The 1779 Shipwreck Defence: An American Revolutionary War Privateer

Over thirty years ago, students in engineering and history at the Maine Maritime Academy joined forces to apply science and technology to a mystery of history, the final disposition of the ships engaged in the 1779 Penobscot Fleet disaster. The result was this discovery of the American Revolutionary War privateer, Defence. Thus began an odyssey of amazing partnerships and archaeological discoveries as numerous institutions, companies and organizations banded together to examine the rare 18th-century find. The material culture recovered from Defence was diverse and abundant capturing a unique glimpse of life at sea aboard an American privater in 1779.