Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom

CANBERRA - Divers have found the wreck of a Japanese midget submarine that attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942 and brought World War Two to Australia's biggest city, ending a 64-year mystery over its fate.

The missing two-man submarine M24 was one of a trio that slipped in darkness past protective nets stretched across the harbour entrance on May 31, 1942, with a plan to attack shipping, including the American battle cruiser USS Chicago.

Two of the 46-tonne subs were sunk. But the M24 fired two torpedoes, one of which sank the converted ferry HMAS Kuttabul, killing 19 Australian sailors and two Britons before vanishing under heavy fire. The other torpedo failed to explode.

The wreck of the long-sought submarine was found by recreational divers in deep water 3 nautical miles (5.5 km) off Sydney's north coast.

"We just saw this long shape with a little lump sticking out of it and the heart, you know, started going and you think 'No, it couldn't be'," diver Tony Hay told Australian television.

Television footage showed the weed- and barnacle-encrusted wreck of the 24-metre (78-foot) sub sitting upright on its keel, its propeller and punctured hull clearly visible.

Australia's government on Monday placed a protective heritage order over the still-secret site to guard against looting and ensure any crew remains were not disturbed.

"It was a very brave, a brazen, incursion right into the heart of one of the biggest harbours in the world. For the secret and the sub to have been lost for over 50 years is quite phenomenal," Environment Minister Ian Campbell told reporters.

The wreck was yet to be officially identified, but Australian navy divers were inspecting the site on Monday and navy heritage chief Shane Moore was convinced the M24 had at last been found.
The Japanese government, Campbell said, had been informed and the wreck would stay in place pending a decision on whether the sub would be raised or stay where it was as a war grave.

"I think we have to respect the sensitivities of the families of those who've been lost," he said.

A Japanese embassy spokesman said the mission was awaiting official confirmation.

One of the wreck's discoverers, diver Alan Simon, said a wreath had been placed over the site as a mark of respect to the missing Japanese sailors.

Parts of the two other submarines sunk in the raid were raised and have been on display in Australia's National War Memorial in Canberra since 1943.

One was destroyed by its crew after becoming entangled in anti-submarine netting, while the other was sunk with depth charges and its crew committed suicide.

The crews of both vessels were buried with military honours.

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The Santiago Times

November 25, 2006

A delicately elaborated nautical telescope, metal handheld lamps, intact pieces of dinnerware, and even a sailor’s shoe buckle are among the artifacts recovered from a sunken merchant ship in the bay of Valparaíso, discovered by a submarine sent out to monitor the progress of a project to make the bay deeper.

This archaeological discovery comes from one of the nearly 600 shipwrecks that occurred over the past three centuries in the Valparaíso bay.

The remains were discovered by experts contracted by the Terminal Pacifico Sur firm (TPS), who are carrying out the bay expansion project to accommodate larger boats.

Little is known for certain about the ship. Nevertheless, through an analysis of the pieces recovered and an archaeological report done by the company Arka Consultores, it appears to be an English merchant ship, which in the mid-nineteenth century ran a route from Great Britain to the west coast of North America. The ship used Valparaíso as a port of call. “The elements we’ve recovered ought to be of British origin, but we have to confirm that, given that at that time many ships were built in US shipyards,” explained Renato Simonetti, one of the firm’s specialists.

Through submarine investigation, it was verified that the ship was found nearly entirely buried and covered in sediment at about 17 meters depth. Only a thin layer of the ballast was exposed, which has been attributed to the ship’s cargo of steel and the structure of the hull on the bottom of the boat. These clues lead the researchers to think that the ship is split in two.

On various trips to the sea floor, specialists brought back various artifacts of British origin, among them a telescope, dishes, bottles and a sailor’s shoe buckle, dated between 1850 and 1880. “Regarding the dishes, there was one plate with a stamp on it. At that time sets of dishes were done in series, and, in accordance with some documents we’ve consulted, we’ve established that the dishes are from 1860,” Simonetti said.

The Region V Regional Environmental Commission (COREMA) approved a project for the dredging of ports, but in accordance with the Council of National Monuments, they inserted as a condition that TPS must develop a recovery project in order to leave the archaeological site unharmed.

The firm must finance a new archaeological expedition to collect the artifacts and the most valuable pieces, with the purpose of documenting the shipwreck. The parts of the wreckage which remain submerged after the project’s conclusion will be covered with fabric to avoid their dispersion.

In related nautical news, another submarine mission with potential for historically significant results will be carried out in Valparaíso on December 4th at 8AM.

The project, led by researcher Juan Enrique Benítez with the support of the Chilean navy, is to refloat the “Flach,” the first submarine built in Chile. The vessel was the second of its kind in South America and the fifth worldwide. The submarine, twelve and a half meters long and weighing nearly 100 tons, sunk near the bay in Valparaíso on May 3rd, 1866. Karl Flach, the German who built the submarine, perished in the wreckage along with 10 crew members.

The submarine lies in the middle of the bay, no more than 300 meters from the Prat Dock at a depth of between 35 and 50 meters. The pedal-powered, two-propeller vessel was commissioned by the Chilean government for defense against the Spanish.

Source: La Tercera
Translated by Cynthia McMurry (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

North Charleston, S.C. In a year's time, scientists hope to solve the mystery of why the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sank, the chairman of the South Carolina Hunley Commission said Tuesday.

"Between the science of archaeology and the science of conservation in that laboratory, they will solve the ultimate mystery," state Sen. Glenn McConnell said after a commission meeting. "I think it's reasonable to say we're probably within a year of solving that."

The hand-cranked Hunley sank the Union blockade ship Housatonic in 1864, becoming the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship.

It was found 11 years ago and raised in 2000 from the Atlantic and is in a conservation lab. But the vessel has been slow revealing its secrets.

There are generally two theories why it sank shortly after sending the Housatonic to the bottom. One is that it was damaged and took on water after the attack. The other is that the crew suffocated when they ran out of air.

Scientists are removing the sediment that hardened on the inside of the sub. Next spring, they will begin removing the hardened sediment from the hull.

"The exterior will be the real key to the thing," said Randy Burbage, a commission member. "You will be able to tell if another ship rammed it, which is a possibility, or if any other event may have happened."

Another artifact will soon be displayed at the Hunley lab - a watch once owned by Queenie Bennett, the sweetheart of the sub's commander, Lt. George Dixon.

The watch, as ornate as one owned by Dixon and which was found on the sub four years ago, is inscribed with the words "Queenie Bennett Dec. 25, 1862."

It's not known whether the watch was a Christmas gift from Dixon "but we think that is the last Christmas he spent with her," Burbage said.

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LA Times
November 18, 2006

About 1,500 amphorae are part of the cargo scientists are sorting from a Roman ship that sank 2,000 years ago.

Archeologists have started exploring a sunken 1st century Roman vessel carrying about 1,500 clay amphorae, some still containing nearly 2,000-year-old fish bones nestled inside.

Boaters found its cargo of amphorae in 2000 when their anchor got tangled with one of the two-handled jars.

Exploration of the site a mile off Alicante in southern Spain began in July, said Carles de Juan, a co-director of the project, who works for the Valencia regional government.

The ship, estimated to be 100 feet long with a capacity for about 400 tons of cargo, is twice the size of most other Roman shipwrecks found in the Mediterranean, De Juan said.

The well-preserved clay amphorae were used to hold fish sauce — a prized condiment for wealthy Romans, he said.

For nearly 2,000 years, the 3-foot-tall amphorae lay undisturbed except for the occasional octopus that would pry one open, breaking the ceramic-and-mortar seal in search of food or shelter.

The cargo probably also includes lead, which the Romans used for plumbing, and copper, which they mixed with tin to make bronze for a range of things, including plates and jewelry.

This ship most likely sank in a storm while sailing back to Rome from Cadiz in the south of what is now Spain.

When word of the find first spread in 2000, pirate scuba divers raided the site and stole some of the amphorae. That forced the Valencia government to build a thick metal grating to cover the remains and protect the jars.

November 18, 2006

BEAUFORT — Ten years ago a private research firm recovered a brass bell from a shipwreck site in Beaufort Inlet believed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

The bell inscription, IHS Maria, gave few clues to the ship’s identity.

State archaeologists announced Friday they found another bell on the shipwreck site that they are hoping will be the “smoking blunderbuss” that positively links the ship and Blackbeard.

“I have all suspicion that the one that’s just recently been discovered is indeed the ship’s bell, but who knows,” said David Moore, nautical archaeologist with the N.C. Maritime Museum.

The new bell is about 8 1/2 inches tall, roughly half the height of the one found in 1996, said Sarah Watkins-Kenney, QAR Project conservator.

Rings of the bell are visible through the concretion and the concretion it is in has been x-rayed, said QAR Assistant Conservator Wendy Welsh.

“We did not see any identifying marks, but that does not mean its not there,” Welsh said.

It will take some cleaning before archaeologists can determine for sure, if the bell features any markings such as a ship’s name or a date.

Archaeologists will be looking for “La Concorde,” which was the French slave ship Blackbeard captured in November 1717 and renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge, or the name of some other ship the pirate took, Moore said.

They will also be looking for any type of hanging mechanism still attached to the top to show if the bell had deteriorated in place or if it was more likely a prize taken from another ship, said QAR Project Director Mark Wilde-Ramsing.

Normally, ships of this period had two bells, a large one on the bow and a second one in the stern, the area of the shipwreck where this latest bell was found, Wilde-Ramsing said.

Made of brass or bronze, conservators will be able to clean the bell much more quickly than the iron cannons that can take years to ready for display, Welsh said.

She expects they will be able to discern some of the bell’s features by early 2007.

Other items state archaeologists announced that they found during a fall diving expedition included a small gun, the likeness of Queen Anne on the side of a coin weight, and thousands of little lead shot, evidence that the wreckage is indeed a pirate ship.

“This was a heavily armed, very provisioned vessel,” Moore said.

The question that was asked 10 years ago — is this really the Queen Anne’s Revenge — is yet to be answered, though circumstantial evidence that it is continues to mount, said State Archaeologist Steve Claggett.

Even if it should turn out that it is not, it is still an important piece of North Carolina’s colonial history, Claggett said.

“In this shipwreck we have a time capsule,” he said.

Scientists will study the part in an effort to fill in the story of a wreck.

A lighthouse couldn't save the sailing vessel when it wrecked off Vilano Beach more than a century ago.

But a 12-foot, 4-inch wooden rudder from the mystery ship will be saved over the next year by St. Augustine Lighthouse archaeologists as they try to uncover its identity and when it sank. Then the conserved half-ton of wood and copper will go on permanent display at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Dozens of visitors and schoolchildren watched Tuesday as the huge rudder was placed on a temporary wooden platform next to the 132-year-old lighthouse.

"Is it the bottom of a ship?" asked Abbey Wensel, 7.

Then the Middleburg girl learned it was a century-old rudder on public display at the lighthouse for the next year while Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program staff work on it.

"That's pretty cool," she said.

St. Augustine resident Diane Mouhourtis said she can't wait to watch the conservation progress.

"I am glad to be here to see it brought to the lighthouse," she said. "I will come back and check on it every now and then."

Storm waves shoved the rudder onto Vilano Beach in early October 2005. Residents and marine archaeologist John Morris hauled it atop a nearby dune for safety. Partially sheathed in weathered copper, the rudder and the merchant ship it was attached to are estimated to date to the early to mid-1800s. The ship was at least 100 feet long, according to Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program Director Chuck Meide.

State officials gave Morris and St. Johns County officials permission to move the rudder to the research reserve, where it was stored for the past year. Trucked to the lighthouse Tuesday, it will be placed on a platform under a tent for conservation work.

Meide and his staff will also examine its construction and wood type to see if there are clues to its ship, and when it sank.

"We want to get as many clues as we can from very meticulous analysis, then go to the history books and hopefully have something to work with to narrow down possible candidates," he said.

Morris and the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program targeted dozens of shipwreck sites before finding the 1764 wreckage of the British sloop Industry off the lighthouse in 1998 and recovering a cannon and other artifacts. Meide and the new staff of lighthouse archaeologists will attempt to find the rest of the rudderless ship off Vilano Beach next year.

A summer mission to the Industry is planned to recover another cannon for display at 265-year-old Fort Matanzas, where Meide believes it was headed in 1764.


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CHUUK, FSM – Chuuk’s world class diving – and a big chunk of the local economy – centers around the sunken ships that rest at the bottom of its spectacular island-dotted lagoon. Those ships now also pose what is potentially the greatest threat to the most populous state of the Federated States of Micronesia: massive oil leaks from the tankers and destroyers and other WWII relics that could create the biggest environmental catastrophe to ever hit its’ shores.

“The rate of leakage is rising dramatically,” says Joe Konno, former Director of the Chuuk Environmental Protection Agency, speaking on the subject as it relates to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs. Konno often represents the FSM at international environmental forums.

The 57 wrecks made up of destroyers, transports, cargo, submarines, tugs, carriers, tankers and other vessels, have for decades provided local blaster groups with enough raw powder and munitions to dynamite areas of the lagoon and its abundant reefs for illegal hauls of fish. Now, the disintegrating hulls are also creating havoc with the leakage of diesel fuel, oil, and other chemicals toxic to the environment.

“If one of those ships happens to break loose in the lagoon or on the reef, you can imagine the damage it will cause from the loads of fuel being released,” Konno cautioned a group of leading environmental leaders at the recent 1st Environment Conference, held in Palikir, Pohnpei.

Asterio Takesy of Chuuk, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), a regional environmental organization, said, in a recent discussion at the same conference in Pohnpei that the issue of leakage is “approaching an emergency situation.”

SPREP recently concluded a survey of all sunken vessels from the massive and violent US Navy bombing of the Japanese 4th Fleet in February 1944 in Chuuk Lagoon, as well as all other WWII sunken vessels throughout the entire Pacific.

Considered second only to Pearl Harbor in strength, the U.S. saw this Imperial Navy base as a major threat, and conducted Operation Hailstone in crystal-blue Chuuk Lagoon, a 2-day intense aerial bombing campaign that continued in various forms until the war’s end.

“War ships, cargo ships, and then we have the tankers,” said Takesy, “and the tankers and larger ships are your immediate concern…There ought to be some discussions between the FSM government and the government of Japan” on the impending environmental threat.

It is a bi-lateral matter between these two nations. Although the FSM profits from the vessels through tourism revenue, maritime law dictates that it is Japan that still owns the sunken ships and planes.

The FSM and Chuuk specifically do not have the myriad resources necessary to handle such a potential disaster.

Environmental leaders have called for “immediate actions” to be taken “to remedy the imminent environmental threat posed by the sunken World War II ships” by the end of 2007.

In the coming months, it is expected that Chuuk Governor Wesley Simina will send an official communication to FSM President Joseph Urusemal in order to try to elevate at the national level the priority of the threat posed by the situation, and move forward the possibility of bilateral talks with the government of Japan on the pressing issue.

The Earth Watch Institute, a high resolution satellite data and information provider, has sent a team that has been helping the Chuuk government and the EPA on a detailed study of the wrecks in recent weeks to record information on the lagoon’s archaeology and on the corrosion and current decay rates of the wrecks.


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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com

Persian (Iranian) archeologists are determined to take the remains of the recently discovered Partho-Sassanid shipwreck and its cargo out of the waters of the Persian Gulf; however, there are many challenges and obstacles along the way.

Tehran -- “Death Trap!” This is what archeologists call the area 70 meters below the waters of the Persian Gulf where nearly two months ago the remains of a merchant ship belonging to either of the two superpowers of Ancient Persia, namely the Parthian (248 BC - 224 AD) or Sassanid (224-651 AD) empires, were discovered. Lack of sufficient facilities has turned salvation of this Partho-Sassanid shipwreck a challenging task.

The Persian Gulf is a hot spot for oil companies whose ships continuously sweep over this body of water searching for new oil and gas resources. Nevertheless, until last September no one was aware of the existence of an ancient ship sunken in the Persian Gulf near the port of Siraf until the local fishermen got hold of an unknown giant ship below the waters. Later, the Darya-Kav-e Jonub Company (Southern Sea Investigation Co.) was commissioned by the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization to investigate the area. Initial studies by this company unveiled a mystery: A humongous ship and its cargo have been lying below the waters for 17 centuries.

Once the news was spread, archeologists from all over the country and abroad were excited to start excavation of the ship, not knowing of the huge obstacles ahead.

Manager of the Southern Sea Investigation Co., Zolfaqar Arabzadeh, says: “Bringing the sunken ship and its cargo out of the water is a real feat. Part of the task goes back to having enough expertise while the other part has to do with the facilities needed for this job. The ship and its cargo are at a depth of 70 meters of the Persian Gulf. Going to such depth without necessary facilities would result to death after only a few minutes. This is why we have no choice but using a technique called saturation diving which is a well-known method in diving for objects. This technique enables the diver to get deep in the sea using a combination of Oxygen, Hydrogen and Helium … Besides, taking out the cargo and the ship requires having skilled divers, but their number in Iran does not exceed a handful.”

Saturation diving is a special diving technique that allows nearly unlimited time to work underwater. It is the most efficient and efficacious method to accomplish work at ocean bottom depths. The technique allows divers to remain at great depth for long periods of time by living under pressure in special living chamber complexes affixed to a diving support vessel, oil platform or other floating work station.

“Saturation” refers to the fact that the diver’s tissues have absorbed the maximum partial pressure of gas possible for that depth due to the diver being exposed to breathing gas at that pressure for prolonged periods. This is significant because once the tissues become saturated, the time to ascend from depth, to decompress safely, will not increase with further exposure.

Commonly, saturation diving allows professional divers to live and work at depths greater than 50 meters (165 feet) for days or weeks at a time.

Only highly professional and experienced divers may carry on excavations at the depth of 70 meters where the ancient Persian shipwreck is located. However, the “Saturation Diving” method brings the risks down to a minimum. Yet this method was never used in Persia (Iran) in the past and so even the most professional divers would need some training sessions, typically four weeks long, to get familiar with this new technology.

Saturation diving is based on the principle that the pressure of the dissolved gas in the blood and tissues is the same as that of the gas in the lungs. Basically, a diver goes down to a depth, perhaps 300 feet, and remains there until no more gas can dissolve in the tissues -- the tissues are saturated with nitrogen. Once the saturation point has been reached, the time required for decompression will be the same no matter how much longer the diver stays at that depth, whether it be a minute, an hour, a day or a week. This principle has been used for divers who live and work in undersea habitats.

“The importance of taking the cargo out of the water would result in the introduction of a new technique in Iran which is unique in its own special way. To this date, the technique has been used by non-Iranian divers in Iran and costs millions of dollars,” adds Arabzadeh.

The use of compressed air in diving is the method commonly practiced by Iranian divers. Such method enables the diver to dive down to a depth of 50 meters at maximum for a limited period of time. Should the same “traditional” technique be used by divers at the depth of 70 meters, a maximum of 5 minutes is all they can endure the pressure on their lungs. Staying at such depth longer than this period would exponentially raise the risk of death. Even the first five minutes is not a hundred percent safe as some believe that it could cause permanent breathing problems.

40 meters is the maximum permitted depth to which a person may dive according to world standards. A combination of helium and oxygen would be required if one wishes to go deeper down.

Captain Mehdi Masoumi, the retired first skipper of Iran’s Marine Forces who served for 28 years during his career, speaks of the challenges of the Persian Gulf shipwreck excavations: “Had this ancient ship been discovered at a depth of 40 to 50 meters, there would have been no need for sophisticated diving equipments. The need for such facilities has always been felt in Iran, especially by its Marine Force. The country’s petroleum installations which are considered vital for Iran must have become equipped with such technology long ago, but today we can see that it was never acquired. This is while the Iranian oil companies could extract oil from the depth of 80 and even 90 meters in the Persian Gulf. At present, enormous amount of money is spent by the country’s oil companies for hiring foreign divers to do the job at deeper levels. We do hope that the salvation of this shipwreck would open the gates to this system in Iran.”

How was the Partho-Sassanid shipwreck discovered?

The newly discovered ship was found by accident when local fishermen were having just another “ordinary” day. Hamid Shams, member of the board of managers of the Southern Sea Investigation Co. and one of the first people who found the mysterious ship, recalls his memory of that day: “We always work in the same area the ship was discovered. One day, a number of local fishermen announced that they fished pieces of earthenware. Since we had worked with the Cultural Heritage Organization in the past, we went to the area to make pictures. The pictures were then displayed in the underwater archeology department of Iran’s Archeology Research Center. [After examining the pictures,] the Center’s experts declared that the ship’s cargo contains big jars, known as amphora, which were in use only during the Parthian and Sassanid dynastic periods. These jars were seemingly in use for holding oil and liquids. We then showed the film we got from the shipwreck to Dr. Fazeli-Nashli, director of Iran’s Archeology Research Center, and he gave us his Organization’s support.”

According to Shams, no action was taken after that on the part of the Archeology Research Center while he believes that at least the Center could cooperate in making a higher quality film of the shipwreck.

Shams continues by saying: “We wrote a letter to Dr. Fazeli-Nashli and announced our full readiness to take part in this project. Since diving at such depth is a highly specialized concept and ICHTO is quite inexperienced in this area, we see ourselves part of this project and believe that we must do something. We even have a workshop and good facilities at Asalouyeh [an industrial region in Southern Iran close to the place where the shipwreck was found], and can host ICHTO’s experts. We can also offer them with proper facilities such as boats and diving and filming equipments which suffice for initial studies. This is a cooperative project in which we can make use of the archeologists’ experiences in the field of archeology and they take on ours in diving. On the other hand, we have good connections with a number of marine companies abroad and can use their experiences and act as a bridge between Iran and marine companies outside the country.”

Commenting on the suggestion put forward by Shams, the Manager of the Southern Sea Investigation Co. said: “We can seek help from foreign companies in this project since it is a big one. Not only are our cultural heritage experts new to underwater archeological activities, our diving companies are also unfamiliar with cultural heritage concepts. Aside from a few companies such as ours who have cooperated with the Cultural Heritage Organization in a few projects, we must also make use of the experiences and information of others who have done such projects in the world and we must be careful not to cause any harm to the ship’s cargo.”

In the meantime, the first step in bringing this Partho-Sassanid ship out of the water could be accomplished by taking out samples of the ship. This can be done using the existing facilities. However, the current facilities are by no means sufficient for continuous activities for prolonged periods at the depth of 70 meters. Even taking out small bits and pieces from such depth is a hard task which can only be achieved by few diving professionals, not exceeding 5 people in Iran.

Commenting on the lack of expertise for such mega project in Iran, Arabzadeh adds: “Facilities required for diving in the depth of 70 meters are very costly. However, it seems that this project is absolutely worth spending millions of dollars while we can not put a price on its immaterial value. Spending money for such projects is as insignificant as a drop of water when compared with the sea. When recovered, this ship will be the most exceptional one in the Persian Gulf region.”

Captain Masoumi completes Arabzadeh’s comments by saying: “People from all over the world would then come to see this ship. When similar discoveries are made in the world, the discovered object becomes internationally known; such event must also happen in Iran. On the other hand, the discovery of this ship drew in lots of international divers who volunteered to help recovering it and have a share in the thrill. The recovery of this ship could create a huge turmoil in the world.”

The most effective way in taking the ship out of the water is to make a topographic map of the ship, number each piece, and take them out one by one. The pieces would then be put together in accordance with the map in the appropriate place.

Some experts believe that the discovery of this ship which belongs to either one of the two great Persian dynasties, Parthian or Sassanid, in the Persian Gulf could be used as a proof against false claims by some neighbor countries of Iran in the dispute over the Persian Gulf, as some Arab states attribute this body of water to themselves, calling it the “Arabian Gulf!!” The newly discovered Persian Gulf shipwreck clearly shows that this waterway has always been part of Iran (former Persia) throughout the history as it was used for commercial and military purposes 2000 years ago as proved by this ship. (To read more on Persian Gulf name abuse, click here. More information about the Persian Gulf naming dispute is also available here)

First attempts to save the Partho-Sassanid ship of the Persian Gulf have already started. However, this huge project cannot be completed with the current state of technology and experience in Iran’s underwater archeology and could in fact be a dangerous adventure for the Iranian divers who want to safely carry through what they call the “death trap” since diving to that point and staying there longer than 5 minutes would for sure threaten their lives. Yet, the discovery of the ship is a merry event which could open up new arenas never explored in Iran’s underwater archeology.

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CDNN

By Ian Johnston
November 09, 2206

ORKNEY, Scotland -- Wrecks of two mysterious submarines have been discovered off the coast of Orkney in an area where there were no reports of wartime sinkings, a coastguard official said yesterday.

A survey team examining the sea floor around the islands discovered the wrecks lying in about 70 metres of water to the east of Sanday Sound.

Grainy images of the submarines were captured using the latest three-dimensional sonar device, but their identity and nationalities are not known.

An Orkney diver speculated that the vessels might have been German U-boats sunk during the Second World War. There were reports that the Royal Navy had successfully depth-charged U-boats, but this took place several miles away.

The wrecks were found during work surveying the seabed around the islands, which also produced new images of captured German ships that were scuttled by their crews at the end of the First World War.

Rob Spillard, hydrography manager of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said the sunken submarines were something of a mystery.

"We have no idea which subs they are, which nationality or who died in them," he said.

"We have passed the details on to various divers and there has been a bit of interest. But the subs are in about 70 metres of water, which is really pushing it for divers to get there.

"Whenever you go surveying, you get reports of what they know has sunk in the area. There are a number of reports of subs being depth-charged [during the Second World War] but those reports don't seem to correlate with where the wrecks are.

"Whether it was a German sub that was depth-charged and then struggled off or something else is impossible to tell."

He said while Britain had been a great naval power and was a world leader in underwater survey techniques, parts of UK waters had still not been surveyed.

"It is really surprising. We have managed to survey most of New Zealand and Australia's waters, but haven't done some here," Mr Spillard said. "Probably about 90 per cent has been done, but Scotland has a large number of areas that haven't been surveyed."

Bobby Forbes, of Sula Diving, said it would be possible to attempt to identify the submarines. "You don't have to dive them, you can send an ROV [remote operated vehicle] - it's a lot safer at those depths."

Mr Forbes said he suspected the submarines were German U-boats. "Vessels and ships can be quite a distance from where they are reported to have sunk," he said. "They may have lost some material, giving an indication they had sunk, but may have just been badly damaged and glided down to the sea bed."

Mr Forbes and Mr Spillard were both involved in the ScapaMAP consortium, which included Historic Scotland and New Hampshire University in the United States, which also carried out the second major survey of the scuttled German fleet at Scapa Flow.

More than 50 ships were sunk in June 1919 on the orders of Rear-Admiral Ludwig von Reuter to prevent the German fleet falling into Allied hands. Nine German sailors were shot by the British as troops tried to prevent the scuttling, which was highly successful with only one capital ship saved.

After numerous salvage operations and the effects of 90 years under the sea, there are only seven main wrecks left and these are now officially protected.

Mr Spillard said he was thrilled as the ghostly shapes of those wrecks began to appear on the scanner of the coastguard tug Anglian Sovereign.

"It was really impressive," he said. "Vessels are almost more exciting when they are on the seabed than when they're floating on top of it. It really was nice to see something out there, especially something with a story behind it."

It has been claimed that senior British officials had in some way colluded with the Scapa scuttling operation to avoid the ships being handed over to the US, Italy or France during peace treaty negotiations at Versailles, a claim perhaps prompted by the decision to send away most of the guarding fleet.

Mr Spillard, who has looked into the history of the scuttling, said he doubted this but added: "I believe the British may have turned a blind eye. The higher echelons probably weren't too bothered and weren't trying too hard to stop it happening."


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www.schnorkel.blogspot.com

Three-dimensional images of the wrecks of German warships scuttled in 1919 off Orkney have been released.

Experts carried out a week-long study of the seven vessels at historic Scapa Flow by monitoring the wreckage and surrounding seabed.

The survey used high-resolution sonar, which scanned the ships from the sea surface to generate 3D images.

They will be used to update nautical charts, analyse how wrecks deteriorate, and to assist divers.

The wrecks are the only remains of the large vessels of the German High Seas Fleet, scuttled in June 1919.

The three battleships and four light cruisers are legally protected as scheduled ancient monuments of national importance.

'Boat owners'
The study was undertaken by a consortium of organisations including Historic Scotland and Scientific Underwater Logistics And Diving (Sula).

Phillip Robertson, of Historic Scotland, said: "By comparing this year's work with previous surveys, we will begin to understand the extent to which these wrecks are deteriorating and how we approach their continued management.

"In the short term, the images will hopefully enhance understanding and appreciation of these monuments by charter boat owners and divers whose vigilance we depend on to assist in the protection of the scheduled wrecks."

Bobby Forbes, of Sula Diving, said: "Over the last few years data analysis processes have advanced significantly, allowing high-quality imagery."

Dr. Robert Ballard, president of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium and the man credited with finding the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985, has announced plans for an expedition into the Gulf of Mexico.

A team of project officials, including University of Connecticut professor Dr. Kevin McBride and Institute for Archaeological Oceanography professor Dr. Dwight Coleman, credited two graduate students with the idea for the mission, which was announced Wednesday morning at a press conference at the aquarium. The expedition will allow scientists to identify now-underwater land that was once the shoreline of North America during the Neolithic period.

The trip, which will focus on exploring the underwater topography of an area 100 miles off the coast of Texas known as the Flower Garden Banks, will depart March 2007 from Galveston and be broadcast live to museums and Boys and Girls Clubs of America across the country. Visitors from Connecticut can catch the shows at the aquarium.

"It is amazing that we're going to reach not only local children but tens of thousands of children around the U.S.," Ballard said of the technology his team will use to direct the mission remotely. "What Houston has for outer space, we'll have for inner space."

Though Ballard said the team has no idea what artifacts may be recovered, he cited a painted canoe paddle recovered from a thousands-year-old site in Denmark.

McBride called the expedition "possibly the most important question being addressed by archaeologists in the Western Hemisphere."

"We expect to find the earliest human occupation in the Americas," he said. "The reason we're looking on the coast is that it's likely if people were hear early, they were exploring the resources. We will be reconstructing that landscape as it was 15,000 to 20,000 years ago."

The Flower Garden Banks is a marine sanctuary that includes a 42-square nautical mile area.

The sanctuary includes three zones -- the East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden and Stetson banks.

The area was designated a sanctuary in 1992.

"This area may include cave systems that provided a source of protection for people and shelter for people," Coleman said.

The project includes a slew of partners and sponsors including the U.S. Navy, who will lend the use of their Groton-based NR-1 submarine, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The University of Rhode Island and UConn will also be involved.

The team said they will conduct similar research off the coast of Block Island in 2008.

Ballard said his ultimate goal is to pilot one of the undersea vehicles along the bottom of the Stetson Bank to determine whether it is comprised of salt, which was considered a precious resource during the Stone Age.

"I'd love to find a mine," Ballard said. "It's only a dream, but I've been lucky in my past with those coming true."


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Military.com
November 01, 2006

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet declared Oct. 31 that the sunken submarine recently discovered by divers in the Western Pacific is, indeed, the World War II submarine USS Wahoo (SS 238).

"After reviewing the records and information, we are certain USS Wahoo has been located," said Adm. Gary Roughead, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander. “We are grateful for the support of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and appreciate greatly the underwater video footage of the submarine provided by our Russian navy colleagues, which allowed us to make this determination. This brings closure to the families of the men of Wahoo - one of the greatest fighting submarines in the history of the U.S. Navy."

In July, the Russian dive team “Iskra” photographed wreckage lying in about 213 feet (65 meters) of water in the La Perouse (Soya) Strait between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin. The divers were working with The Wahoo Project Group, an international team of experts coordinated by Bryan MacKinnon, a relative of Wahoo’s famed skipper, Cmdr. Dudley W. “Mush” Morton.

“I am very pleased to be part of an effort where old adversaries have joined together as friends to find the Wahoo,” said MacKinnon.

Wahoo was last heard from Sept. 13, 1943, as the Gato-class submarine departed the island of Midway en route to the “dangerous, yet important,” Sea of Japan. Under strict radio silence, Morton and his crew proceeded as ordered. Radio contact was expected to be regained with Midway in late October upon Wahoo’s departure from the Sea of Japan through the Kurile Island chain. No such contact was made. Following an aerial search of the area, Wahoo was officially reported missing Nov. 9, 1943.

At the time, the loss of Wahoo was believed due to mines or a faulty torpedo. But Japanese reports later stated that one of its planes had spotted an American submarine in the La Perouse Strait Oct. 11, 1943. These reports indicate a multi-hour combined sea and air attack involving depth charges and aerial bombs finally sunk Wahoo.

Japan Maritime Self Defense Force retired Vice Adm. Kazuo Ueda assisted the group with providing historical records from the Imperial Japanese Navy that identified the location where Wahoo was sunk.

“We, the families of Wahoo, recognize the historical scholarship and support provided by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. We would also like to send our thanks to the U.S. Navy for their diligence in finding and identifying the USS Wahoo,” said Doug Morton, son of Dudley Walker Morton.

“The Morton family is thrilled that there will be closure to the loss of our father,” added Morton, who also spoke on behalf of his sister, Edwina Thirsher and her family. “The loss of a famous submariner who was loved by his family and crew has been very difficult.”

During Wahoo’s rare foray in the Sea of Japan, Morton reportedly sunk at least four Japanese ships. For the patrol, Morton was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross – his fourth.

Morton is credited with sinking 19 ships totaling nearly 55,000 tons during his four patrols in command of Wahoo; his total was second only to his own executive officer, Richard H. O’Kane. Retired Rear Adm. O’Kane went on to command USS Tang (SS 306) and to receive the Medal of Honor.

Noted naval historian Theodore Roscoe described Morton as “an undersea ace” in his book “Submarine Operations in World War II.”

“Few skippers equaled Morton’s initiative, and none had a larger reserve of nerve,” Roscoe wrote. “Combining capability with dynamic aggressiveness, Morton feared nothing on or under the sea.”

The discovery of Wahoo is the culmination of more than a decade of work by an international team dedicated to finding the ill-fated submarine. In 2004, electronic surveys sponsored by a major international energy company (The Sakhalin Energy Investment Corporation) identified the likely site.

The Bowfin Museum in Hawaii worked with the team as an independent “scrutineer” to ensure the project was done correctly and will serve as a central repository for all the Wahoo Project’s findings, according to museum executive director, submariner, and retired Navy Capt. Jerry Hofwolt.

“This is the right thing to do for the families,” Hofwolt said. “We want to be able to tell people that this is where your loved ones are and to be a clearinghouse for all of the information about this and other lost submarines.”

Hofwolt said the museum is making plans to host a memorial ceremony to honor the crew members, most likely in October 2007.

Officials with the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force reviewed analysis and photos provided by the Bowfin Museum and agreed the wreck is Wahoo. The wreck had several characteristics consistent with Wahoo, and the submarine was found very near those reported in Imperial Japanese Navy records. Photographs are available at warfish.com and oneternalpatrol.com. General information about the USS Wahoo Project is available at usswahoo.org.

Wahoo is believed to be near the site of the Russian submarine L-19, possibly sunk by mines in late August 1945 after Japan had surrendered. Based on the information made available to them by The Wahoo Project Group, the Russian team wished to confirm the site was Wahoo and not the L-19. According to The Wahoo Project Group Web site, the group has offered continued assistance to the Russian government in finding that submarine as well.

In addition to the ceremony to be held in Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy officials are planning an at-sea, wreath-laying service sometime next year to pay tribute to Wahoo. If it can be arranged, a combined service with the Russians and Japanese to honor Wahoo and the Russian submarine L-19, as well as the respective Japanese losses, is also a possibility.

The Navy has no plans to salvage or enter the Wahoo wreck. Naval tradition has long held that the sea is a fitting final resting place for Sailors lost at sea. The Sunken Military Craft Act protects military wrecks, such as Wahoo, from unauthorized disturbance.

Wahoo’s discovery comes on the heels of a similar discovery of USS Lagarto (SS 371), which the Navy confirmed was found in the Gulf of Thailand in June.

“We owe a great debt of gratitude to the brave men on Wahoo and to all of our WWII submariners who performed so magnificently during the war. Much of our submarine force heritage, and many of our traditions, can be traced back to their legacy.” said Rear Adm. Jay Donnelly, deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “One of my favorite quotes is from Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz who, after the war, said: ‘We salute those gallant officers and men of our submarines who lost their lives in that long struggle. We shall never forget our submariners that held the lines against the enemy while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds.’”

According to Pacific Fleet submarine history, the submarine force remained intact following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It became clear at that time the submarine fleet would take the fight to the enemy. By war’s end, submarines had supported all major fleet operations and made more than 1,600 war patrols. Pacific Fleet submarines, like Wahoo, accounted for 54 percent of all enemy shipping sunk during the war. Success was costly. Fifty-two submarines were lost, and nearly 3,600 submariners remain on “Eternal Patrol.”


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