Shipwrecks and the Maritime Cultural Landscape of the Gulf of the Farallones

Abstract

The waters of the Gulf of the Farallones are a diverse and expansive maritime cultural landscape that includes at least 400 historically documented shipwrecks. This article summarizes a multiyear scientific mission to assess shipwreck sites in the Gulf of the Farallones and nearby waters. A series of sites were identified not only through archaeological dive surveys, but also through newly available nineteenth-century archival records that speak to the value of using these sources in maritime archaeological research. In all, twelve sites were documented. The project characterized these sites within the parameters of a regional maritime cultural landscape.