Preserving the Remains of the Evelina M. GoulartAn Argument for "Chain Saw Archeology"

by Erik A.R. Ronnberg, Jr.

Presented at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, May 27, 2010

For the past twenty of its thirty-four years of operation,

the Essex Shipbuilding Museum has had custody of the fishing

schooner/dragger Evelina M. Goulart with its long-term pre-

servation in mind. "Preservation" of this vessel has to date

been equated to what has been done to preserve historic

craft by other museums - that is, rebuilding the hull to

restore it to the appearance of a finished vessel, usually

as fitted for work. The financial realities of this course

of action have prevented its happening, leaving the Museum

with a partially dismantled, poorly sheltered hulk in an ad-

vanced state of deterioration with no hope in sight of

fulfilling that objective.

There is an alterna tive -- one that would be in keeping

with the Museum's mission, following procedures and stan-

dards of marine archeology while meeting key objectives in

research, exhibition, and interpreta tion all at lower

cost and offering a greater variety of future uses.

Before outlining this alternati ve, it is necessary

indeed high time -- to remind the Museum's members and staff

of its mission as defined by its name, if not by any by-laws

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process of building ships is implicit. The logical focus ofits exhibits and educational programs should be on thetools, materials, and methods of putting ships together,rounding out the story with aspects of civic history andnatural history which made this area conducive to buildingships.

Museums concerned with processes rather than finishedproducts are rare and all the more important for the voidsthey fill in preserving our knowledge of the dynamic aspectsof historic technologies. For this museum, the processes ofmaking the components of a ship's hull, and the methods ofassembling them, should be the most important exhibitsnot just a finished vessel, ready to launch, whoseconstruction is mostly hidden by planking.

The problem with the Goulart restored to a finished,ready-to-Iaunch hull is that the building process has notonly been completed, but that the rebuilding processinvolves a sequence of disassembly and reassembly thatdiffers in many ways from building a hull from scratch.Those differences can be very misleading to a visitor whoactually has a chance to view the process , either ongoingor on a video medium. Rebuilding is also more consuming oftime, labor, and money than building a vessel from scratch.

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Enter Chain Saw Archeology.- The alternative torebuilding (or waiting to rebuild) the Goulart is todismantle the hull in its "as-is" state, saving parts andsections which show important examples of joinerwork, typesand uses of fastenings, types of wood and other materialsused. Of particular importance to save are pieces showingworkmanship, including saw cuts, axe- and adze work, boring,and joining techniques. These are the aspects of construc-tion which defined Essex shipbuilding as practiced in Essexby Essex shipwrights. There is enough of the Goulart'soriginal construction to make a definitive exhibition ofthese aspects and an irreplaceable reference for restorationof other Essex-built vessels in other museums. Indeed, ifthis is not done, the opportunity will be lost forever, asall other surviving Essex-built schooners have been soextensively rebuilt that there is little or nothing leftof their original materials, while much of the replacementdiffers markedly from the original, usually for reasonsbeyond their custodians' control.

If this course of action is taken, what parts from theGoulart should be preserved? A few of the more obviousexamples are to follow, but it is important that in thedismantling process, a sharp lookout is kept for unexpectedor unusual variations. It would also be prudent to inviteinterested museums to send their specialists to observe and

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advise on the selection and stabilization of parts to be

preserved.

Stern components.- Everyone looks first at a ship's bow,

but it is the stern which has the greatest complexities and

offers the greatest problems in reconstructing. This is

particularly true where the stern post and rudder intersect

the counter. This juncture should be salvaged to include the

upper parts of the stern post, propeller aperture and

adjacent deadwood, the intersecting ends of the counter

timbers, and the rudder post. It is also important to

include the rudder trunk with its slanted hollow which

permits shipping the rudder so the upper pintle can bypass

its gudgeon. The heel of the rudder post and a small part of

the keel to which it is tenoned should be saved as a

separate piece.

Of course, everyone likes the idea of saving a whole

midship section, but the vessel's present condition makes

this doubtful. Most important sections are at the bottom and

where the deck is joined to the bulwarks The bottom section

should include the main mast step, sump openings for the

bilge pumps, and any traces of ballast concrete. The upper

section (one side only) should include the quarter deck

break with the end of the grub beam and portions of the

waterways and planking. A separate midship section at the

centerline could include the main mast pad and partners.

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Moving forward, a portion of the hull bottom at the fore-

foot is important, particularly if it includes the fore mast

step along with joinerwork where the forefoot blends with

the keel. This can be a longitudinal, rather than transverse

section. Fore deck construction poses a problem, as this

area has been sign ifican t ly altered, including removal of

the windlass and its adjoining woodwork. The stem post has

also been replaced, but the apron timbers, hawse timbers

and any breast hooks should be saved, A portion of the pad

which originally ran from the stem aft to the fore mast is

desirable, if it survives, to answer quest ions about deck

and pad plank dimensions.

Returning to the stern, the overhanging part including

the transom is in a far advanced state of decay and will

require the greatest care in removal and examination for

salvageable portions. While the framing of the transom and

its joining to the counter timbers is of greatest importance,

on-site examination, measuring, and photography will be

urgent prerequisites to subsequent disassembly.

'Dismantling the hull in its initial stages will be heavy

work, fully warranting the term "chain saw archeology," and

it should be carefully planned and carried out by a hard

hat crew which fully appreciates its importance and can do

it with care. The hull .:has many areas of extensive rot,

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which will cause objects for salvage to deform and break

up if not adequately supported. The construction of pallets,

support frames, and cradles should be anticipated at all

stages of disassembly. This work could -- and should -- be

carried on with the assistance of other museums whtch have

fishing schooner artifacts, and can utilize what this museum

doesn •t need.

Having gone this far, the Museum will find itself

relieved of an unmanageable burden and a large and manage-

able collection of artifacts which will be the core of its

exhibits, an important reference for both visitors and other

insti tutions, and a reminder of the craftsman and their

craftsmanship which gave this community its importance.

The way these materials are used can be the subject of a

future symposium if the Museum decides in favor of this

course of action.

For anyone in doubt about this procedure, it would be

wise to consider these possibilities:

1. If the Goulart is to be rebuilt using the standard

procedures, it will soon be apparent that decay has gone

so far that the entire hull would be replaced, leaving the

original materials in a useless pile of wood that was torn

off piecemeal. This leaves the Museum with a completely

replaced hull and little if any original parts worth saving.

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2. If important parts of the Goulart are saved now, the

Museum will have important reference material at hand if

and when it has the funding and desire to build a replica

hull. In the meantime; the artifacts will be valuable.

reference material for building models to serve as visual

aids in the exhibits.

This is a critical point in the time line for any plan

to save the Goulart. She won't last much longer in her

present state, and the Museum's financial condition boils

down to saving selected parts of the hull or losing it all.

One alternative guarantees a future for the most important

aspects of the Goulart's construction; the other guarantees

the irrevocable loss of artifacts of Essex shipbuilding

which speak of the shipbuilders, their knowledge and skill,

as nothing else can.