Why did the U.S. Coast Survey consider Stellwagen Bank an important discovery?
In the 1800s, mariners did not have radar, sonar and other tools that are now part of standard equipment on ocean-going ships. Back then, captains had their crews take soundings by lowering a weighted line into the water to determine depth. The discovery of the bank was significant because it provided an underwater feature that would warn ships that they had left the greater Gulf of Maine and were approaching the more dangerous waters of Boston Harbor. This was especially important in foggy days and at night.
