It was quite the swim for divers with the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program last Thursday. The team excavated a concretion that contained a musket, a sword and the neck of a wine bottle from the so-called Storm Wreck shipwreck, a late-1700s wreck discovered in 2009.
The three artifacts, raised from about 30 feet underwater, were stuck together and covered with a buildup of sand, shell particles and coral after years of corrosion under water…
Thursday’s finds were on display for guests to see before being taken for conservation, said Jacqueline Linger, spokeswoman for the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program.
Talking shipwreck archaeology out in the real world can be tough. Some want to tear apart wrecks looking for silver and gold. Another wants to bring up every scrap of iron and wood for their mantle. Public resources for proper preservation seem to dwindle every year (not that there was that much to begin with). At the end of the day, they always ask: “So what do you want us to do, just leave it down there?” Well… yes.
After excavating and scientifically recording the 1850 wreck of Clarence in Victoria’s Port Philip Bay, Australian maritime archaeologists are “reinterring” the wreck. Why? The prohibitive cost of proper preservation and storage of artifacts. The technique is not unknown elsewhere, it’s apparently the first time it will be used in Australian waters. For more, read this fascinating article by Australian Geographic.
Arqueologia Subaquática SA (AWW), a leading marine archaeology company, and Biodroid Entertainment, a media entertainment company, both based in Portugal, have reached an agreement to jointly develop a videogame of shipwreck underwater expeditions strongly inspired by the actual work of the former in underwater heritage sites all around the globe.
Titled “ARQ Treasure Quest,” the game concept was developed by the Arqueonautas team and will encompass strategy elements as well as simulation realistic facets from operations into its gameplay. The primary goal for the player is to successfully manage a marine archaeological expedition with an expert team of historians, archaeologists, divers, surveyors, conservators, researchers, investors, government officials and many other specialists in search for sunken treasures. An important part of the gameplay is to follow actual legal procedures and good governances to achieve satisfying results moving through the different levels.
The game is currently searching for crowd funding onIndieGoGo and a first demo will be presented in August, during GDC Europe.
Diogo Horta e Costa, founding partner of Biodroid, said that “this venture with Arqueonautas will open our production to a whole new genre of gaming, one with historical and technical factual data and a worthwhile adventures mission. At the same time that we’ll bring awareness for maritime heritage, we’ll bring players to experience first-hand the fun and excitement of shipwreck diving in exotic locations with a true historical back-drop.”
Wow — that sounds pretty neat. I hope send complementary copies to Odyssey Marine Exploration and the Mel Fisher Museum!
Now this is pretty sweet — The Florida Department of State’s Underwater Archaeology Team in partnership with Panhandle waterfront communities recently announced the opening of the “Shipwreck Trail.” It consists of twelve wrecks located off Pensacola, Destin, Panama City and Port St. Joe. As a group they offer divers quite the range of historical and ecological diversity. Wrecks include the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, the largest artificial reef in the world, a Navy dive tender, oilfield supply vessels, a freighter,coal barges, tugboats, a World War II minesweeper and the steamer Vamar, which was made famous as a support ship for Admiral Richard Byrd’s 1928 Antarctic expedition and sank under mysterious circumstances in 1942.
Designed “to stimulate tourism and educate people about Florida’s history,” the trail has definitely inspired me to take my first underwater foray into the Gulf.
With all the recent Civil War hoopla the bicentennial of America’s “second war of independence” has been pushed to the sidelines. But not here! Check out this quick video describing the ongoing work in Maryland’s Patuxent River where archaeologists have been excavating the suspected flagship of Commodore Joshua Barney’s scuttled flotilla. Ah, the viz reminds me of home. In any case, I’m looking forward to reading more about this project, especially as they gear up for the 1813 anniversary.
Ships on the Shore 