Interesting shipwreck project

[mad4wrecks]

Here is very interesting project that a good friend of mine, archaeologist Rob Westrick is involved with out in the Gulf of Mexico, utilizing some great technology. Rob and his fellow archaeologists on this project & others spend a great deal of time at sea, exploring and documenting historic shipwrecks and other submerged cultural sites.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09lophelia/background/deepwrecks/deepwrecks.html

Tom

 

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[Galleon Hunter]

Hey Tom:
Yeah it was a good trip. The people from Wood's Hole really know how to maneuver their ROV. We didn't want them setting down on the bottom of the wreck and the pilot could pretty much hold JASON II in position a meter off the bottom. One of the wrecks, located in 7,400 feet of water, is the deepest historic shipwreck ever discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. We recovered a compass marked "John Baker Co - Boston - 1874.

 

[FISHEYE]

From the NOAA web article:


"Grinning, Matt asked, “So do I get to keep the compass if the shipwreck once belonged to my family? It will look great on my mantle at home.”


Rob,

Was there a near mutiny on board as to what archie or crew member was going to take the compass home to put on thier mantle?


A not so otto focus photo below.

 

[Galleon Hunter]

Hey John:

No no near mutiny, it was all said in jest. The funny part was Matt's family tree included Baker's from New England, so after that ever wreck we looked at was "his great great grand pappy's ship" "His great great Uncles' ship" or somebody else in his family tree. None of the wrecks we looked at has been positively identified, but the compass certainly puts a date "1874" that the shipwreck had to of taken place after. On another wreck "I think was his uncle's boat" we recovered a piece of porcelain that was from a firm that only produced ware for about a 13 year period around the turn of the century.

The bell is partially encrusted and has yet to be conserved and might contain a name or date. I will be interesting to see.

What have you been up too?

 

[FISHEYE]

Rob,

Im down in sebastian working on my boat,just put in 2 new batteries.Im now replacing engine belts,then gonna take ito a island tomorrow and scrape barneys 1 last time.Then its ready for a 250 mile cruise up the ICW to Jax then up the st johns river to a boat yard for a total restoration and to put some blowers on the boat.

 

[Galleon Hunter]

Good luck on your trip!