On June 8, 2016, an iron chisel recovered from Wreck 2 at the Shelburne Bay, Vermont shipyard site confirmed the identification of the steamboat as the Phoenix II. The project is a cooperative effort between INA, Texas A&M University, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum to study the four steamboat shipwrecks that lie on the bottom of the old Shelburne Shipyard (current Aske Marina). The chisel appears to be one of a set and is engraved with “S.B. Phoenix.” At the conclusion of the field project, the chisel and other associated artifacts will travel to Texas A&M University to undergo conservation. Learn more about the Shelburne Shipyard Steamboat Graveyard Research Project here, and follow along with the project’s blog for more exciting updates from the field!
Archaeologist Dan Bishop bringing up the chisels and other artifacts recovered during the dive.
The chisel engraved with “S.B. Phoenix”
Engraved Chisel
Project Co-Director Carolyn Kennedy with the engraved chisel.
