Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom

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More than 250 papers will be presented by expert speakers from over thirty countries at this major five-day International Congress (23-27 June 2008), to be held in the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Every possible aspect and periods of the maritime past across five continents will be covered, with sessions on merchant shipping, naval history, medieval maritime history, maritime policy and governance, defence and security, fishing and fisheries, maritime culture and communities, port labour, seafarers, maritime disasters, maritime imperial history, piracy, Mediterranean shipping and trade, maritime archaeology, heritage and tourism, technology, shipbuilding.

There will also be Keynote Lectures by Professor Gopalan Balachandran, Professor Nicholas Rodger and Dr David Williams and a session in which the editors of the major maritime journals, including Mariner’s Mirror, exchange views on their publication policy with the audience.

Social events include a Welcome Reception in The Queen’s House, National Maritime Museum, and a Congress Dinner in The Painted Hall.

Queries/Questions/Advice
Please direct all queries and requests for letters of invitation directly to Suzanne Bowles using the Congress email address imeha2008@greenwich.ac.uk or telephone her on +44 (0)20 8331 7688.



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DetNews.com

By Ursula Watson
January 31, 2008


Nautical-lore lovers or those infatuated by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, say "ahoy" to the new traveling exhibit "Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure," set to dock at the Detroit Science Center March 24 through Sept. 1.

The Science Center plans to announce today that Detroit is the first port of call for "Shipwreck!" which is currently at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa, Fla., through Feb. 10. The all-ages exhibit offers interactive games, photographs, pirate lore and facts, a tunnel that creates hurricane-force winds, and a robotic arm that retrieves buried treasure. In addition, there will be full-size, replicated portions of shipwrecks, such as the Civil War-era SS Republic that sank during a hurricane off the coast of Georgia in 1865, as well as a number of actual artifacts from the ship.

Todd Slisher, vice president of science programs at the Science Center, went to Tampa to see the exhibit first-hand and then lobbied to bring it to Detroit. "Shipwreck!" comes on the heels of the successful exhibit "Our Body: The Universe Within," which featured human corpses preserved through a process called plastination, where bodily fluids are extracted and then replaced with plastic. The year-long exhibit, which ended Jan. 6, attracted 275,000 visitors, generating about $6.1 million in gross ticket sales.

Slisher says the Science Center was on the hunt for a successful follow-up.

"We definitely wanted something big. We were looking for the next blockbuster and the 'Shipwreck!' exhibit is a great find, like buried treasure. Just the atmosphere of the exhibit is incredible," he says. "It's evocative of the high seas and pirates. It is very well constructed and incorporates not only science, but the engineering technology of underwater archaeology."

The Science Center hopes "Shipwreck!" attracts at least 100,000 visitors, Slisher says. Tickets range from $13.95 to $15.95 and go on sale online Friday.

Mark Gordon, president of Odyssey Marine Exploration, which specializes in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration and commercial marine archaeology, created the exhibit. Gordon credits the Detroit Science Center for its tenacity. "They traveled to Tampa and beat everyone to the punch," he says. Based on the exhibit's success in Tampa, Gordon says it should go over well in Detroit.

"It is one of the best traveling exhibits. The Museum of Science & Industry has seen major attendance and is generating dollars," says Odyssey's Gordon. "Everyone is interested in shipwrecks and pirates, and this exhibit brings it together."

Wit Ostrenko, Museum of Science and Industry president adds, that while "Shipwreck" is just as good as "Our Body: The Universe Within," it is so for very different reasons. "'The Body' exhibit was not as interactive as "Shipwreck." People learned more with this exhibit and spent double the time enjoying it. You can bring the entire family because there is so much to do."

If possible, Gordon says, Odyssey hopes to add more artifacts to the "Shipwreck!" exhibit from the Black Swan shipwreck. The ship, according to the Associated Press, is believed to be the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes that a British warship sank off the coast of Portugal in 1804.

But the inclusion of those finds, Gordon stresses, is contingent on litigation surrounding ownership. In general, he says the Black Swan is in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Europe. Spain has intervened with a claim on the ship.

"Our plan is -- if we can, as we can -- we will incorporate some pieces from the Black Swan into the exhibit. When the legal thing is resolved, Detroit may be the first place where the artifacts are displayed," says Gordon.


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The Boston Channel
January 31, 2008


BOSTON -- A centuries-old ship washed ashore on a Wellfleet beach after Sunday's storm on Cape Cod, according to a published report.

The 19th-century schooner could be seen south of Newcomb Hollow Beach on Tuesday, the Cape Cod Times reported. It's not clear when the ship sunk, but it's the largest shipwreck to wash up or be uncovered since a similar ship appeared on a beach in Orleans about 10 years ago, according to William Burke of the National Park Service.

Burke estimated that the vessel dated to the 1800s or older, but another historian said that it could be the Logan -- a boat that wrecked around 1920.

The National Park Service plans to document the new shipwreck in photos and take measurements. Burke said that visitors were welcome to look and touch the vessel, but are not allowed to take a piece of the shipwreck.

Between 1850 and 1980, there were more than 3,500 shipwrecks in the waters off Cape Cod.


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Budgeteer News
By Chelsea Honebrink

January 31, 2008

The horn of a cargo ship just blasted its call to the Aerial Lift Bridge. A smile spreads across Thom Holden’s face.

The familiar sound is like a “hello” from the ship to him.

“After working here 30 years, I have come to love and recognize each ship,” he said.

Holden has been the supervisor and a park ranger at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center for three decades. The museum, which receives more than 300,000 visitors a year, is like a second home for this fan of history and shipwrecks.

“I really enjoy history,” Holden said. “I started out with an interest in Isle Royale, became interested in Isle Royale shipwrecks, and from there it just blossomed into an interest in all shipwrecks and ships.”

The only audible noise in the visitor center may be the ship’s crew talking over the marine scanner, but surely, if you turn the corner and peek at the desk, Holden will be there to greet you with a smile. This man may be quieter than a mouse, but when asked a question about shipwrecks, he can talk for hours.

Holden points out one of the museum’s most prized displays, a plate and saucer that contains what looks like a giant marshmallow with a piece of wood stuck in it.

“This is preserved food from the shipwreck of the Schooner Lucerne,” Holden said. “It’s most likely a pot pie.”

Holden knows these facts like he knows the back of his hand. He can shoot off facts and dates with more precision than a laser.

The shipwreck from the Schooner Lucerne contains some of the most uncommon artifacts in the museum.

“The special thing about this shipwreck is that it was covered in sand very quickly after it sank, which preserved the artifacts very well because it kept out the oxygen,” Holden said.

The Schooner Lucerne was shipwrecked in November 1886 and came out of Washburn, Wis.

The display also contains a half-preserved hat. The hat was also partially covered with sand.

Time is standing still inside the Lucerne display case. Wool socks with an old-fashioned iron standing next to them are waiting for someone to finish ironing them.

“The brushes were even made with real horsehair,” Holden said. “We’re fortunate to have this display here at the museum.”

The U.S. Corps of Engineers is in charge of Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. The museum is the most visited attraction in the Lake Superior Basin. Many displays and artifacts, including the steam engine of the tug Essayons on display in the middle of the building, are a part of the museum. The artifacts are from individuals and the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, which was established in 1972 (a year before the visitor center opened).

Holden does a lot of the administration work and spends much of his day on the phone or on the computer with e-mails, but his real passion is working with kids.

Beth Duncan, who has worked with Holden for more than 25 years, agrees.

“He’s really into shipwrecks,” she said. “But I think that what he really enjoys is working with the kids.”

Holden responds with a smile.

“They’re the carrot that keeps me here,” he said.

Holden has done a lot of program work for the museum. He founded the Compass Rose program for Girl Scout troops around the state.

In the program, Girl Scouts are given the opportunity to earn a badge by learning about navigation skills, a visit to the maritime museum and participating in a focus group.

He started the program in 1991. The program has since handed out more than 600 badges.

“My own daughter was in the Scouts,” Holden said. “My wife and I thought it would be fun.”

Holden also spends time with kids in kindergarten through eighth grade giving presentations.

There are more than 20 educational programs offered through the visitor center. From a program called “Who’s in Charge?” — which talks about a ship’s crew and their life onboard ships — to another called “With All Hands,” which is a program that focuses on the Edmund Fitzgerald, Holden’s educational presentations help instill a piece of history in the younger generations.

Over his 30 years of working with children in the program, he has seen history happen before his eyes.

“When I first started, the kids that came in here had lived through the event when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down,” he said. “Now not even kids’ parents were alive when that happened. I’ve really seen a change in audience perspective.”

His love for history and shipwrecks will likely touch many more visitors in the years to come.


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The Connection Newspapers
January 30, 2008


The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration invites the public to get that sinking feeling at Shipwrecks!, a free exhibition about the fascinating world of
shipwreck exploration and discovery.

This special offering at NOAA’s Silver Spring, Md. headquarters will feature shipwreck artifacts, robot subs, talks by undersea explorers and hands-on activities for children of all ages. Visitors will also be captivated by exhibits about life aboard ship, navigation, safety at sea and more.

The exhibit runs Saturday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily at the NOAA Silver Spring campus, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Md. Admission is free. Call 301-713-3066 or visit http://www.preserveamerica.noaa.gov/.


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The Hindu Times
January 29, 2008


KOCHI: An underwater exploration to be undertaken by the Southern Naval Command for tracing the maritime history of the Malabar Coast will begin on Wednesday. K.P. Rajendran, Revenue Minister, will flag off the exploration on February 1 from Kottapuram Fort Junction at 8 a.m.

Rear Admiral H.S. Bhaktavatsala; P.J. Cherian, director of the Kerala Council for Historical Research; S. Hemachandran, director of the State Archaeology Department; and Cdr. N.K. Reddy of the Southern Naval Command will attend the ceremony.

The survey, being conducted for the council, is aimed at identifying the submerged archaeological remains such as shipwrecks and ancient structures in the water bodies in the area.

The Archaeological Survey of India has granted licence to the council to explore the water bodies within 20 km of the radius of Kodungalloor.

Hydrographers of the Indian Navy will undertake bottom profiling of the sea.


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Manx.net
January 28, 2008


The first “Discover Diving” conference, held last year at the Manx Museum, was a resounding success, with standing room only in the Museum’s seminar room! Due to popular demand for the event, Manx National Heritage is pleased to say that this year’s event will be held in the main lecture theatre of the Museum on Saturday 1st March.

A range of specialist speakers will talk about all aspects of the underwater heritage of the Manx territorial waters, from sharks to shipwrecks! But there’ll also be speakers on the actual processes involved to get under the water. Those few people who have experienced diving will be sharing their expertise on a whole range of topics and sites so there should be something for everyone with an interest in the sea.

Curator of Archaeology for Manx National Heritage, Allison Fox said;
“We were really pleased with the turn out at the conference last year – there were many people with a general interest and also many members of the diving community on the Island. The programme of speakers is being confirmed at the moment, but will be announced a bit nearer the time. We hope that anyone with an interest or concern with the underwater environment around us will put the date of the conference in their diaries and we look forward to welcoming them to the Manx Museum on 1st March. ”

The event will start at 10.30am and finish at 4.30pm, with visitors welcome throughout the day. The conference is open to all those with an interest in the maritime heritage and admission is free.


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Burlington Free Press
By Joel Banner Baird
January 28, 2008


For 50 days in an average year, Adam Kane slips beneath the waves of Lake Champlain to prowl among the rotten remains of ships.

It's a job: Kane methodically charts and measures shipwrecks for the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.

Landlubbers might more comfortably follow his progress at a talk Kane will give at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Old Brick Church in Williston, hosted by the town's historical society.

The water's cold at 50 or 60 feet beneath the surface, even in the summer, but Kane and his colleagues at the museum's Nautical Archaeology Project wear dry suits to keep off the chill.

They tote measuring and recording tools, cameras and video recorders.

Underwater visibility improves in the winter, Kane said: less runoff and fewer muddying currents make for clear depths.

But there's a downside that keeps him inside these days.

"There's a whole different diving protocol in the winter," he said. "Typically there's a lot of ice, and if you can't find your way back to your access hole, you're out of luck. You run out of air, and you die."

During the colder months, Kane concentrates on more academic pursuits. He oversees mapping projects and the reconstruction of vessels from drawings. He helps piece together clues that tell a larger story: the history of a busy waterway that still channels vessels from New York City to Quebec City.

"Burlington was the most important port on Lake Champlain," he said. "If you're on the bike path, you're walking within a stone's throw of several dozen wrecks."

Over the past 10 years, sonar surveys have revealed the remains of about 300 shipwrecks.

"Nine of them are open to the public and are seasonally maintained with marker buoys," Kane said. "That's not to say there aren't a few out there that we missed."

Dive shops in the area can direct novice explorers to the right equipment and training, he added.

Contact Joel Banner Baird at 660-1843 or joelbaird@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com

Find out more at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Web site: http://www.lcmm.org/.


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Defence News
January 28, 2008

The Royal Navy ice patrol ship HMS Endurance has located the position of cruise liner M/S Explorer, which sank in Antarctic waters last year. The ship has also honoured its own provenance by ferrying a special visitor to the island site of another, much older wreck.

HMS Endurance is undertaking hydrographic survey and mapping work; providing support to the scientific work of the British Antarctic Survey and carrying out other taskings to deliver the UK's responsibilities under the Antarctic Treaty.

The charting work contributes to the safety of shipping in the Antarctic region - work of particular significance with the increasing number of cruise liners in the Antarctic. HMS Endurance herself went to the assistance of the M/S Nordkapp cruise liner when she struck a rock and was holed early last year. And in November, the M/S Explorer hit ice and sank – luckily without loss of life.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office requested that HMS Endurance undertook a search for the wreck of the Explorer to ascertain its position, assess the likely condition of the vessel on the seabed and observe any ongoing fuel seepage or other evidence of pollution.

After an initial unsuccessful search earlier this month, Endurance revisited the area to carry out the systematic search of an area ten kilometres by five using the ship's advanced multibeam echosounder, which uses sound waves to create an accurate chart of the sea bed.

The seabed in the search area was flat and featureless, but a contact was detected at a range of 4,373m from the reported sinking position of the vessel. When compared to the reported sinking position of M/S Explorer this was broadly consistent with the direction of the prevailing current.

The wreck's position is at the northwest end of the Bransfield Strait, and was located at a depth of approximately 1,130 metres. The actual location is at 620 24.2929' south 570 11.7748' west. It was judged that the depth of the wreck showed that it presented no hazard to shipping. Apart from the oil slick, no debris was seen in the water and no debris was observed on any of the land in the vicinity of the wreck visited by personnel from HMS Endurance.

Both the FCO and Ministry of Defence consider that finding M/S Explorer has highlighted the wider role and primary purpose of HMS Endurance in supporting the aims and principles of the Antarctic Treaty system.

Commanding Officer of HMS Endurance, Captain Bob Tarrant, said:

"I am very proud of my survey team who are operating our world class system at the edges of its performance. The Royal Navy continues to support UK responsibility to the Antarctic Treaty by surveying and charting the difficult waters of Antarctica to improve safety for all mariners"

Ghosts of the past
In an echo from 1916, while on her current deployment, HMS Endurance has taken the son of an Antarctic explorer to visit the desolate island where his father spent 138 days waiting for rescue after the original Endurance – part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition - got trapped in the ice, was crushed, and sank.

67-year-old Mr Viv James, son of Shackleton's physicist Reginald James, lives in South Africa, and visited HMS Endurance when she was in Cape Town last year. He was invited to join the ship for a work period which would take her to desolate Elephant Island, where his father and 21 others awaited rescue. Shackleton, who had set off in an open boat with a party of five, successfully reached South Georgia 800 miles (1,290km) away and after four attempts successfully returned to rescue his crew on board Chilean Navy tugboat 'The Yelcho'.

Viv James' first glimpse of Elephant Island was from one of HMS Endurance's Lynx helicopters, and later, after studying aerial pictures and those taken on the original expedition, he landed by boat at the actual site used in 1916.

Safely back in HMS Endurance, Viv described how the party was welcomed by "savagely growling" fur seals among the penguins:

"With due respect to them, I picked my way onto the shore where there were fewer seals. Only then did I have time to look around me and actually see and smell the place where my father and his shipmates spent five winter months in a hut made from two upturned boats, being warmed and fed by penguins and seals like those that were surrounding me.

"As we left, I thought 'been there done that', but my admiration for my father and his fellow explorers has increased tenfold and I will never forget today's experience or Bob Tarrant, his crew and the Royal Navy for making it possible for me to do this."


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The Sunday Times
By Matthew Campbell
January 27, 2008

SHE may look ready for the scrapyard but Calypso, the former British minesweeper from which Jacques Cousteau explored the undersea world, is to be rebuilt to roam the oceans once more as the symbol of an environmental campaign being piloted by his widow.

Calypso had been rusting in the port of La Rochelle, in western France, as a vicious legal battle raged among the fractious Cousteau clan over ownership of the legendary vessel which had featured in so many films and books about the deep.

“All these awful legal battles are over, thank heavens,” said Francine Cousteau, second wife and widow of the explorer. She has been at loggerheads with Jean-Michel, Cousteau’s son from his first marriage, and Alexandra, the explorer’s granddaughter, both of whom she accuses of trying to profit from the illustrious family name.

She said that a recent court decision on the Calypso in her favour would have been welcomed by the figure universally referred to in France as “the commander”. He died in 1997, aged 87, and is remembered as a pioneer of scuba diving, underwater photography and environmentalism.

She wants his vessel to play a symbolic role in international environmental politics after an estimated £3m facelift, preparations for which were beginning last week at a shipyard in Brittany.

“No matter how much effort it takes, I am determined that Calypso will return to the sea,” she said. “Calypso is like the Eiffel Tower of the seas, the Mona Lisa of the environment. She can travel from place to place, offering herself as a platform for the signing of international environmental treaties.”

The 43-metre Calypso could also host seminars on the environment, she added: “She can anchor in front of the United Nations or cross the Red Sea, wherever she can highlight the cause of the environment, wherever she can be useful.”

Jean-Michel Cousteau has accused his stepmother, a former air hostess, of “walking off” with his father’s legacy and showing no interest in “ecological missions”. She has accused him of using the family name to promote maritime holiday resorts in America.

Jean-Michel’s efforts to prove a legal title to Calypso were matched by those of 33-year-old Alexandra, head of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, named after her father, the explorer’s second son, who was killed in a seaplane crash in 1979.

Various retirement schemes had been suggested for Calypso – even for the boat to become a museum or the centrepiece of an environmental theme park in the Caribbean. Francine changed her mind when she saw the vessel being towed to dry dock in October last year.

“When I saw her moving over the water again after all those years, I knew that she had to return to sea,” she said. “It is a very big job. Fortunately the funds are available.”

Calypso’s woes began in Singapore in 1996 when she sank in the harbour after a collision with a barge. She was dumped in La Rochelle where she was left to rot as the Cousteaus battled in court over the legacy of “the commander”.

The dispute had its roots in family history: Francine had two children with Cousteau before she married him after the death of his first wife, Simone, in 1990. The marriage prompted a rift between Cousteau and Jean-Michel, whose loathing for Francine is reciprocated.

Francine called it “sad” but said she wished Jean-Michel would stop trying to make unauthorised use of the family name, exclusive control of which has been retained by Equipe Cousteau, her organisation.

“They [Jean-Michel and Alexandra] want to capitalise on the name,” she said. “If their name was not Cousteau, nobody would know who they are. I have to put a stop to it.” Jean-Michel had wanted to make the Calypso a floating museum and “educational” project on the French Mediterranean coast, arguing that it would be a catastrophe if such a national treasure ended up on the other side of the Atlantic.

He said his father had stipulated that Calypso should end her days in the Mediterranean, where he first clasped her wheel in 1951.

The plans to turn Calypso into a museum were undermined, however, when a French radio station dug a soundbite out of the archives in which Cousteau, in his familiar rasping voice, was heard saying: “I would rather sink her than allow her to be turned into a museum . . .

“I don’t want this legendary ship to be prostituted by having people picnicking on the decks.”

The ship is to be completely refitted by a company specialising in the renovation of historic naval vessels. IWC, a Swiss watch company, has offered to pay for new engines. The original hull, made of Oregon pine, is apparently still seaworthy. The restoration is expected to take up to 18 months.


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Scarborough Evening News
January 25, 2008


A total of £10 million has been granted by the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable restoration work to continue on the 138-year-old Cutty Sark which was ravaged by fire last year in Greenwich.

Originally intended to transport tea from China to Britain in the 1870s, the 900-tonne Cutty Sark was built in 1869 by Scott & Linton in Dumbarton at a cost of £16,150.

As one of the last tea clippers to be constructed, the ship was designed to make long voyages quickly.

It achieved the fastest ever wind-powered voyage from Australia to England via Cape Horn of 72 days in 1885.

After the tea trade was taken over by the steamers which used the Suez Canal, it was used to transport wool from Australia between 1883 and 1895.

In 1922, after the Cutty Sark had finished as a working ship, Captain Dowman of Falmouth, who believed it should be preserved, made it part of a floating nautical school he ran. His widow donated the Cutty Sark to the Thames Nautical Training School at Greenhithe in 1938.

The vessel was maintained there until the Cutty Sark Preservation Society was founded under the director of the National Maritime Museum, Frank Carr, with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh named patron.

The Cutty Sark was restored to its glory days as a trading vessel after being installed in a stone dry dock in Greenwich and more than 15 million people visited the ship after it went on display.

Structural problems identified in the 1990s led to grants totalling £25 million being awarded and the ship was closed to the public in November 2006 for the restoration work.

Six months later, about 90% of the ship was set alight during the fire but the Cutty Sark Trust says she can be restored fully.


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Miami Herald

By Mitch Stacy
January 24, 2008


TAMPA, Fla. -- The playground legal principle "Finders keepers, losers weepers" is being put to the test in an international dispute over what could be the richest sunken treasure ever found: 17 tons of silver coins brought up from a centuries-old shipwreck.

A Florida treasure-hunting company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, found the wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic and argues that the age-old law of the high seas entitles the finders to most or all of the booty, said to be worth around $500 million.

But the government of Spain suspects the ship was Spanish and says it has never expressly abandoned any of its vessels lost at sea. The kingdom has made it clear that if the treasure does have some connection to Spain, it wants every last coin returned.

The case is being closely watched because there could be more disputes like it, now that sonar, remote-control submersible robots and deep-sea video are enabling treasure hunters like Odyssey to find ships that went to the bottom centuries ago and were written off as unrecoverable because no one could even imagine finding anything so far beneath the waves.

"The question is, just because you're the first one out there to get it, should you get to keep it - especially if it belongs to someone else?" said James Delgado, director of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University and a critic of commercial treasure hunters.

For now, the spoils - some 500,000 coins, enough to fill 552 plastic buckets - are in Odyssey's possession, tucked away in a warehouse somewhere in Tampa.

Odyssey created a worldwide sensation with the announcement of the find in May but has so far declined to identify the wreck, its location (except to say it was found in international waters) or even what kind of coins were recovered, for fear of plunderers. Instead, the shipwreck was given a code name: Black Swan.

Soon after the discovery was announced, Spain's Washington-based attorney, James Goold, went to federal court in Tampa and slapped claims on three Atlantic wreck sites to which Odyssey had been granted exclusive salvage rights under maritime law.

Spain also temporarily seized the company's ships last summer, and the Spanish media have portrayed the Americans as buccaneers plundering the nation's cultural heritage.

On June 6, El Pais, Spain's biggest newspaper, ran an editorial headlined "Pirates of the 21st Century."

"Almost as if it were back to the times of corsairs and freebooters, the new pirates of this century continue to besiege our galleons despite the fact they have been lying at the bottom of the seas for centuries immersed in an eternal sleep," it said. "How is Spain to defend itself against such a violation of its archaeological and historic patrimony?"

The ship is widely believed to be the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a Spanish galleon sunk by a British warship off Portugal in October 1804. That theory is supported by an export document in the court file indicating that Odyssey raised the coins from a site 180 nautical miles west of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Earlier this month, a federal magistrate ruled that Odyssey must hand over details of the Black Swan wreck, but that Goold must keep the information confidential. Another hearing is scheduled for March.

Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said that even if Spain or some other party can prove a claim to the cargo, maritime law dictates that Odyssey be awarded a majority of the haul.

Goold said that won't happen unless Odyssey can prove that Spain expressly abandoned the shipwreck, which he says is not the case. Goold pointed to a previous case he argued in which treasure hunters who salvaged two Spanish ships off the coast of Virginia were forced by a federal appeals court in 2000 to relinquish rights to the 100 coins and other salvaged artifacts. The Spanish government eventually agreed to have the items displayed at a Virginia museum.

"The established principles regarding sunken ships in which the kingdom of Spain has an interest are that the treasure hunter has no right to salvage them, anything that is recovered has to be returned to Spanish custody and that there is no compensation," Goold said.

The Black Swan discovery was timely for Odyssey, whose first big strike was the discovery in 2003 of a Civil War-era steamer off the Georgia coast that yielded 51,000 gold coins and other artifacts valued at around $70 million. Odyssey reported making around $38 million from the haul so far.

But Odyssey, the only publicly traded company of its kind, has posted losses over the past three years as it used its expensive high-tech equipment to scour the high seas for the next mother lode.

The company signed a promotional agreement with Disney last year and has attracted millions in investment from some of the country's biggest financial institutions.

"We have said all along that the legal issues with shipwrecks are complicated and it may take awhile to work them out," Stemm said.


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PR-Inside.com
January 24, 2007


NICOSIA, Cyprus - Marine archaeologists will begin work in June to uncover the sand-buried hull of a 2,300 year-old cargo ship thought to have been ferrying wine from the Aegean island of Chios before it sank off Cyprus' southern coast, researchers said Thursday.

The vessel, dating from the late Classical period (mid-fourth century B.C.)
is one of only a few such ships to have been found so well-preserved, said University of Cyprus visiting marine archaeologist Stella Demesticha.

«The shipwreck looks very promising about shedding light on the nautical and economic history of the period in the east Mediterranean,» Demesticha told the Associated Press on Thursday.

The wreck rests on the seabed at a depth of 44 meters (144 feet) some 2½ kilometers (1½ miles) off the island's southern coast.

Demesticha said the wreck was also unique because it lies at a depth that divers can easily reach, unlike similar discoveries found in deeper waters.

Unreleased underwater photographs that researchers took of the vessel on initial surveying dives in November show a jumble of dozens of amphorae _ clay urns used in antiquity to carry liquids and solid foodstuffs _ lying on the seabed in the shape of the ship.

Demesticha said researchers believe the ship's hull to be buried under tons of sand. The amphorae closely resemble others found to contain Chios wine, but may have been used to transport other goods in ancient sea trade.

The discovery could also provide more clues into Cyprus's role in maritime trade during the last phases of the Cypriot city-kingdoms, researchers said.

Cypriot research divers will start the next surveying phase in early June said Demesticha, followed by another in October. The project is being undertaken by the University of Cyprus' Archaeology Research Unit and is being funded by the Thetis Foundation, a private institution that protects underwater cultural heritage.

The ship appears to be a contemporary of the famed Kyrenia ship, a 15-meter (50-foot) merchant vessel that another Greek Cypriot diver accidentally discovered off the island's northern coast more than four decades ago.

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Terra
January 24, 2008


Una exposición que recupera la vida y la obra del pintor marinista valenciano Rafael Monleón se puede contemplar desde hoy al 23 de marzo en una de las salas del Museo de Bellas Artes San Pío V de Valencia.

Las muestra tiene por objeto dar a conocer la figura y obra de este pintor injustamente ignorado que fue Conservador-Restaurador del Museo Naval de Madrid, erudito en arqueología naval, Comendador de la Real Orden de Carlos III y condecorado con la Cruz Blanca de 2a Clase del Mérito Naval.

La exposición está dedicada principalmente a temas marinos como son estudios de barcos Y vistas de puertos, sin por ello dejar de lado otras facetas de su quehacer artístico.

De este modo, junto a óleos, aguafuertes, cerámicas, dibujos y acuarelas de temática marinera, se proponen otros paisajes de interior como son las vistas de Guadarrama o la Sierra Calderona, o ciudades como Madrid y Valencia, junto a algunos muebles que creó para su gabinete.

La muestra cuenta con obras procedentes de la Biblioteca Nacional, Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuaria 'González Martí', Museo Nacional del Prado y Museo Naval, entre otras instituciones.

La exposición, cuyos comisarios son María Paz Soler y Fernando González de Canales, permanecerá en el Museo de Bellas Artes hasta el 23 de marzo.


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ABC.es

By Emili J. Blasco
January 23, 2008


George Lambrick es cauto sobre la identidad del pecio hallado por Odyssey Maritime Exploration, a la espera de que la propia compañía o el proceso judicial que España sigue contra ella acabe con el secretismo de la empresa cazatesoros estadounidense.

Mientras eso se produce, Lambrick se centra en criticar claramente dos cosas: los acuerdos que el Gobierno británico selló con Odyssey para la búsqueda del HMS Sussex, durante la cual esa compañía habría hallado un pecio español; y el hecho de que el Reino Unido no haya firmado aún la Convención sobre Patrimonio Submarino de la Unesco. El arqueólogo inglés censura con contudencia ambas cuestiones.

-¿Qué opina del comportamiento de Odyssey en toda la polémica sobre su último hallazgo? Usted fue uno de los primeros, entonces como presidente del Consejo Arqueológico Británico, en denunciar la situación de Odyssey en el marco europeo.

-Lo de Odyssey es clara y puramente caza de tesoros. Por eso quisiera subrayar la enorme preocupación provocada por el comportamiento del Gobierno británico, que se prestó a firmar contratos con esa compañía en el marco de un proyecto para localizar el HMS Sussex. No estuve de acuerdo con que el Gobierno se implicara en el proyecto, porque eso creaba un precedente de aceptación de una extracción de material que tenía por objetivo vender patrimonio cultural. Ese apoyo a Odyssey era dar un espurio aire de legitimidad a cualquier empresa de cazatesoros que merodee por el mundo. El Gobierno británico cometió un grave error, y lo que esencialmente ha hecho es apoyar una actividad de cazatesoros contraria a la Convención sobre Patrimonio Submarino de la Unesco.

-La legislación de los países europeos ve el patrimonio submarino como un bien de utilidad pública. ¿Tiene entonces derecho una empresa a comercializar esos bienes públicos?

-Aunque algunas legislaciones nacionales son taxativas, el derecho internacional no es del todo suficientemente claro en esto para poder prevenir que situaciones de este tipo se produzcan. Algo se avanza cuando países como España han ratificado la Convención de la Unesco. Me gustaría que el Reino Unido hiciera lo mismo y no se volviera a implicar más en el futuro en acuerdos como los suscritos con Odyssey. Tenemos esperanzas de que nos escuchen.

-¿El Gobierno británico tomó en serio sus advertencias sobre el riesgo que supone tratar con las empresas cazatesoros?

-No estoy seguro, pero confiamos en que no habrá tratos similares, por ejemplo, con Ruby Mining y su empresa subsidiaria Admiralty en el Caribe, que constituye una amenaza no pequeña para posibles pecios españoles que yacen en el fondo marino.

-¿Cómo es posible que una empresa como Odyssey pueda estar actuando durante tantos años en una zona tan rica arqueológicamente sin mayores trabas?

-Por un lado, puede mantenerse porque tiene suficiente financiación, y el hecho de que el Gobierno británico le hubiera apoyado también atrajo a inversores, que de otra manera no habrían metido ahí su dinero. Por otro, ese mismo espaldarazo institucional británico daba un aire de legitimidad. Pero a partir de ahora, la situación para Odyssey no será tan buena, tampoco desde el punto de vista económico.

-¿Sentará precedentes la batalla legal que libra el Estado español contra Odyssey?

-Sí, cualquiera de esas acciones legales puede tener importantes ramificaciones y por supuesto será algo decisivo dependendiendo del veredicto que se alcance. Una de las cosas positivas es que España no se ha implicado en las cosas en las que se ha envuelto el Gobierno británico, actuando de una manera desde un Ministerio -negociación con el Odyssey para encontrar el HMS Sussex-, y de un modo distinto desde otro Departamento -tratados multilaterales para proteger los restos del Titanic y no utilizarlos con fines comerciales-. Creo que más países, especialmente las mayores potencias marítimas, como el Reino Unido, deberían seguir el ejemplo de España y ratificar la Convención sobre Patrimonio Submarino de la Unesco.

-¿Cómo ve el nivel de la arquelogía submarina en España?

-Personalmente no tengo un conocimiento directo para pronunciarme sobre eso. En cualquier caso, creo que España, como país, se está tomando su patrimonio submarino muy seriamente y eso es importantísimo.


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KTVZ.com
January 21, 2008


FLORENCE, Ore. - It happens every year at about this time.

Winter currents and very low tides reveal the hull of an old shipwreck on the beach near Florence. She was the 121-foot-long "Bella".

Louis Campbell, who is curator of the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, says the Bella was a local vessel launched in 1897 for the San Francisco trade, carrying lumber and salmon. She was fast, and could make the trip in about four days.

But her life was short.

Campbell says he believes it was in November of 1905 when the ship broke into three parts in heavy seas and little wind.

The Bella was a three-masted schooner, the type favored on West Coast because of wind patterns.

What's left can be seen at low tide, about two miles south of the Siuslaw River jetties.


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Outer Banks Sentinel

January 21, 2008


On Saturday, Jan. 26, visitors to the N.C. Transportation Museum (NCTM) in Spencer can learn how the shipwreck graveyard of the Atlantic shaped the destiny of the Outer Banks.

Kevin Duffus, author of Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks — An Illustrated Guide, will show documentary clips and present a wide-ranging discussion of North Carolina shipwrecks and their legacy at 1 p.m. in the museum's Roundhouse Orientation Theater.

"This year, with help from the N.C. Humanities Council, we are able to offer several free programs on interesting topics like shipwrecks of the Outer Banks," said Brian Moffitt, NCTM educational programs coordinator. "We are very excited about these programs because they offer a unique perspective on North Carolina's transportation history."

Kevin Duffus, a researcher, author and documentary film maker who specializes in North Carolina maritime history, is part of the N.C. Humanities Council Road Scholars Speakers Bureau grant program.

During the NCTM program, Duffus will explain the various causes of shipwrecks and why there is a "Graveyard of the Atlantic" in the first place, what shipwrecks were like for crew and passengers, and the true stories of some of the region's most incredible rescues. Duffus will share the memories of the last living lighthouse keeper on the Outer Banks, residents who played on the shipwrecks as children, and more. Audience members will also learn precise locations of famous and deadly wrecks, as well as places to see remains of shipwrecks today.

The Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks program is made possible in part by the N.C. Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, log on to http://www.nchumanities.org or call 336-334-5325.

This program at the N.C. Transportation Museum reflects the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources 2008 theme, Telling Our Stories, a yearlong celebration that showcases the story of North Carolina's rich arts, heritage, and cultural life.

For more information about the N.C. Transportation Museum, call 704-636-2889, toll-free at 1-877-NCTM-FUN, or visit http://www.nctrans.org/.


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KansasCity.com
January 21, 2008


DONALDSONVILLE, La. — A towboat ran into the sunken wreckage of a replica 17th-century warship in the Mississippi River on Saturday, forcing the Coast Guard to shut down a 10-mile stretch of the river.

The wreckage of Le Pelican punched a hole that pierced three fuel tanks on the towboat Senator Stennis on Saturday, spilling about 30 gallons of diesel fuel into the river, according to a Coast Guard statement.

Nobody was hurt in the 1 p.m. accident, but the river was closed from 3:30 p.m. to about 8:45 p.m., when it was reopened to one-way traffic, said Lt. Stephen Nutting of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office in New Orleans said.

The ship, described in various news reports as anywhere from 165 to 178 feet long, was well over 100 feet tall when its topmasts were rigged.

The original Le Pelican, a warship commanded by Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, sank in 1697 after first sinking two English vessels and running off a third during a battle for a trading post on Hudson Bay in Canada.

Canadian philanthropist Stewart McDonald built the replica for a reported $15 million — a nine-year project that wasn’t completed until 1992. The boat was a tourist attraction in Quebec in the early 1990s, but was sold as too expensive to maintain in the cold, harsh weather.

A New Jersey businessman bought the ship and moved it to New Orleans in September 1995, hoping the warmer climate would make it work as a tourist attraction. It moved from shipyard to shipyard before the city of Donaldsonville bought it in 2002 for $55,000.

Its rotted planking and outrigging replaced, Le Pelican was docked at Donaldsonville, only to sink in November 2002 and again in March 2004.


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mlive.com
By Robert C. Burns
January 19, 2008




The World War II Navy submarine USS Silversides has become a familiar sight along the Muskegon Channel since its arrival from Chicago's Navy Pier two decades ago.

But there's a great deal more to the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum -- an outfit whose Navy and World War II-era artifacts number in the thousands, many of which have been stashed away in storage areas for lack of space to display them.

That is a situation the museum's board of directors is well on its way to correcting. A new $2 million channel-side museum is scheduled for opening in mid-June, rounding out a visitor destination center that is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors annually.

It includes the highly popular Silversides, now a National Historic Landmark, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter McLane. Built in 1927 as a Prohibition-era "rum chaser," it later saw service in World War II and came to Muskegon in 1993.

Both vessels have been restored largely through many hours of volunteer effort.

Besides bringing the Silversides' propellers and torpedoes and other outdoor exhibits in out of the weather, the sizable 16,500-square-foot museum building will properly display an actual control system taken from a nuclear-powered incarnation of the USS Silversides, since its decommissioning.

Acquisition of a nuclear submarine periscope to go with it is "in the works," said museum chairman Robert Morin Sr.

And besides adding greatly to exhibit space, the recently christened Robert G. Morin Sr. Building will include two exhibit areas, a research library, classrooms, a 72-seat theater, on-premise storage space for artifacts, offices, a banquet and conference area overlooking the Muskegon Channel and an expanded gift shop.

It also will have a staging area for tours and for those participating in the museum's popular Overnight Encampment Program before going aboard the submarine or the Coast Guard cutter for the night.

The building also will become a training location for the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet, Power Squadron and museum education programs.



Finding space for all those different displays and activities called for a large building, and it is -- too large, say disgruntled neighbors like Randy Bandstra, 3520 Fulton.

The building will be 28 feet tall, enough to obscure his view of the west end of the Channel and Lake Michigan.

"It's a big commercial building that doesn't belong in a residential neighborhood, and an ugly commercial building at that," says Bandstra, who said the structure would be better suited for the city's downtown lakefront.

Morin contends that the building was set back as far as possible from the channel to prevent blocking the view from houses along it.

"There's no way to please everybody, but we tried," Morin said, adding that the building will look much different after the windows, trim and front entrance are added to the marine blue siding.

"I think it's going to be a beautiful building when it's done," Morin said.

The idea of the large museum is not to cram in every last artifact the organization has in its possession, says the museum's registrar and collection manager, Denise Herzhaft. An exhibit committee will be selecting which of several thousand artifacts to display and which to leave out, she said.

But the new building will give curators an opportunity to rotate the exhibits each year to keep things fresh.

"We have tourists and groups that come here once a year, every year," she said, "so we like to change the exhibits periodically."

Community outreach and education are a part of the museum's mission as well. A curriculum is now being written by Toni Seyferth, a communications teacher for the North Muskegon school district, and Pat Gabriel, a retired teacher from Jenison.

Researchers will find books, documents, workspace and an Internet feed to Navy archives. The library includes volumes on military history, particularly the World War II era. About a year and a half ago, Virginia Marsick, of Kankakee, Ill., donated an estimated $12,000 worth of books on the war -- and another $1,000 for bookcases to shelve them.

Already considered Muskegon County's second-most popular tourist destination, the Silversides organization got a boost with the start of Lake Express cross-lake service in 2004, in the form of a steady increase in tours and gift shop sales.

"The Silversides is the first thing to welcome visitors and the last to wish them goodbye," said Herzhaft.

A fundraising drive for the new facility is about 80 percent of the way toward its goal, said Mark Fazakerley, treasurer of the organization. Of the $2 million overall cost, a $400,000 savings has been realized through cost reductions and various in-kind services. Of that, $1.3 million has been raised to date, Fazakerley said. That leaves $300,000, which Fazakerley said he fully expects to be in hand by the end of this year.

"The (fundraising) momentum just keeps getting better and better."

That money will cover completion of the second-floor library and offices. The museum will open in June, he said. "It can be a functioning museum with what we have right now."


Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum When: It opens in mid-June.
Cost: $2 million.
Location: 1346 Bluff, near the channel.
Size: 16,500 square feet over two floors.
Inside: Two exhibit areas, 72-seat theater, classrooms, research library, artifact storage, banquet and conference areas, gift shop, staging area for tours and overnighters, training for U.S. Navy Sea Cadets, Power Squadron and museum education programs.
Information or to make a contribution: Call (231) 755-1230 or go to the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum Web site.

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RTN
By Sharon Bruce
January 18, 2008



The fences have come down around a prestige new building on the Cartagena waterfront. It would be good if they went right back up again. Normally a reporter just reports and personal opinions aren't allowed. But after going along to see the new building that will house Spain's national museum of underwater archaeology, an exception has to be made. The building takes no account whatsoever of its location in one of the world's most beautiful and historic harbours. Since Phoenician times graceful ships have been sailing in and out of Cartagena. In the 18th century the city became Spain's main naval base in the Mediterranean and many beautiful buildings were built. Anyone looking at the new building for the Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática de Cartagena, would be forgiven for wondering if it is a multi-storey car park.

Admittedly, the building is empty at present and the exhibits will now be installed for an opening predicted for the summer. However, in my view, it seems difficult to understand how the architect and those who approved the design have so overlooked the waterfront setting of the building. This is a national government building, so the Cartagena town hall and Murcia regional government can't be blamed. The front of the building that will be seen by the tens of thousands of visitors who arrive on cruise ships every year is dull and uninteresting. All that can be seen, from the water, of the giant letters that spell out the name of the museum is 'Museo Nacional de...' The rest of the lettering is hidden behind the front section of the building that features grey slats and concrete facing the harbour.

A vast amount of space is wasted, in my view, with a huge atrium leading down into a basement where the exhibits will be displayed. Of course, this is a personal point of view and others like the sense of space and openness that the design provides. I would have put in an extra floor at ground level of the front section. And, throughout the building I would have capitalised on sea views. But, then I am not an architect. It seems difficult to understand the decision not to include in the design any reference, no matter how small, to nautical elements such as sails, waves, anchors or the many other symbols of the sea. Inside, the building does have some excellent features such as the gently sloping floors.

A lift is in place to take people up to what will be a small café on the first floor, but anyone using the open metal steps had better take care. The first floor could have been extended across the front of building to take full advantage of the beautiful harbour views. The estimated cost of the project is put at 20.5 million euros and it should have been finished years ago. People wanting to see some really good design should look at the playground, built by the town hall, not the national government, right next to the museum. There, a happy pirate ship for the kids has an appropriately nautical theme. Still, I suppose these are modern times and governments have fathered some of the worst architectural horrors in beautiful and ancient cities around the world. Why should Cartagena be any different?


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The Post and Courier

By Brian Hicks
January 18, 2008



Pulling answers out of the H.L. Hunley has never been easy, but on Thursday it took a crane.

Scientists, however, may have just snagged the answer to one of the Confederate submarine's most perplexing mysteries: whether the crew drowned or ran out of air.

After weeks of work and years of planning, conservators and archaeologists on Thursday removed the sub's heavy aft pump, one of two such devices that emptied its ballast tanks.

Encased in a rock-hard casing of sand and shell, the pump might not look like much, but it might soon answer a lot of questions.

"The whole reason it was taken out was for conservation," archaeologist James Hunter said, "but now that it's out, we'll be trying to figure some things out."

The settings of the pump's valves will tell whether the crew was trying to pump water out of the ballast tanks or the sub's floor when they died. If they were pumping, it would mean they were trying to surface or the sub was filling with water.

If they weren't, it could suggest the Hunley's crew simply ran out of air. The Hunley disappeared shortly after it sank the USS Housatonic four miles off Sullivan's Island on Feb. 17, 1864.

"Once we know the pump's setting, it will help us close in on discovering what prevented the Hunley and her crew from returning home," said Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, chairman of the state Hunley Commission. "It will help us eliminate some of the existing possibilities."

The answer has always been there, but the pump sat in a place that made it just about impossible to X-ray its valves. Now that it's out, conservators say they hope to get a better look to the internal workings of the pump in a couple of weeks.

Philippe de Vivies, a Hunley conservator, said the pump was heavier than they thought — the estimate is between 120 and 180 pounds — and they had to drop one of the sub's keel ballast blocks to get it out.

Hunter said some of the primary things archaeologists want to know — beyond the obvious — is how the pump system worked and whether it was built from the ground up special for the Hunley.

"For the submarine, it's a fairly complex piece of machinery," Hunter said.

Right now, it looks like the pumping system was fairly intricate. There was one pump for the each of the two ballast tanks on the sub, but the piping system on the sub suggests that either the forward or aft pump could drain either ballast tank, like a fail-safe, Hunter said.

One or both of the pumps also might have been able to pump water from the floor of the sub's crew compartment.

The aft pump is famous in Hunley lore for nearly killing the crew in January 1864. It became clogged with seaweed during an underwater test, forcing William Alexander, who helped build the sub and crewed it for a while — to take the pump apart in the dark, unclog it and reassemble it before the crew suffocated.

Now, the pump might serve another purpose: revealing what happened to the Hunley's last crew.


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TCPalm
January 16, 2008


FORT PIERCE — The St. Lucie County Historical Museum has begun preparing for the construction of a new outdoor boating and fishing heritage exhibit at the South Hutchinson Island museum.

"It's exciting to see this exhibit construction process beginning because the new exhibit will demonstrate how the Indian River Lagoon played an instrumental role in our history," said St. Lucie County Cultural Affairs Director Jody Bonet.

The exhibit will feature educational graphics, boats and other artifacts that demonstrate how Treasure Coast residents benefit from the Indian River Lagoon.

The first Native Americans, the Ais, will be featured along with the plants that were used for fishing, boat building and food.

The Spanish section will focus on the Urca de Lima shipwreck and how the Spanish introduced oranges to the area.

The "Pioneer Years" were very exciting and visitors will have the opportunity to climb into a "river flattie" boat used by local fishermen during the early 1900s.

The exhibit will also include information on the Seminole Indians, as well as the World War II era when more than 130,000 men trained right on the site of the exhibit.

Additionally, the exhibit will have educational graphics demonstrating how important the lagoon is to our current economy including research by the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution.

In the "Modern" section, telescopes will be provided for children and adults to see all of the ships that come into the port.

The first step of the exhibit is under way, utilizing the St. Lucie County Jail trustees and Environmental Resources Department staff to remove several invasive landscape plants on site.

Although some native Mahogany trees were removed due to damage from the 2004 hurricanes, the wood will be used by the local wood-carving groups and featured in the exhibit since Mahogany is still used in boat building today.

New plants on the site will feature native vegetation that was used by our early residents in fishing, boat building and for medicinal purposes.

The project, which includes the removal and replacement of vegetation, new sidewalks, six educational kiosks and the moving of the landing craft, is expected to be complete within six months.

Additionally, the Seminole Indians will assist with construction of a "chickee" that will be used for educational purposes and as a shelter for school groups and visitors.


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BBC
January 14, 2008

A German U-boat sunk off Scotland's coast more than 90 years ago has been discovered by two divers.

Jim MacLeod, of Bo'ness, and Martin Sinclair, from Falkirk, found the wreckage of the U12 about 25 miles from Eyemouth at the weekend.

They had been looking for the 60-metre U-boat for the past five years.

The precise location has now been reported to the German authorities as 19 sailors died in the sinking and relatives will be informed.

The site has been declared an official war grave and it will remain untouched.

Its final resting place was thought to have been found in 1984 by noted international historian Clive Cussler.

However, dives around the area proved fruitless.

The Scottish divers enlisted the help of a researcher who was able to get log books from destroyers HMS Ariel, Acheron and Attack involved in the sinking of the U12 to help pinpoint the site.

They then used Eyemouth firm Marine Quest Dive Charters to visit the location where they found the boat lying 150ft down on the seabed.

It was the first time the wreck had been visited since it was sunk in 1915.

"It has taken a lot of effort and perseverance but it has finally paid off," said Mr MacLeod.

"It was the first ever submarine to launch a plane at sea.

"We are delighted with the find."

Shipwreck expert Kevin Heath, from Stromness, Orkney, said it was an important discovery.

"The U12 had been targeting cargo ships off the east coast of Britain and had been as far north as Peterhead," he said.

"It had sunk a boat the previous night but on 10 March, 1915, it was hunted down by the three British destroyers HMS Ariel, Acheron and Attack.

"It attempted to dive under the surface but it was rammed by HMS Ariel."

'Diplomatic incident'

The submarine then surfaced and was shelled by two of the destroyers and sank with the loss of 19 lives although there were 10 survivors.

"They surrendered but it led to a diplomatic incident," added Mr Heath.

"They were treated as pirates by the British for the way they were targeting cargo ships and put into solitary confinement.

"This angered the Germans who did the same with British prisoners of war and the situation had to be dealt with by the Swiss."


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BBC
January 14, 2008



Britain's own underwater "Atlantis" could be revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater cameras.

Marine archaeologist Stuart Bacon and Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, will explore the lost city of Dunwich, off the Suffolk coast.

Dunwich gradually disappeared into the sea because of coastal erosion.

"It's about the application of new technology to investigate Britain's Atlantis, then to give this information to the public," Professor Sear said.

Mr Bacon, director of the Suffolk Underwater Studies, first located the debris of the lost city in the 1970s.

Technical advances

"I know the site like the back of my hand because I have dived on it about 1,000 times," said Mr Bacon who has been working on the medieval site since 1971.

"We have found three churches and one chapel."

There is diving evidence of debris from lost chapels and churches but high silt levels in the water means visibility is only a few centimetres.

Mr Sear, professor in physical geography at the University of Southampton, said: "Technical advances have massively improved our ability to create accurate acoustic images of the seafloor."

The expedition will use the latest sonar, underwater camera and scanning equipment to build up a picture of the ancient sunken city, that lies between 10ft (3m) and 50ft (15m) down.

Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1,500 years ago.

Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast and it was eventually reduced through coastal erosion to the village it is today.

Mr Bacon and Professor Sear hope to begin exploring the seabed in June.

The expedition will cost £25,000 - £20,000 of which has already been raised through a donation from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

Maps and images of the lost city will be exhibited at the Dunwich museum.

A dive of the site will take place later in the year.


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laverdad.es

By Rocío González
January 13, 2008

Los cientos de visitantes del nuevo museo del Muelle elogian el edificio pero se sorprenden de que aún esté vacío
«¿Venga! ¿Rápido! Siéntate sobre la G que te voy a hacer una foto», apremiaba una señora a su hijo para tomar una instantánea de las letras en relieve del Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática (Arqua), antes de entrar a visitar las instalaciones y de llevarse la sorpresa de que el interior del museo estaba vacío.

Aprovechando el fin de semana, centenares de cartageneros se han acercado entusiasmados a visitar la nueva sede del Museo de Arqueología Marítima. Unos paseaban por las instalaciones con total naturalidad, mientras que otros miraban el interior de la obra de Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra con cierta incredulidad. «No puede ser», decía Eugenio Hernández, «después de todo el tiempo que ha estado esto cerrado pensaba que hoy iba a ver algún barco o resto arqueológico y lo único que he encontrado ha sido una habitación vacía», protesta.

Y es que, aunque estaba anunciado que la presentación -que no inauguración- del pasado jueves era sólo de la obra arquitectónica de Vázquez Consuegra, algunos todavía albergaban la esperanza de encontrar algo más en el interior. «¿Qué decepción!, aún no han empezado a montar nada. He visto el vídeo explicativo sobre dónde se van a ubicar las ánforas, pecios, etcétera y espero que cuando todo esté listo se quede bien», afirma Lucía García.

Por otro lado, los hay de los que sugieren hacer unas remodelaciones antes de terminar el proyecto. Este es el caso de Emilio Restoy, que propone repetir las letras de Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática en la parte del edificio que da a la carretera. «A la fachada de atrás hay que hacerle un tratamiento para que se repita el nombre. Las letras se han colocado mirando al mar y entonces, la gente que venga por la parte trasera del inmueble no sabe qué edificio es», opina con gran lógica.

Letras por la carretera

La falta de un homenaje en honor de Julio Mas, impulsor de la arqueología submarina en Cartagena y en la Región, ha hecho mella en algunos visitantes que reclaman un recuerdo al arqueólogo. «Han olvidado la inmensa labor que este hombre ha hecho por la arqueología marítima. Deberían hacerle un busto y colocarlo en la puerta del museo», opina Pedro Gavilán.

A pesar del descontento de algunos, no todo son quejas del nuevo museo del Muelle. A los cartageneros les ha gustado mucho, prueba de ello es que incluso los más reacios a edificar en el puerto han dado su visto bueno. «No me gustaba la idea de que se construyeran muchos edificios en el Muelle porque restan visibilidad al mar, pero éste es un edificio bajo y queda bien», dice Ignacio Ibabe, que recorre las salas con la familia.

Todavía está vacío, pero para junio las salas de exposiciones del Arqua, ya albergarán los tesoros más preciados del patrimonio cultural sumergido de España, aclaran las azafatas a los visitantes. Las visitas acaban hoy.


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Savannah Morning News
January 13, 2008


An expert from the Hunley Commission will be the guest speaker at the annual banquet of the Historic Effingham Society.

The event will be at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Great Hall at New Ebenezer Retreat Center.

Randall Burbage will speak on the history, recovery and restoration of the Confederate submarine the H.L. Hunley, which was lost off the coast of Charleston, S.C., after successfully attacking the USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864.

This action during the Civil War was one of the most remarkable events in Naval history, as it was the first submarine to successfully sink a ship in military action and was not repeated again for another 50 years.

Historic Effingham spokeswoman Susan Exley said guests to the event will be in for a wonderful presentation.

"A lot has happened over the last few years in the restoration of the Hunley since Mr. Burbage first spoke at our banquet," Exley said. "His presentation then was so interesting that few checked their watches while eagerly anticipating the next photograph or remark. We look forward to more of this fascinating story."

Burbage is a native of Charleston and is owner of Randy Burbage Equipment Co. He is married to the former Judith Rabun of Hanahan, S.C., where they live. They have six children.

He is a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and, among other accomplishments, has been commander of the South Carolina Division of the SCV since 2006. He was awarded the Order of Palmetto by Governor Carroll Campbell in 1993. In 1995, the governor appointed him to the Hunley Commission. He was chairman of the Hunley Funeral Committee from 2002 to 2004.

The banquet will begin with a fellowship time at 5:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6 p.m. The event is by reservation only and is open to the public as long as tickets are available. Tickets cost $20 and are on sale at the Effingham Museum, 1002 N, Pine St., in Springfield or from members.

The Effingham Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 28.

Tickets also can be reserved by mailing a check or money order no later than Jan. 25 to: Historic Effingham Society, P.O. Box 999, Springfield, GA 31329. Call the office at 912-754-2170, or Exley at 912-754-6681 for more information.

For more information about the Historic Effingham Society, visit www.historiceffinghamsociety.org. For more information about the Hunley, visit www.hunley.org.



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IF YOU GO

WHAT: Historic Effingham Society annual banquet and dinner

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 with dinner served at 6 p.m.

WHERE: New Ebenezer Retreat Center, 2887 Ebenezer Road, Rincon.

DETAILS: Banquet is by reservation only. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 at the Effingham Museum, 1002 N. Pine St., Springfield, or from any member of the Historic Effingham Society. RSVP by Jan. 28.

INFO: For more information, call the museum office at 912-754-2170 or Susan Exley at 912-754-6681. www.historiceffinghamsociety.org.


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Pensacola News Journal
January 12, 2008


The University of West Florida will announce a $1 million gift to name the Ocean Aquarium Exhibit at the planned Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center.

UWF officials said in a news release the gift is from "a family with strong Pensacola roots."

The gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the state of Florida's Alec P. Courtelis program for university facilities, translating into $2 million in support of the museum.

A formal announcement is planned for Jan. 25.

The ocean aquarium, a three-story, 135,000-gallon seawater tank, will serve as a true representation of the bays along the coast of Florida. It will support educational programs in the marine sciences and underwater archaeology and promote the need to preserve underwater resources.

Among the most exciting features of the exhibit will be a replica 16th-century shipwreck. Visitors will be able to watch UWF nautical archaeology students lay grids over the wreck and record its dimensions. Certified divers will have opportunities to participate in tank dives.

UWF President John Cavanaugh,Nancy Fetterman, wife of the late Adm. John Fetterman, Doug Mund, aquarium designer; and members of the donating family will attend the announcement ceremony at 4 p.m. Jan. 25 at Palafox Pier in downtown Pensacola.


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Tallahassee Democrat
By Bonnie Holub
January 12, 2208


Some people fish for tarpon — the silvery, scaly kind — and other folks dive for Tarpon, an ocean-going vessel that now lies beneath the sea near Panama City Beach.

The steamer SS Tarpon and her skipper, Capt. Willis Green Barrow, were famous along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida in the early 1900s. Making weekly trips delivering passengers and cargo to the ports of Mobile, Pensacola, St. Andrews Bay, Apalachicola and Carrabelle, Capt. Barrow was extolled for his relentless dependability in spite of threats from storms and hurricanes, claiming, "God makes the weather, and I make the trip."

On Sept. 1, 1937, God's weather ended Barrow's trip. Laden with flour, sugar, canned goods, iron, beer and barrels of fuel oil, the Tarpon's freeboard, or distance between the waterline and deck, measured less than 5 inches. Gale-force winds and a leak in the bow proved too much for the ship to weather and sent the Tarpon, her captain and 17 of 30 other people on board to the bottom of the bay. Today, scuba divers explore the remains of the Tarpon in one of nine Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves. The preserves, or underwater parks, feature shipwrecks and other sunken historic sites.

Folks at the Big Bend Maritime Center in Panacea invite you to learn more about Florida's historic shipwrecks, underwater preserves, lighthouses and fishing families of the Big Bend by participating in a five-part public discussion series called "The Maritime Trail." The discussion series sets sail on Thursday, Jan. 24, with a documentary about the contemporary life of fishing families in Cortez and Cedar Key. The film, "In Their Own Words: Perseverance and Resilience in Two Florida Fishing Communities," is a collaboration of maritime anthropologist Michael Jepson and photojournalist Carlton Ward Jr. It explores how these communities have responded to dramatic changes in their traditional way of life.

Other dates, topics and guest speakers in the series are:


Feb. 28: "Folklife and Maritime Heritage"
Tina Bucuvalas, Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation


March 27: "Shipwrecks of the Big Bend"
Debra Shefi, Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research


April 24: "Prehistoric Human Evidence in Apalachee Bay"
Michael Faught, Pan American Consultants


May 22: "Lighthouses of the Big Bend"
Andrew Edel, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Each program is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Tallahassee Community College Wakulla Service Center in Crawfordville. During the first half-hour, participants are invited to socialize and enjoy refreshments. The series is free, and no reservations are required.

"The Maritime Trail" discussion series is made possible by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council.

For information about the series, contact Bill Lowrie, executive director, Big Bend Maritime Center, at 962-4138 (daytime). For directions to Tallahassee Community College Wakulla Service Center, call 922-6290.


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Foster's Daily Democrat
By Rebecca Hamm
January 12, 2008

DURHAM — John Chatterton and Ritchie Kohler, described as being among the most accomplished wreck divers in the world, spoke to a group of high school students about their discovery of a sunken World War II-era German submarine 60 miles off the U.S. coast.

The students in Judy Kucera's Readings in Nonfiction class at Oyster River High School met with the deep-sea explorers on Friday morning.

The men recounted aspects of their dives to the U-869, which was the subject of Rob Kurson's New York Times bestselling book, "Shadow Divers." Having read the book, the class asked the divers questions about their seven-year quest to identify the mysterious U-boat, dubbed "U-Who" by the dive team.

In 1991, Bill Nagle, captain of the diving ship The Seeker, led a team of recreational divers, including Chatterton and Kohler, to the site of a sunken submarine off the coast of New Jersey.

Chatterton and Kohler became friends during the expedition and the two have partnered for dives many times since.

The submarine, located 230 feet under the waves, contained the remains of 56 men. Neither historians nor the U.S. Navy or German Navy had any evidence of a U-boat located so close to American shores.

For six years the men, with the elite team of divers, made numerous dives down to the U-boat in a mission to solve its identity. The dive team made it a quest to discover the identities of the men whose bodies they found on the sea floor and how the sub came to rest there.

"They had no record of it. The answer was not going to be found in a history book … There were people on this submarine and it fell through the cracks of history," Chatterton told the group of students.

Although there were some hardships — the men faced harrowing underwater conditions and lost three fellow divers in the course of the expedition — Kohler said overall the experience was a dream come true.

"As a diver, this is something you hope for. You go to bed at night and dream of a virgin shipwreck."

When asked by a student what his favorite dive had been, Kohler said, "It kinda sounds flip, but it's the next one. We're always looking for the next one. As divers, we're always going a little bit further and a little bit deeper," he said.

The men said there a lot of challenges involved with deep shipwreck diving because divers are often in situations where time is of the essence and they need to stay calm.

"There are a lot of psychological elements. This is a hostile, intimidating environment and you're going where other people have never been. But, you can't be intimidated and you can't panic, because if you do, you're going to lose your life," said Chatterton.

The men underlined the perils of diving and said they meticulously prepare their equipment before every dive and make sure they coordinate a diving plan with each other before descending.

Although they generally donate most of their artifacts they find on the ocean floor to museums or to families of shipwreck victims, the men brought in a bowl with a swastika imprinted on the bottom, a browning pack of cigarettes and box of matches they found on the U-869 to Kohler said it's not uncommon to stir up sediment while diving, which can cause the diver to lose the sense of sight. "It looks just like chocolate milk. It's what you call a brown dive. You have to be an incredibly comfortable diver when you lose one of your senses like sight. Actually, you end up losing several senses. You can't smell because there's the mask and there's no tactile sense because the gloves are too thick."

He said divers eventually acquire a skill to maneuver out of those situations when all senses are impaired.

"Nothing starts your heart quicker than when you think there's an exit and it's a wall," Chatterton said. "If you touch something you never know if it's going to come loose. If you stir something up, you could lose visibility."

Despite the danger, the men have been on many of the most famous wrecks in the world.

Chatterton was a member of the first technical diving expedition to Ireland and the legendary RMS Lusitania in 1994. Several years later, at a depth of 400 feet, he was the first diver to use rebreather diving technology on the wreck of HMHS Britannic, near the island of Kea in Greece. He was also the sole American on a British expedition, sponsored by the U.S. Holocaust Museum, looking for the historic shipwreck Struma in the Black Sea near Istanbul.

Kohler has explored the SS Andrea Doria, and the RMS Titanic. Diving from the Russian research vessel Keldysh, he has also made multiple dives of more than 12,000 feet in the MIR submersible to explore the wreck site.

"When you go into the submarine, you feel empowered," Kohler told the class.

The discovery of the U-869 has been the subject of several documentaries including "Hitler's Lost Sub" and a special on the PBS series NOVA.

Chatterton and Kohler were co-hosts on the History Channel's Deep Sea Detectives, and both are consultants in the film and television industries. A movie of "Shadow Divers" is being created by 20th Century Fox. The two are currently working on a book about the famous ocean liner RMS Titanic.

Chatterton lives in Harpswell, Maine. Kohler makes his home in New Jersey.


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Kodiac Daily Mirror
By Drew Herman
January 11, 2008


Three years after coming off the bottom of Monk’s Lagoon, a historic artifact has surfaced again in Alaska.

The metal cylinder that served as the hub of the steering wheel onboard the Russian American bark Kad’yak bears the ship’s name in bold Cyrillic letters. It’s discovery by a team of underwater archaeologists from East Carolina University allowed positive identification of the find, recognized as the oldest shipwreck in Alaska waters.

This weekend it makes its first public appearance since July 2004 as part of the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology booth during Ocean Family Day at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center (formerly the Anchorage Museum of History and Art).

The artifact has not been seen in Kodiak since the ECU unveiled their discovery. After resting submerged in cold seawater off Spruce Island for 144 years, it needed careful handling to make it safe for study and display. Marine archaeology experts at Texas A&M University performed the months-long work.

Since then, the hub has been housed in the Alaska State Museum in Juneau. But while it has been out of sight, it has never been out of mind for the Kodiak community.

“It’s a great story and a Kodiak story and we’d like to develop it,” said Baranov Museum director Katie Oliver.

The Baranov, Alutiiq Museum, the Kodiak Maritime Museum and the village of Ouzinkie all have a part in discussions about the eventual fate of Kad’yak artifacts, Oliver said, calling it a good example of cooperation between the area museums and public stakeholders.

The general feeling is that Kad’yak artifacts should have a prominent place in a local exhibit. But that is unlikely to happen soon. Kodiak museums have been busy with other projects, including a long-needed renovation of the Erskine House that houses the Baranov collections. The Kodiak Maritime Museum still has no building.

Also, underwater archaeology and recovery of artifacts is expensive and labor intensive, said state archaeologist Dave McMahan, who will be at the Family Day booth in Anchorage. Even at a relatively accessible site like the Kad’yak, which lies in 80 feet of water a few miles from a busy Kodiak harbor, a specially trained diver can spend only a few minutes at a time working on the wreck, usually in frigid water with visibility of just a few feet.

So far, there are no plans for another archaeological expedition to the site, McMahan said. As with all historic sites on state property, it is illegal to disturb or collect anything from the wreck, which is state property.

McMahan said he has kept in contact with Kodiak’s museum community, and also discussed the Kad’yak with the Rasmuson Foundation, a private Alaska philanthropic organization,

“They’re potentially interested in funding some sort of museum exhibit,” he said. “I would love for something to break loose with it.”

The Kad’yak sank in 1860 carrying a cargo of ice from Woody Island. Its exact location was discovered in 2003, largely through the effort of marine biologist Brad Stevens, who has since moved out of state. The 2004 survey identified a cannon and ballast pile, in addition to the wheel hub and other artifacts.

The Kad’yak site is on the National Registry of Historic Places.


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