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Waves expose 100-year-old barge
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 3, 2006
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE - A sunken vessel discovered near an Air Force test site on Okaloosa Island appears to be a 100-year-old barge. University of West Florida nautical archaeologists surveyed the site Wednesday. Gulf of Mexico waves exposed about 44 feet of planking and three iron straps just a few feet off the beach. A portion of the barge's bottom was covered by sand. One of the first distinguishing characteristics the archaeologists looked for was curved planks, which would have indicated the vessel was a ship. What they found were straight boards that were part of the hull's side. Graduate student Wayne Abrahamson took measurements in knee-deep water and went under to study the barge's construction through a diving mask. "I see that this is a pretty robust barge," he told the Northwest Florida Daily News. "The planking is very thick. If it did haul anything, it was more than likely coal or timber." The barge will be cataloged with the state as a wreck, not as a cultural site demanding preservation.
[Last modified November 3, 2006, 00:15:29]
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