The General Morgan Lewis
A WWI era ferrocement (concrete) "River Steamer"
USE EXTREME CAUTION WALKING THE DECK OF THIS SHIP TO RETRIEVE THE CACHE!
Use caution as there are many sharp bits and submerged hazards.
A shallow draft boat such as a canoe or kayak is recommended.
You will need to leave your boat for this cache.
The General Morgan Lewis is an example of the use of ferrocement for shipbuilding. She was built in 1921 at the Wilmington, NC shipyard of the Newport Shipbuilding Corporation (now a vacant lot at the base of Greenfield Street). She was the 6th of 10 of this type of ship built there and is 150 feet long weighing 600 ton.
These concrete ships were commissioned during World War One, but most were not completed before the armistice was signed. Ferrocement was chosen because it would save on the use of steel, so valuable during wartime. After they were completed, they served for a very short time as troop transports along the east coast. Although the government offered them for surplus sale, most were abandoned, including this one.
There is some doubt that this is actually the ship detailed in this listing. There are very few records from that shipyard but I am reasonably certain based on my research and that of others. It is most certainly one of the 10 built at that shipyard.
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A crew of workmen posed with the propeller and
rudder of the Gen. Morgan Lewis,
still on shipways, in 1921.
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Perhaps the most famous of these ships (the last to be built) was eventually used as a floating restaurant in Wilmington named Fergus' Ark.
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Fergus' Ark.
A good example of how the Gen. Morgan Lewis
would have looked.
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Where to launch
The most convenient free launch point I've found is into Solleys Cove at the end of Carbide Road. Parking coordinates are included in this listing. Park in the grassy area south of the American Legion building and outside their posted private property signs. This is a popular fisherman's launch with all the related character.
These ships are the property of the State of Maryland by federal law.
A permit is not required to inspect, study, explore, photograph, measure, record, conduct a reconnaissance survey, or otherwise use and enjoy a submerged archaeological historic property if the use or activity does not:
involve excavation, destruction, or substantive injury of the historic property or its immediate environment;
endanger other persons or property;
violate other regulations or provisions of federal, State, or local law.