The adjacent Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is a submerged seamount. The prevailing California Current flows southward along the coast, and the upwelling of nutrient-rich, deep ocean waters in the sanctuary stimulates the growth of organisms at all levels of the marine food web. The sanctuary was named for Edward Cordell of the U.S. Coast Survey, who mapped it in 1869. The granite formation ranges from 50 to 200 meters in depth and is almost 22 miles west of Point Reyes, California. It is unknown how many shipwrecks, if any, lie on the floor of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The depth of the sanctuary and its distance from shore have made it difficult to conduct surveys of the area.
The waters of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary have witnessed a rich diversity of watercraft, and over 140 shipwrecks have been reported in this region. Most of the maritime activity in the last 400 years has been focused on trade. The Spanish built missions around the Bay after 1776, which brought supply ships and foreign fur traders. Following Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, the port of Yerba Buena (later named San Francisco) gradually expanded into a regional trading center. New England's "Yankee Traders" and ships of European nations traded, whaled, and gathered furs and hides while using San Francisco as a base to re-supply their vessels.
The Farallon Islands and the mainland coast north of the Golden Gate have historically provided hazardous navigational obstacles to shipping. Year-round fogs and dangerous winds and storms often led ships to rocks and beaches to be pounded by the Pacific swells. Fierce currents have always swept in and out of the entrance to the Golden Gate. Many known shipwrecks litter the floor of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The earliest recorded shipwreck in the sanctuary area was the Spanish Manila galleon, San Augustin, sunk in a gale while anchored in Drake's Bay in 1595.
Data Activity
Part 1: Be a Shipwreck Detective
Print out the charts for the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuaries. (This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download this for free).
Go to the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuaries Shipwreck Database, and plot the shipwrecks listed in the data table by placing a small x and the shipwreck's name at the spot on the map where the latitude and longitude intersect.
Check your answers with our Answer Page.
Part 2: Be a Shipwreck Historian
It will be easiest for your students to study the individual historical reports if you have printed them out ahead of time and made copies. In each sanctuary's database, click on the name of the ship to access the historical report. In some cases, a report may contain another link to an image and more information; be sure to print out that information also.
Check your answers with our Answer Page.
Author
Laura Rose, Virginia Sea Grant, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Grade Level
9-12
Lesson Time
1- 3 hrs. (depends on number of sanctuaries explored)
Objectives
Vocabulary
Radar, Seamount
Materials Required
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Chart, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Chart
Natl. Science Standards
IK-1 IK-2 TK-3 PS5-3 PS9-5
Notes
This activity can be short or long, depending on how many sanctuaries (and shipwrecks!)you explore. Credits
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
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