Hi guys
After all cooling down for a couple of days and having received a lot of warming private messages, I decided to keep hanging on. Tough luck, Cornelius.
Now, for a couple of remarks:
1) First, I have my own views over this issue of shipwrecks and you all know what they are. I am not here to preach them to you or to expect you to change your mind. I do it all the time, yes, but to a diferent audience: to divers, to journalists and to the public at large.
2) Second, to all of you that think that I am an armchair archeologist bear in mind that I have more time underwater and in archival research, not only and certainly than the majority of my national archaeologist colleagues, but also more than the majority of people here.
Besides being a technical diver with more than 2000 hours of diving, the majority done in archaeological context, I am also qualified to handle any ship of any length or engine power, in day or night operations.
I am an expert for the International Council for Monuments and Sites, a PhD student in History/Archaeology studying the Correio da Asia, sunk in Australia in 1816, sn invited teacher of the classes of Riverine and Maritime Nautical Archaeology and Maritime Archaeology (Project) for the undegraduate degree in Archaeology at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Currently, I am the lead archaeologist in charge of the Grândola Subaquática project - the survey of a 65 km long stretch of Portuguese coastline, from the shore up to 40 meters deep and the lead archaeologist in charge of the survey, recording and research of the "Primavera", the wrecksite of an Italian steamer sunk 25 meters deep at Berlengas Island (1902).
In the past, I have conducted historical research regarding the 1589 wreck of the Spanish nao Nuestra Señora del Rosario, lost off Grândola coast; the wreck of the probable Bom Jesus, a 1533 Portuguese East Indiaman discovery in 2008 at Oranjemund, Namibia, in cooperation with the Portuguese Archaeological authority (DANS/IGESPAR); the 1837 wreck of the Portuguese slave ship Esperança, lost off the Turks and Caicos Islands, in cooperation with Ships of Discoveries and the urks and Caicos National Museum; the one on the loss of the Correio d’Ázia, a Portuguese galera wrecked at Ningaloo Reef, Australia (1816).
I was the archaeologist in charge of the survey of the Baixa do Broeiro site, a nucleus of iron cannons sunk 30 meters deep at Cabo da Roca, the archaeological co-director of the second survey and recording season of the Arade 23 wrecksite, an early 19th century wooden wreck locate on 3 meters of water at the Arade river, an archaeologist recording and recoverying two early 16th century iron guns, sunk 3 meters deep at the Santo Amaro de Oeiras beach, for the Portuguese Archaeological authority (CNANS/IPA); also on the recording and recovery of three Classical Period lead anchor stocks sunk in 20 meters at Berlengas Island; archaeological co-director of the pre-disturbance survey and excavation of the wrecksite of the 36-gun English frigate HMS Pallas, lost in 1783 off Calheta Harbour, São Jorge Island, Azores, for the Portuguese Archaeological authority (CNANS/IPA) and the Azorean Government Cultural Direction (DRC); archaeological co-director of the pre-disturbance survey of Horta Harbour, Fayal Island, Azores, for the Portuguese Archaeological authority; archaeological director for the historical research, survey and location of the wrecksite of the Nossa Senhora da Luz, a Portuguese East Indiaman lost off Fayal Island, Azores (1615); archaeological director for the historical research, survey and location of the wrecksite of the French bark Caroline, lost off Pico Island, Azores (1901); historical and archaeological assessment for the pre-disturbance phase of the Marina construction project of Quinta do Lorde, Madeira Island; archaeological co-director of both first and second phase of the Angra Bay archaeological rescue project – the recording, dismantling (with Peter Waddel, from Parks Canada) and removal of Angra C and Angra D, two 16th and 17th century wooden wrecks, for the Portuguese Archaeological authority; organizer of the second Azorean Remote Sensing Survey, conducted by Kevin Crisman (INA) in the islands of São Jorge, Pico and Fayal, Azores; archaeologist in charge of the survey of the Santa Cruz das Flores site, a nucleus of iron cannons sunk 15 meters deep at Flores Island, Azores; and an archaeologist during the excavation campaign of the Pepper Wreck, the wrecksite of the probable Portuguese East Indiaman Nossa Senhora dos Mártires sunk in 1606 at São Julião da Barra and the excavation campaign of the wrecksite of Aveiro A, a 16th century wooden wreck located at Costa Nova, Barra de Aveiro; *archaeological co-director of the survey and location of an historical nucleus of c. 30 anchors, lost off the Angra historical anchorage site, from 15 to 30 meters deep; archaeologist in charge of the recording and recovery of a French bronze culverin, dated 1515-1547, from 40 meters deep and its subsequent stabilization and conservation (Terceira Island, Azores); organizer of the first Azorean Remote Sensing Survey, conducted by Kevin Crisman (INA) at Angra bay, Terceira Island, Azores; historian in charge of the Azorean Shipwreck Archaeological Database, with over 600 documented shipwrecks in the archipelago; archaeologist in charge of the recording and survey of Angra A, Angra B and Lidador, three wrecksites in Angra bay (Terceira Island, Azores).
I am and have been around: that Portuguese ship found off Namibia, for example - that story featured in National Geographic Magazine was fully based on my archival research on it; a Pulitzer winner wrote a full book chapter on my operations at the Azores; an 18 page article on German GEO magazine, CNN, BBC, New York Times, TV shows, all are there for those you want to know what's being going in Portugal, in this field, for the past 15 years.
So, if sometimes I sound cocky or full of bull***t, please take it with a grain of salt: it's because, not only I have been there and done it, I have sometimes wrote the book on it.
So, love me or hate me, in the end, and diferent views aside, we all love wrecks. Right?
Cheers.
, my self rightist friend
