The overall shape of the vessel was still apparent and portions of the keelson assembly were clearly visible, as can be seen in the bottom of the picture to the right.   Thus, a single baseline was established for the entire site, extending down the keelson sections.   Divers trilaterated the main features of the site from baseline points and recorded details of the features for eventual addition to the site plan.

The midships area contained a mass of cement bags, some still stacked as they had originally been stowed in the hold of the ship.   The outer coverings of the bags holding the powdered cement had long since disintegrated, but the material had hardened and retained the shapes of the bags. The midships area thus looked remarkably like a massive pile of gray pillows lying on the ocean floor.

The main features documented in the bow section of the wreck were the exposed keelson assembly, consisting of a keelson and sister keelsons; a windlass; a cleat or mooring bollard; and a concentration of glass bottles.

The stern section also contained a segment of the keelson assembly, along with a number of 55-gallon drums in varing states of deterioration; a large water tank; and a rudder assembly.   The latter two features were detached from the main part of the wreck, lying to starboard and port, respectively.   There is some speculation that the rudder is from the Nola, also known as the Montana, the wreck of an Civil War blockade runner that lies some 15 meters away having hit the same reef in 1863.

Bermuda has issued a series of postage stamps depicting historical shipwrecks associated with the island.   Constellation is shown here.

Start   |

Previous   |

MAHS Project List