Local diver eyes old boat remains in in Fort Loudoun Lake

Knoxville News: Local diver eyes old boat remains in in Fort Loudoun Lake
The Star of Knoxville, a modern paddlewheel cruise boat, and the Volunteer Princess, a sleek multimillion-dollar cruise yacht, lie anchored in Fort Loudoun Lake.

But submerged in the waters and along the shoreline between them lie the scattered skeletal remains of other boats from a long ago time, when moneymaking vessels on those waters were not a rarity but commonplace.

"They were the trucking industry of their time," said Jim McNutt, a Knoxville lumberman and scuba diver with a passion for history and marine archeology.

He wants to see the wreckage salvaged for historical and educational purposes.

There may be many as four wrecked boats in the same general area. Most likely, they are all simple flatboats or keelboats. But there is a chance that the wreckage lying closest to shore is that of a classic steamboat, McNutt said.

"It could be a lot wider than it appears (on the surface), and that increases the possibility" of it being a steamboat, McNutt said. "Once we get to the underside of it, we will know for sure."

He said he has heard stories from several people, including a woman whose grandfather was a steamboat captain, that a steamboat was wrecked or abandoned at that site. And the type of wood is more likely to have been used in a steamboat, he said.

But whatever type of boat it turns out to be, he said, "it is likely that some artifacts have settled down into the wreckage over the years. I'm certain that we will find some artifacts."

In a maritime salvage claim filed in U.S. District Court, McNutt - owner of Marine Geographic - is asking that he and his firm be named "substitute custodians" of any artifacts recovered from the site by professional marine archeologists.

"This wreck belongs to the people of Tennessee," McNutt said. "Marine Geographic will act as the curator of the site and will donate the artifacts to the public education cause."

While the claim is pending in court, McNutt is working to drum up interest and support from a variety of organizations, including the University of Tennessee, TVA and the East Tennessee Historical Society.

McNutt hopes that eventually there will be educational public displays and exhibits pertaining to the history of river traffic placed along Riverfront Landing.

"If we can't get the help we need over the next two or three years, we'll just have to abandon it," he said. "We're moving now because (the wrecks) will eventually erode completely over time. And once a site is gone, you can't reconstruct it."

For historical and archival research, McNutt turned to Bob Davis, retired engineer and local amateur historian who was instrumental in setting up a steamboat history display at the Historic Crescent Bend House.

Davis said that Knoxville depended upon river commerce until the 1850s, when a railroad bridge was built over the Tennessee River at Loudon. Steamboats went into decline but continued to operate until the early 20th century.

Davis said he feels there is a "slim" chance of the wreckage being that of a steamboat. His historical research has identified some steamboats known to have ended their days in the same general vicinity.

McNutt said he believes the site has historical value no matter the type of boats, but that a wrecked steamboat would make it even better.

"The difference would be like waking up Christmas morning and finding out that your present is a trip to Tahiti instead of to Pigeon Forge," he said.

McNutt is looking for volunteers to help with the project. He can be contacted at jim@marinegeographic.com.