Summary of Lighthouse archaeologists hope cannon from 1782 shipwreck will provide new clues
Archaeologists from the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum in Florida are restoring a cannon salvaged from a 1782 shipwreck. The weapon is the largest artifact removed from the site and may provide more information about the region during the last months of the Revolutionary War.
The conservation of shipwrecked items is a long process, and the cannon has been undergoing electrolysis in a vat of soda ash for the past three years.
There is evidence of writing on the cannon which could provide clues about the ship and the people on board.
The artifact was found with a fleet of 16 British Loyalist ships who were transporting evacuees from South Carolina to Florida. The ships were beached while trying to enter the St. Augustine inlet in 1782.
The museum is planning a major exhibit on the program’s research featuring the cannon and other restored artifacts from the wreckage.
Read more Lighthouse archaeologists hope cannon from 1782 shipwreck will provide new clues
