THE C ONFEDERATE NAVAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Issue Number Four -- July 1990 F.B.I. SEIZURES OF C.S.S. FLORIDA AND U.S.S. CUMBERLAND ARTIFACTS MAKE HEADLINES « FEDERAL PROSECUTION IS POSSIBLE LATER THIS SUMMER FOR DEALER, WATERMEN As we reported in our special advertised brass belt buckles wells, ammunition, and nearly bulletin in the spring, last Novem- made from spikes from the C.S.S. forty boxes of assorted wooden, ber the CNHS learned that exten- Florida and a wide variety of oth- brass, and leather items. A third sive looting had taken place on the er artifacts from the Florida and seizure at Governor's Antiques wrecks of the C.S.S. Florida and the Cumberland, including a va- near Richmond netted another the nearby U.S.S. Cumberland, riety of buttons, buckles, and bul- bilge pump pipe and assorted oth- both well-known Civil War ves- lets, and other items "guaranteed er wooden artifacts. sels which never met in battle but to please any Civil War collec- Identification and evaluation of found adjacent graves together in tor." the artifacts was carried out by Hampton Roads. On Friday, March 16th, at ap- Virginia Archaeological Asso- The looting had been done by proximately eleven in the morning ciates' archaeologist Sam Margo- watermen using power clam FBI agents swooped down simul- lin and Virginia War Memorial dredges, which cut a Museum Director wide, destructive John Quarstein, who swath across the estimated the value bottom, destroying of the items to be in as much as they pick excess of $60,000. up. It is very likely It is unknown just that the remains of how many artifacts most of these ves- have been sold al- sels have been de- ready, but at least stroyed beyond ar- one, a spoon taken chaeological recall from the Florida's as a result. largest prize, the After notifying clipper ship Jacob Virginia authorities Bell, fetched $3000 and receiving no re- from an unnamed sponse, the CNHS collector. Board of Directors As the investiga- notified the Federal tion is still under- Bureau of Investiga- way, no indictments tion, which C.S.S. Florida chasing the ship Star Of Peace have been handed launched an investi- down yet, pending a gation in December. Using taneously on both locations and decision by Norfolk assistant fed- CNHS-supplied photos of the sto- seized an enormous quantity of eral prosecutor Oliver Norell. If len artifacts which were on display items labelled as coming from the and when they are filed, charges at Williamsburg's Cold Harbor two ships. The number at the mu- are expected to be theft of gov- Civil War Museum and a taped seum was relatively small (under ernment property (the Navy phone conversation from CNHS forty), but the seizure in Falmouth claims both wrecks, and the Cum- offices with Falmouth relic dealer netted enough material to fill a berland is a National Historic Larry Stevens, the FBI obtained a motel room the FBI had to rent to Landmark), a federal felony federal search and seizure warrant hold the artifacts, which included which carries with it a sentence of for the museum and Stevens' everything from large metal- up to ten years in prison without premises. Stevens, in an ad in covered timbers, to bilge pump parole and up to $250,000 in North-South Trader magazine, had pipes, a cannon ball, pipes, ink- fines. (continued next page...) The case made the front pages those who intentionally loot find and which would otherwise in Virginia repeatedly, and was them. have simply been torn up to sell picked up by papers all around It is impossible to say at this for personal profit on the collec- the country through AP cover- time if the case will lead to the tors' market. age. In addition, much local cov- level of prosecution, though pros- In addition, the City of New- erage was obtained by CNHS As- ecutor Norell says the decision port News has shown a renewed sociates who helped distribute will be made within the next interest in developing a Civil the story all over the country. month. But whether or not there War naval museum in conjunc- Much local publicity was high- are criminal prosecutions and tion with the War Memorial Mu- ly sympathetic with the water- convictions down the line, al- seum and has even offered a men involved, who claimed they ready much good has come of the building to house it. If funding just accidentally came across the operation. Continuing national can be found, this might lead to artifacts while dredging for clams publicity has put both potential the proper archaeological explo- and didn't know there was any- looters and innocent divers and ration of the C.S.S. Florida and thing valuable there, although the watermen on notice that our un- the U.S.S. Cumberland and other dealer involved told a very differ- derwater national treasures will Civil War ships that lie in the ent story of intentional and re- be defended by the federal gov- Hampton Roads vicinity. peated looting of the same spot. ernment, even if the individual In the meanwhile, the pieces of Certainly the case highlights states responsible for the sites the two ships untimely torn from the minimal controls or protec- shirk their duty to protect them. their graves are in quiet repose in tion Virginia is affording its his- Already Virginia state underwa- the custody of the Navy at the torical underwater sites, to the ter archaeologists have been noti- Hampton Roads Naval Museum detriment of historical preserva- fied (through lawyers, yet) of in Norfolk where belated conser- tion as well as the discomfit of other sites found by watermen vation efforts are underway to watermen who may innocently and divers, at least one of which preserve them for eventual dis- destroy valuable sites as well as may turn out to be an invaluable play. environments. Could archaeologists, ON BEHALF OF THE WATER- historians, watermen and sport divers work together to prevent this selfish de- MAN AND THE SPORT DIVER struction of our maritime heritage? By Lynn Harris monitor the activities of the thousands This will obviously require some effort Recent investigation of the looting of of recreational sport divers. A more and coordination from all the parties the Civil War wrecks U.S.S. Cumber- practical solution to the problem is to concerned. land said the C.S.S. Florida in Virginia educate the public about the historical Another essential ingredient for de- highlight to significant issues of con- and archaeological information that is veloping a public appreciation of histor- cern to historians and maritime archae- lost when artifacts are recovered with ic cultural resources and protecting im- ologists in other states. Firstly, the dis- no context. This might be achieved by portant sites like the two Civil War tinction between commercial salvors involving sectors of the public who con- shipwrecks is to make the legislation who intentionally destroy archaeologi- duct water-related activities in a state's sufficiently comprehensible and as ac- cal sites to recover artifacts on a large cultural resource program or to encour- cessible as possible to the public. scale basis for financial profit, as op- age them to learn how to identify, Graphic posters, educational texts and posed to other watermen or sport divers record and report their finds to the pro- legislative guidelines written in "plain who occasionally recover mantelpiece fessional community. Most divers and English" could be distributed at dive momentoes. Secondly, the necessity to watermen are keen to learn more about shops, state parks, local museums, fish- provide the public with guidance to their maritime heritage and with the ing and boating supply stores, etc. Edu- state preservation laws. proper guidance could become a poten- cating the public is the responsibility of Although archaeologists cannot con- tial asset to the state as water watchdogs the professional community. Surely, done collecting even on a small scale, or important sources of information. this is a small price to pay when price- realistically it is not possible to prevent It should also be evident to watermen less historic sites are at stake. it. Watermen cannot be restricted from and sport divers that intensive commer- Lynn Harris is an underwater ar- accidentally pulling up relics with their cial salvage not only destroys archaeo- chaeologist with the Sport Diver Ar- clamming or oystering gear. Neither logical sites but also depletes recreation- chaeology Management program at the will it ever be possible to effectively al dive sites and disturbs natural University of South Carolina. The Confederate Naval Historical Society ~ 2 — Newsletter Number Four, July 1990 Upon her return to Hull she went Where They Lie: to call at Scandinavian ports. In early February 1867 she de- parted Helsingborg, Sweden, bound for Hull with a cargo of oats, barley, and wheat. It was C.S.S. Sumter soon noticed she was taking on water through a leak in her hull, By Michael P. Higgins Trenholm & Co. Many of the of- presumably the result of damage The Confederate Government ficers and crew would see service sustained when she ran aground purchased the 184-foot, 499-ton aboard the C.S.S. Alabama. at the mouth of the Humber River steam vessel Habana during Sumter was repaired and put into during the previous month. The April 1861 for use as a com- blockade running under the name grain soon clogged her pumps, merce raider. The Habana was Gibraltar. and by 11:00 P.M., Thursday, launched on May 19, 1859 from The end of the war found her February 14th, she was aban- Byerly and Lynn's Kensington, at Birkenhead where she was doned, her crew taken off by a Pennsylvania yard.