Anatomy of a Shipwreck
By Mary Jane Schramm, Freelance Writer and Naturalist
Like the chalk outline at a crime scene, ghostly white-plumed sea anemones, Metridia farcimen, limned the wreck of the coastal trader “SS Dorothy Wintermote” where she lay submerged off Fish Rock on the Mendocino coast. These cauliflower floret lookalikes are actually animals that opportunistically spring up on new or altered objects on the sea—a boon to underwater explorers seeking shipwrecks in dark, murky waters. And in 2016, scientists launched an expedition to explore the lumber schooner at rest on the sea floor, victim of the treacherous, often fog-shrouded coastline of Northern California.
USCG lifeboats to all-hands rescue. Photo: Olsen-USCG.
The Wintermote’s fatal journey had begun as a routine “milk run” shuttling lumber, coffee, and other goods between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. But on September 17, 1938, in a thick fog 11 miles south of Pt. Arena, captain Captain O. J. Olsen delayed too long in slowing to take soundings of the depths. The “Wintermote” struck notorious Fish Rock which “holed” a 15-foot gash into her hull, and the seas flooded into the forward cargo hold, tipping her bow-downward in the shallow water. A fishing vessel, the “Santa Rosalie,” rescued some crew members but itself became stranded off Alder Creek; all were landed safely. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter “Shoshone” had also responded, deploying lifeboats to rescue other crew members, and the ship’s tabby cat. Captain Olsen was last to leave the wreck.
Days later, heavy seas leveraged the “Wintermote” free from Fish Rock, and it was refloated and towed offshore, but foundered en route amid wave and swell. She finally came to rest in deeper water of approximately 250 to 260 foot depth—roughly the length of the vessel itself.
In August, 2016 scientists from NOAA’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary where the wreck is located, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Maritime Heritage program, and Ocean Exploration Trust set out to explore several shipwrecks among the hundreds that lie unexplored in the region including the freighter Dorothy Wintermote. Multi-beam sonar gave her exact location and “lie.” Although mapping and assessing the condition of these wrecks was one goal, they would also document how they impacted marine life as artificial marine habitat for fish and invertebrates, time-stamping how quickly wrecks become colonized and by whom. Wrecks alter the seafloor, which can change the nature of the creatures that live there. They engender new communities of marine life, offering ambush cover for predatory species like rockfish while also providing concealment for their prey. A third objective was to determine whether any threat existed from onboard oil or other substances. The Greater Farallones sanctuary, one of the most diverse and bountiful marine environments in the world, uses such data to manage these natural and historic resources.
The expedition ship E/V “Nautilus”’ Remote Underwater Vehicle (ROV) was deployed to the wreck where its cameras captured images of the vessel and the richly diverse and abundant sea life that has taken up residence around it. Some samples were taken by special permit. Biologists observed several species of rockfish and swarms of tiny shrimp-like krill that darting rockfish picked off one by one.
Maritime archaeologist James Delgado narrates a deconstruction of this fateful ‘milk run’ in his video account, pointing out on-deck features, and the stories each tells: lifeboat stations, the rudder and propeller, engine room ventilators. He discusses not just the historical event, but also gives insights into the sequence of the ship’s structural collapse, imploding on itself as it made its last journey—to the bottom of the sea.
As time and the sea continue to work their wear on this ghost ship, the tale of the Dorothy Wintermote will continue to unfold. Enjoy these expedition highlights of the Wreck of SS Dorothy Wintermote | Nautilus Live of spines.
[Web Address: https://nautiluslive.org/video/2016/08/20/wreck-ss-dorothy-wintermote]
Images
• Top USCG lifeboats to all-hands rescue
Photo: Olsen-USCG.
• Middle: Metridium sea anemones quickly colonize wrecks. Photo: NOAA-GFNMS.
• Bottom: In-port preparations for ROV Hercules.
Photo: Schramm-OET-NOAA.
