Schooner Barge (Snetind)

The Schooner Barge is another unidentified wreck in the Boston dumping grounds, although it is likely the Snetind.  It appears to be built for the purpose and not converted based on the overall design. After the Civil War and with the advent of steamships, ship owners began experimenting with towing ships. They found it was economically beneficial to tow instead of sail heavily laden vessels through hard-to-navigate channels where variable winds could be a problem.  Many older large schooners were converted to these barges as they could then carry more cargo than fully rigged schooners, and they required fewer crew members because of their much smaller sails. These sails provided power when the wind was favorable and were used if the vessel broke free from its tow. A consort system evolved in which steamers towed several schooner-barges.  As the demand rose, many schooner barges were built specifically for that purpose.  An excellent piece on schooner barges can be found at the attached link.

 http://www.njscuba.net/artifacts/ship_schooner_barge.html

 The Schooner Barge is one of the better preserved wooden shipwrecks in Mass Bay.  It sits in about 180 ft of water, and is mostly intact with much of the wooden decking still in place.  One can swim along the rail almost completely around the wreck, although the stern section of the wreck has collapsed and the bow is heavily damaged.  Large cargo hatches retain their original shape, and the inside is one very large space with the huge masts still resting vertically on the keel (they’ve been cut off flush with the deck).  Evidence of an upper deck can be seen, but there is not much of it left.  The length of the wreck we estimate at 250 ft. and the beam is at least 40 ft.  Unfortunately, visibility is usually in the order of 15 – 20 ft, but this ship is definitely worth a trip back when the vis is good.  I experienced one day of 50 ft + visibility on the wreck, and I’ll never forget the thrill of gliding through the cavernous interior looking at the massive wooden keel and beams overhead with their intricate supporting structures.  A truly impressive piece of work.