water trawler construction as metal replaced timber. No design drawings remain but the one surviving photograph of the Sheraton at sea and plans of contemporary steam trawlers show a vertical stem, counter–like stern and finely drawn underwater section, all of which were legacies of the sailing era and contributed to the fine sea keeping quality of these vessels. The survey has confirmed that the hull was constructed with ferrous metal plates over ferrous metal runners and ribs, held together with rivets, and with some internal wooden framing (possibly to support the decks and superstructure).
The site of the Sheraton has been adopted under the NAS Adopt a Wreck Scheme and survey work carried out in 2007 and 2008 included a tape measure and laser survey, a photomosaic and drawings and photographs.
To watch a video of the work being carried out during the 2008 field survey, click on the link below.
Survey work carried out in 2009
Once again working between tides, NAS members spent two days in further survey work with some exciting results. As well as completing the photomosaic which is made up of around 160 1.0 metre squares and will provide a high resolution record for all time, two excavations were undertaken. The first, across the width of the hull at a point targeting the presumed site of the engine room, uncovered brass and ferrous metal fixings and what appears to be a 30 cell battery. In the excavation trench the steel plates of the hull and the surrounding s and were heavily discoloured with an oily residue. The second excavation, at some distance from the hull itself, revealed what appears to be a section of the foremast with a heavy steel circular surround which may have located the mast at either deck or keelson. Drawings were made as part of a candidate’s NAS Part II Survey. Judging from the depth below the sand of the structure it is unlikely that it has seen the light of day for over 50 years. The wood is in excellent condition but the metal component is concreted making it difficult to determine the original shape. Finally, a right angle through-hull fitting was located. A heavy duty insulated electrical cable runs through the fitting. This is almost certainly a lead to the echo sounder that the Lloyds Register records as being present in 1944/45. After photography and measurements the excavation trench and pit were refilled with sand to preserve the artefacts.
Using EDM we plotted the distribution of 420 dressed stone ballast blocks from the wreck strewn across the beach. We plan to apply a number of formulae to assess their likely origin from one or more point sources as a means of determining whether or not the wreck has moved over time.
Hull off-sets were taken aft of the engine room so that we can draw lines of the finely profiled underwater stern region to compare with those of the sailing vessels from which these early steam trawlers developed.
The photo mosaic has now been processed to produce a single composite file and from this record it is possible to identify the position of all the major compartments of the ship including the fish room, where fish were stored, the engine compartment, the accommodation and the wheel house.
We hope that at some point a Norfolk-based museum will consider a Sheraton exhibit, perhaps including the mast section if a suitable conservation strategy could be devised. Judging from the interest displayed by people walking along the beach at low tide, an exhibit would undoubtedly be extremely popular.
For more information on the site of the Sheraton and the work that has been carried out click here to visit the site webpages. |
Projects 
