Two Short Hunts Net Me 145.00, Anchors and an Old Bottle

[scubadetector]

I don't usually dive much on the weekends because of all the boat traffic but this weekend turned out as an exception. First because of the business cards I handed out at the Detroit Boat Show in February, I got a call from a gentleman that lost a pair of expensive glasses off the back of his boat at a marina. I agree to meet him Saturday morning at 7am. I get to the marina suit up and go in the water. 5' tall weeds greeted me. I removed all the weeds, put my detector in autotune and didn't get a hit on the framless titanium glasses. So I ran my hands carefully through the muck and found them. Visibility was absolutly nil. Took me about 15 minutes, I was handed a C note. One thing I don't refuse!!

Then Sunday, on another website I am on, someone lost an expensive anchor in the Detroit River. Never dove there before and decided to take the challange. Not only did I find his anchor, I found 8 other ones, an very cool old bottle and a large upside down wood boat around 30 - 40' long with the BRASS propeller still on the shaft. Going back soon with a hacksaw to get me a nice old prop!! Nothing left of the sides or deck of this boat. it is flatened in about 18' of water. Visibility was about 3 foot.

 

[undertoe]

Glad you're back scuba,,,,love reading your posts!!

 

[patch]

n/t

 

[patch]

great looking bottle

 

[mudpuppy]

Nice work! That bottle got me thinking...You know, that boat might be an old rum runner, full of bags of silver! Or cases of sweet Canadian!, maybe wrap a line on that shaft and pull the whole thing apart with your boat and have a look? might be an old steam powered launch even, especially if that bottle was part of the wreck, its certainly from the Steam Age...whatever it is, theres at least gotta be some brass components and hardware on the topsides, perhaps a big wheel..you sort of got a mini Atocha project there if you want it!
Mud

 

[Goldstrike]

Very interesting bottle and a nice salvage job there! Congrats on what you found already and that brass prop will fetch some $$$$$$$$!!

 

[scubadetector]

I am thinking the boat is from the 40's or 50's, HOWEVER I have NO idea. I have the GPS coordinates of it and I will be back for further exploring along with salvage!! There is a boat anchor with about 100' of line going from it that I left so if I don't see the boat right away I just need to follow an anchor line. This anchor was stuck in the boat and was cut loose by some other boater. Going to be a FUN adventure.

If the engine is an older one I will get that also IF it is there. Right now all I see is the bottom and the prop. The bottom of the river is absolutely loaded with bottles. The shape of this one caught my eye. Most are pop and alcohol from the 40's to now. I saw hundreds and hundreds of bottles there.

I was told this bottle is colonial vintage. WAY too much fun down there!!!

 

[Overvoltage]

Scuba, awsome Thanks for the story and pics. keep us posted on your boat find.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Great story and pics scuba.. the bottle is a case gin, probably dates somewhere around1875ish... bottle could be english as they were a rather common bottle and were widely used... I like the way mud thinks..that would be awesome to find a mid 1800 s wreck... if you could find a fair amount of bottles from that era it might pay off good too..hope it all works out and be safe out there...congrats..

 

[mudpuppy]

Thats one old damn bottle! That whole stretch of river is some old heavily travelled water...Lord! Makes a fellow want to get some tanks!
Mud

 

[tvr]

Excellent work.

A guy I work with has a friend who lost an expensive anchor in about 18 feet of water. He has the coordinates and he dives. I asked him if he wanted to borrow a detector to go get it and he said no, he had already replaced the anchor with insurance money.

Hope you find some more very old bottles among all the bottles on the bottom.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Thanks for posting ,always enjoy you finds and outing.