Back to Salt Cay
This past summer we returned to Salt Cay to continue our explorations in the Turks Islands. With a group of nine dedicated students, we spent two weeks documenting maritime cultural heritage at Salt Cay and neighboring uninhabited islands. Like last year, we again partnered with our friends at Salt Cay Divers, who provided us with everything we needed to make this expedition a success.
Our first order of business was to check on the status of the North Point wreck. We mapped this site last year, but decided to continue investigations here in order to study how the wreck site has changed over time. It turned out that the site was more exposed and damaged than last year. We are currently analyzing the data by comparing several 3D models we made over time in order to quantify the changes more precisely. This site will continue to be a focus of our studies as we map its evolution over the coming years, which will provide valuable insights into site formation processes of shipwrecks in the region.
We also continued our survey of Salt Cay’s historic roadstead. After extensive surveying, we found its southern end, which provides us with important information about the site in particular and maritime activity on Salt Cay in general. We also ventured into the deep by surveying along the dropoff, in order to see how far the submerged remains continue to the west. Next year we are hoping to find the roadstead’s northern end so we can gain a more complete understanding of historic shipping and maritime activities on Salt Cay.
During the 2024 campaign, we also discovered two new shipwreck sites. On Great Sand Cay, we found a large scatter of shipwreck remains in a shallow bay. These included numerous bolts, spikes, and hull remains, but also artifacts that may have been personal possessions of the crew. While we delineated the scatter and started documentation of the remains, we were not able to finish documentation, so we aim to continue this next year. The other shipwreck site was found along the southern coastline of Salt Cay. The site consists of a scatter of shipwreck remains close to a historic jetty, and was mapped in detail. We think the ship may have been using the jetty but struck a nearby coral reef and foundered, possibly during a storm. There was one other shipwreck site that we were notified of and visited, along the northeastern shore of Salt Cay. We will return to this site for detailed documentation next season.
We also started a terrestrial and underwater survey of Salt Cay’s uninhabited sister island Cotton Cay. Here, half of the team walked and surveyed the entire circumference of the island, while the other half investigated a limestone quarry by the coast and associated submerged remains. These were likely artifact scatters from past shipping activity, but further research will need to be conducted in order to map the entire area.
In addition to the research, we organized several outreach activities this season, which included an Amerindian bead making workshop for the kids on the island and a presentation of the research results to the people of Salt Cay. We also visited Cynthia’s salt making facility, got a tour of the historic White House, and played dominos with the island’s star players. It was nice to see so many familiar faces on the island and everyone made our group feel at home once more. We can’t wait to return next year to continue the study of these fascinating islands and their history. Thank you to our students Benny, Kat, Tim, Keira, Kirby, Sophie, Sascha, Abbie, and Cody for another great field season!
