Western Empire: The Deep Water Wreck of a Mid-Nineteenth Century Wooden Sailing Ship
Joshua Aaron Levin
Thesis: May 2006
Chair: Crisman
This study of WesternEmpire is split into two distinct parts: (1) historical
research of the life of the vessel, relying on primary documents; and (2)
analysis of the deep water survey data. The first part concentrates on the
historical documents that constitute the history of WesternEmpire. The second
part begins with a review of the tools and procedures used in performing the
deep water survey. An analysis of the information that can be taken from such a
study will follow, and it concludes with suggestions for remotely operated
vehicle operators when performing an on-the-fly survey of shipwrecks in deep
water. The official ship logs, crew agreements, and contemporary newspaper
articles are used to recreate the life of WesternEmpire and shed light on a
period in which wooden sailing ships were being displaced by iron ships and
steam power.