{"id":2166,"date":"2014-11-20T15:25:36","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T20:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=2166"},"modified":"2014-11-20T15:34:20","modified_gmt":"2014-11-20T20:34:20","slug":"state-begins-using-high-tech-equipment-to-examine-brick-shipwreck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2014\/11\/state-begins-using-high-tech-equipment-to-examine-brick-shipwreck\/","title":{"rendered":"State Begins Using High-Tech Equipment to Examine Brick Shipwreck"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A investigator examines pieces of a shipwreck in Brick, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

What\u2019s truly lies feet below the beach in Brick?<\/p>\n

State officials on Thursday began the process of using high-tech equipment to get a better picture of a potential 1850s shipwreck that was uncovered last month<\/a> by crews building a steel sea wall revetment along the township\u2019s beachfront.<\/p>\n

Thought to be the remains of the long-lost Aysrshire<\/em>, a Scottish brig that was wrecked onto the beach Jan. 12, 1850 while carrying 201 immigrants from England and Ireland, state historical preservationists and research engineers mapped the site using ground-penetrating radar and metal-detecting devices to get a better idea of how big the ship is, what shape it\u2019s in, and what will eventually become of it.<\/p>\n

Alongside the technologically-advanced equipment was another small group of DEP employees who were carefully examining and measuring the pieces of the ship that were unearthed last month by the construction crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re taking measurements of the different timbers and making notes of the different kinds of materials,\u201d said Kate Marcopul, a historic preservation specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection. \u201cThey\u2019re going to use that to, hopefully, give themselves information so they can better assess the age during which the vessel was constructed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The historical investigators are also looking into the condition of the wreck and how well it has been preserved in order to come up with a plan for permanent preservation as well as to continue the installation of the sea wall, which has been temporarily halted in a 200 foot zone around the site.<\/p>\n

The most likely scenario is for the ship to ultimately be preserved in place under the sand, Marcopul explained, an outcome that helps preserve the integrity of the wreck and what it represents historically.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreservation in place, from a historic preservation perspective, is always the preferred choice,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have reason to believe that the remains of the vessel underground are in a reasonably stable environment, and the minute you would bring any of those timbers to the surface and expose them to the air, they would begin to decay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ground-penetrating radar rounds out the project by giving officials an idea of the size and shape of the wreck. The data from the device, which is pushed through the sand on a mobile cart, produces data an on LCD screen similar to those found on marine fishfinders. A picture is then virtually painted of underground disturbances that can give investigators a glimpse into what they\u2019re dealing with and if items from the wreck extend out past the spot where it was initially discovered just south of 8th Avenue.<\/p>\n