ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY OF DELAWARE,
MARITIME CHAPTER
NEW SWEDEN CENTRE
SWEDISH COLONIAL
SOCIETY
INSTITUTE OF
MARITIME HISTORY
2012 UNDERWATER RECONNAISSANCE
FORT ELFSBORG, DELAWARE RIVER
14 APRIL TO 22 APRIL 2012
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
SUMMARY. For the period from 14 April to 22 April 2012, the Archaeological Society of Delaware,
Maritime Chapter (ASD), the Institute of Maritime History (IMH), and the Swedish Colonial Society
(SCS) will search for remains of Fort Elfsborg, a 17th century Swedish fort on the New Jersey side of the
Delaware River, for the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs) of Delaware and New Jersey.
Underwater reconnaissance will be conducted sidescan sonar, hand-held metal detectors, and probes.
Cultural finds will be mapped and reported to the states where they lie.
The suspected location of Fort Elfsborg lies within 12 miles of the courthouse at New Castle DE, so the
waters and submerged lands in the project area belong to Delaware, but the dry land is in New Jersey.
Consequently, the project will be coordinated with the SHPOs of both Delaware and New Jersey. The
underwater reconnaissance will be closely coordinated with terrestrial reconnaissance to be conducted by
ASD, SCS, and the University of Delaware.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS.
ASD is a non-profit corporation that was founded in 1933 to educate its members and the public about
archaeology, to support professional archaeological investigations, to report on archaeological activity
within Delaware and the surrounding region, and to promote interest and participation in archaeology and
related fields. Its Maritime Chapter concentrates on the investigation of submerged sites.
IMH is a non-profit corporation that was founded in 1994 to preserve and document underwater
archaeological resources. This will be IMH's fifth field project in Delaware. In 2005 IMH investigated
sites near Delaware City; in 2006 ASD and IMH scanned the historic harbor at New Castle; in 2007 ASD
and IMH began a reconnaissance of Breakwater Harbor at Lewes; and in 2009 they completed scanning
Breakwater Harbor and started scanning the Harbor of Refuge.
The New Sweden Centre is an interpretive center for the colonial history of the Delaware Valley,
featuring "Hands-On-History" displays of artifacts from the Prehistoric era to the American War for
Independence, with a special focus on Native Americans and the New Sweden Colony. Headquartered in
Wilmington, Delaware, the Centre also offers educational outreach programs and historic re-enactors.
SCS, founded in 1909, is the oldest Swedish historical group in the United States dedicated to preserving
the legacy of the New Sweden Colony in America.
The project also seeks to promote archaeological stewardship among divers and other members of the
public. We therefore will invite as many institutions and individuals as feasible to join the project.
Participation requires membership in ASD, IMH, SCS, or other organization committed to historic
preservation. Members of historical societies, faculty and students of universities, and interested local
residents are also invited to participate in fieldwork and research, always subject to our rules against
disturbance and disclosure of sensitive sites. In specific cases individual guests, especially government
officials, may be invited onto the project.
All individual participants must agree not to disturb sites, not to recover or receive material from sites, not
to record site locations, and not to disclose the existence, nature, or location of any site.
BACKGROUND.
Archival research by SCS members shows that Swedish colonists built Fort Elfsborg in 1643 and
abandoned it in 1651 after it was rendered tactically ineffective by the Dutch construction of Fort Casimir
at what is now New Castle, Delaware. By 1654 the fort was reported to be in ruins. Its exact location is
now unknown. It may be in the water off what is now called Elsinboro Point, just above Mill Creek; or
on the peninsula between Mill Creek and Fishing Creek; or on the island at the mouth of Mill Creek, or
somewhere else in the vicinity. See Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Suspected locations for Fort Elfsborg
Because the fort was an earthwork with little or no supporting masonry being mentioned in the archives,
finding its outlines is expected to be difficult.
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Archival records show the fort was armed with eight 12-pound naval cannons (see Figure 2) and one
mortar. Those records do not indicate what was done with the guns when the fort was abandoned. It is
possible that they were buried and remain at the site.
Figure 2.
12-pound Swedish bronze naval cannon
length ~12 feet, weight ~4,000 pounds
METHODOLOGY.
The area will be searched by no-impact, Phase I methods. Underwater searches will be conducted with
sidescan sonar, handheld metal detectors, and probes. Divers will assess anomalies, categorize them as
cultural or natural, and map cultural objects by standard archaeological techniques to record the exposed
material; measure the site's length, breadth, depth, relief, and orientation; and prepare field drawings.
This information will provide baseline data to the SHPOs for site management and for the selection of
sites for further investigation.
Sites will not be disturbed and material will not be recovered unless specifically directed by the SHPO
and supervised in the field by an archaeologist appointed or approved by the SHPO. In that event the
SHPO would be asked to provide all necessary permits, conservation, storage, and curation.
Boats can meet participants at Delaware City Marina in Delaware City DE, and at Barber's Basin in
Salem NJ. Each is less than four miles from the project area. Barber's Basin assisted SCS in prior
fieldwork and will provide free docking for the project.
KEY PERSONNEL.
Principal Investigator, Delaware
Principal Investigator, New Jersey
Project Managers
Project Coordinator
Craig Lukezic, M.A.
Lu Ann DeCunzo, Ph.D.
Dawn K. Cheshaek
David P. Howe
Aleasa Hogate
ASD
University of Delaware
ASD Maritime Chapter
IMH
SCS
SCHEDULE.
Subject to weather, the intended schedule is as follows —
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IMH boats depart Tall Timbers MD on Sunday morning, 1 April 2012.
Scan sites in the Chesapeake, 1 April to 6 April (see ANCILLARY WORK, below).
Search for Revolutionary War wrecks near Philadelphia, 7 April to 13 April.
Search for and map Fort Elfsborg, 14 April to 22 April.
Search for War of 1812 wrecks near the Mispillion River, 23 April to 31 April.
Map Chesapeake wrecks selected by the Maryland Historical Trust, 31 April to 19 May.
Return to Tall Timbers on the evening of 19 May.
The schedule is somewhat flexible, but IMH's boats must return to Tall Timbers by 19 May at the latest to
meet other commitments in Florida and Georgia.
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VESSELS AND EQUIPMENT. IMH will provide the following vessels, and remote sensing and
navigational equipment:
Vessels:
Figure 3.
36-foot survey boat Roper
Figure 4.
19-foot outboard skiff
Roper will also carry a 12-foot outboard skiff for use in very shallow water.
Search gear:
Marine Sonic Technologies "Sea Scan" sidescan with 600 kHz towfish and WAAS
Differential GPS, on loan from the National Park Service Submerged Resources
Center.
Marine Magnetics "Explorer" boat-towed magnetometer, on loan from the St.Augustine
Lighthouse & Museum.
Humminbird "997C SI" sidescan sonar with WAAS Differential GPS.
two handheld underwater metal detectors and one terrestrial metal detector.
Maptech "Chart Navigator Pro" navigational software with WAAS DGPS.
REPORTS.
Sites will be reported to the respective SHPO in the format specified by the SHPO. Reports for each
cultural site will include the following information as a minimum —
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Location by Differential GPS;
Acoustic imagery of the target;
Magnetic signature (duration and amplitude), if possible;
Photographs, if possible;
Length, breadth, orientation, depth alongside, relief, and least depth;
Salient features and characteristics (type, construction, material, propulsion, etc.); and
Tentative identification of vessels, if possible.
Summary reports will also be prepared, to include the general locations and characteristics of sites and
recommendations for future work. To allow wide dissemination, those reports will not include precise
site locations. Additionally, IMH will update its website (www.maritimehistory.org) to make progress
reports accessible in real time to an international audience.
This project is for the benefit of the states. ASD, IMH and SCS do not claim any proprietary rights in the
data as against the states. However, because the disclosure of site locations and other data might expose
historic sites to looting or disturbance, all data will be held in strict confidence and will not be disclosed
to anyone except the states and project participants.
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DIVING.
Diving safety is paramount. Diving will comply with American Academy of Underwater Sciences
protocols. Dives will not be conducted in rough seas. We will not conduct decompression dives. Project
depths range from 4 to 30 feet at Fort Elfsborg, or to 90 feet in the Ancillary Work discussed below. Air
dives will comply with NAUI tables, Nitrox dives with IANTD tables. All dives will be considered
square profile, and computer algorithms must not exceed those limits.
Divers need Advanced Open Water or higher certification from a nationally recognized dive training
agency, and must be competent and comfortable in the conditions they undertake. Divers will provide
their own gear, although IMH can provide "loaner" gear. Tanks can be refilled on board Roper. Divers
should have basic archaeological training, which can be obtained from IMH, colleges, dive training
agencies, or other sources.
In-water visibility will be limited. Currents may be strong. Hazards may include abrasion, entanglement,
and sea life. Water temperatures are expected to be 50 to 55° F. Typical tide ranges in the Delaware
River are 4.5 feet.
ANCILLARY WORK.
En route to Fort Elfsborg ASD and IMH will also ─

search for three Revolutionary War vessels that were lost during the battle for Philadelphia ─ the
British brig Merlin, destroyed by American artillery in October 1777, and the American
brigantine Andrew Doria and sloop Racehorse, scuttled in November 1777;

scan 246 potential wrecks in the Chesapeake Bay for the Maryland Historical Trust, and dive on
some of those sites as selected by the Trust; and

search for War of 1812 wrecks near the Mispillion River for the Delaware Department of State,
Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
One target of particular interest in the Chesapeake is the schooner Mary A. DeKnight, which foundered
off Kent Island on 3 April 1879. Other sites include a trawler, an airplane, and several 19th century
steamers and commercial sailing vessels.
For more information please email david.howe@maritimehistory.org, or telephone 302-222-4721.
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