Robert J. Walker

How can you not love a book that begins with the famous phrase “a dark and stormy night” (1)? This volume on the history and archaeology of the Robert J. Walker, a US Coast Survey steamship that fell victim to a tragic accident, off Atlantic City in 1860, is much more than the story of one of the numerous vessels lost on the Atlantic seaboard during the nineteenth century. It is a history of the US Coast Survey, an archaeological investigation of an intriguing shipwreck, and a story of collaboration between professional archaeologists and avocational divers. The book is also something of a maritime mystery, which makes it a great read for anyone interested in shipwreck archaeology, the history of the US Coast Survey, or New Jersey’s maritime history.Before her identity was rediscovered, the Robert J. Walker was called the “25 Dollar Wreck” as that was the value of her coordinates, which were sold in an informal transaction to the owner of a charter fishing boat (122). She was an enigmatic and anonymous shipwreck best known as a profitable fishing spot within reasonable cruising distance of Jersey Shore marinas. Thanks to James Delgado and Stephen Nagiewicz’s fine book, we now know that vessel’s value is not in the flounder and sea bass hooked nearby, but in how this wreck illustrates a critical period in the history of American scientific research, the dangers of maritime travel even for experienced skippers, and, perhaps most important, the value of collaborative research by archaeologists and recreational divers.The volume begins with a history of the US Coast survey. Like many terrestrial archaeologists, I have often used Coast Survey maps in my research. They are some of the finest maps extant from nineteenth-century America. However, like many of my peers, I had no idea how they were produced. The first chapter situates these meticulous maps within the context of early nineteenth-century America, a nation blessed with burgeoning maritime commerce. As early as the Jefferson administration, maps were being produced of select areas of the coastline as an aid to navigators. In 1807 this resulted in the passage of an act to survey the coast of the United States, a daunting task! The result was the Coast Survey, a precursor to today’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The authors introduce the early superintendents of the Coast Survey, including Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler and Alexander Dallas Bache. Their tenacity and drive willed the Survey into existence despite considerable bureaucratic inertia and the enormity of the task before them. Ultimately the Coast Survey was the precursor organization to NOAA’s Coast Survey, the National Geodetic Survey, and the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products. Its goal was to chart navigable waterways for commerce and conduct relevant scientific research.Early steamships—coal-eating, cantankerous beasts that sometimes exploded with catastrophic results—proved a boon to the Coast Survey. Pioneered by private industry rather than the military, steamboats, when combined with iron hulls, proved revolutionary. Counter-intuitively, these iron-hulled vessels were lighter and more voluminous than their wooden-hulled cousins and had none of the maintenance costs associated with wooden ships. One federal agency that was early to adopt iron-hulled steamers was the US Revenue-Marine. A precursor of the US Coast Guard, this agency enforced customs laws. The Revenue-Marine commissioned the Robert J. Walker. She was named after the secretary of the Treasury under James K. Polk, an individual who was a strong advocate for free trade and a supporter of the independent treasury system. However, as we learn, the Walker and her sister ships proved problematic. They were expensive to build, burned large quantities of coal, were generally underpowered, and were unfit for service enforcing customs laws. While a failure in her original role, the Walker proved a boon to the Coastal Survey. She could sail against wind and tide, and was slow and steady, useful characteristics for a survey vessel.At the time she was launched in 1847, the Robert J. Walker was characterized as “the finest iron vessel ever built in this country” (39). Only one year later, she was transferred to the Coast Survey and began a new career, charting America’s coasts. Much of her work focused on the Gulf Coast, especially the area around Mobile Bay. The Robert J. Walker served as a survey vessel from 1848 to 1860. Initially she was under the command of Captain Carlile Patterson, who later in life would serve as superintendent of the Coast Survey. The authors review the various captains who commanded the Walker. In sum, the Walker was a well-regarded vessel, surveying the coast, providing support to those in need, and working to interdict illicit commerce. However, her storied career would come to an end on June 21, 1860. While sailing north to New York she collided with the schooner Fanny off Absecon Light, with the loss of twenty-one of her crew. It was a sad end to a long and productive career.Delgado and Nagiewicz devote a chapter to the accident that led to the ship’s demise. The Fanny was a coal schooner, which left the scene; however, another vessel in the area, the R.G. Porter, provided assistance and rescued many of her crew. The captain of the Walker at her sinking, John J. Guthrie, would later be eased out of the Coast Survey. During the Civil War, he served in the Confederate Navy, before rejoining the US Navy. He perished in 1877 attempting to rescue survivors from the wreck of the USS Huron. In a humanizing touch, the authors also discuss in detail the many personal tragedies spawned by the loss of the Walker.With an exceptionally rich historical context behind us, the volume turns to the wreck’s rediscovery. The authors discuss the sometimes-contentious relations between recreational divers and NOAA and how the project to document the Robert J. Walker brought these two disparate groups together. Here the book transitions from one about the history of the Coast Survey and the wreck to a tale of community partnership and public archaeology. Delgado, Nagiewicz, and colleagues worked to build relationships with the New Jersey wreck-diving community. Working with the New Jersey Historical Divers Association and its talented president, Dan Lieb, the authors recruited a team that transcended the boundary between professional archaeologists and avocational divers with the shared goal of determining whether the 25 Dollar Wreck was the Walker. This collaboration brought the funds, resources, and, perhaps most important, knowledge together to document the site. Nagiewicz, who teaches at Stockton University, played a key role in securing the support of this institution.Fieldwork confirmed that the 25 Dollar Wreck was indeed the Robert J. Walker. The wreck was documented in great detail through notes, photographs, and drawings. The project also resulted in a number of commemorative installations, including a display that honors the crew of the Robert J. Walker and a memorial at Absecon Lighthouse.This is a fine book about an intriguing site that will be of great interest to nautical archaeologists and maritime history buffs. It provides a wealth of information about the US Coast Survey, maritime archaeological techniques, and, of course, the tragic story of the Robert J. Walker. At the same time, it provides a compelling example of community-based archaeology, which brought together professionals and avocationalists to achieve a shared goal. The volume is written in a readable and engaging style. It is a fitting tribute to an important vessel and its men that have been forgotten too long

Archaeology · Charter · Fishery · Maritime history · Shore · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology