Site Map Interpretation
Site plan of unidentified wooden ship remains (designated Site 5) at Meyer’s Wharf (Courtesy Program in Maritime Studies).

There are many advantages and disadvantages related to constructing site plans over other recording techniques. While aerial photographs and photomosaics (measured photographs) are effective at communicating the extent and condition of a site in vivid color, archaeological site plans have the benefit of being interpretations that focus on important site features. The various plans of the abandoned watercraft of St. George’s Parish serve the purpose of giving the reader an idea as to the extent of the sites, and accompanied with text and photographs demonstrate the activities at the ship breaking yard. These site plans become the most effective tools for conveying the natural and cultural forces that have acted upon the abandoned vessels and turned them into today’s submerged “shipwrecks.” From this we might determine how ship-breakers made decisions about breaking down these gargantuan hulls.


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