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IU team studies historic shipwreck as California underwater park site
Oct. 18, 2000
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A 92-year-old shipwreck off the Northern California coast may become part of a state park and a registered historic site through efforts of a research team from Indiana University.
Charles Beeker, director of the Underwater Science Program at the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, has received a grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation to research the1908 S.S. Pomona shipwreck site near Ft. Ross. The project has a Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/~e472/pomona/pomonahome.html
Beeker is directing a group of IU students in preparing an underwater site map of the shipwreck and determining the visitor safety, resource significance, environmental sensitivities and historic significance of the site some 90 miles north of San Francisco. Included in the project will be a report on the underwater resources, with original photographs and video materials to help in establishing an underwater shipwreck park to aid divers in exploring the area.
Ft. Ross is now a state park that commemorates the site where Russian explorers first landed in California in 1804 and established a settlement. Beeker said the IU project could lead to expansion of the state park to include the underwater location of the Pomona remains.
The ship was transporting cargo on a route close to the coastline when it hit a submerged reef and sank. Known as the "Pride of the Coaster Fleet," the Pomona featured several unique components for a ship of its era, such as a triple-expansion steam engine and electricity on board.
Although salvage crews and looters have removed much of the sunken ship, large sections remain at depths ranging from 27 to 40 feet. Beeker said the Pomona is popular with divers today because of the proximity of sea life indigenous to Northern California, but diver safety is a concern because of the bottom surge encountered by the IU team when it was exploring the site.
In a report to California officials, Beeker said the Pomona "provides a unique opportunity to incorporate an underwater shipwreck into a State Historic Reserve. The S.S. Pomona warrants recognition as California's best example of 19th-century steam ferry transportation along the Pacific coast, and it deserves acceptance to the National Register of Historic Places. Based on our investigations, the site has all the attributes to become an Underwater Shipwreck Park that can be successfully managed by the California State Park system."
His list of 10 specific recommendations includes developing brochures outlining the history of the project, creating water-resistant printed guides for divers, building a land-based observation point at Ft. Ross, adding a museum exhibit to the existing Ft. Ross State Park Visitor Center, and encouraging public use of the site.
Beeker has directed a similar underwater park project for the State of California at a Lake Tahoe shipwreck site and conducted numerous underwater park projects in the Florida Keys and Caribbean.
Beeker can be reached at 812-855-5748 or cbeeker@indiana.edu