Underwater archeology - Papers from 2022 to now
Authors:
James Hunter, Kieran Hosty
On Thursday 3 February 2022, the museum’s Director Kevin
Sumption PSM hosted a press conference in which he
stated that HMB Endeavour had been
found in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, USA. This was the
culmination of more than two decades of research by the
museum and the Rhode Island Marine
Archaeology Project. The museum’s maritime archaeologists
Kieran Hosty and Dr James Hunter set out the evidence.
Authors: Kieran Hosty & James Hunter
In February 2022, the Australian National Maritime Museum
made two significant announcements relating to its
maritime archaeology program. The first was the statement
from the museum’s former Director and CEO, Kevin
Sumption, that the site of James Cook’s famous vessel, His
Majesty’s Bark Endeavour, had been positively identified
following a 22-year program of fieldwork and research in
Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.
The second major announcement was the launch of an
innovative new web experience by The Hon Paul Fletcher
MP, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure,
Cities and the Arts.
Authors: Andrew Viduka and Grant Luckman
This article briefly outlines underwater cultural heritage
artifact management in Australia from an unregulated
collecting environment in the 1940s – 1960s to the
increasingly regulated environment of the present. In 1993,
in conjunction with new legislation, an amnesty was
declared in order to inventory artifacts collected from now-
protected historic shipwrecks that were in private hands.
The amnesty period concluded with approximately 20,000
artifacts noticed at a time when information was being
stored in a range of formats and to different
standards
Authors:
David A. Plecher, Leonard Keil, Guy Kost, Max Fiederling,
Christian Eichhorn, and Gudrun Klinker
Virtual Reality (VR) technology is becoming an increasingly
helpful tool for entertainment and education. Its potential to
simulate hard-to-reach environments and emulate unique
experiences believably is of great interest for the scientific
study of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH), particularly
for the simulation of real-world dives. Virtual Reality enriched
with techniques from immersive Serious Games (SG)
provides an authentic way to enjoy Underwater Cultural
Heritage (UCH). This paper focuses on exploring the wreck
of a Roman merchant ship from the 5th century AD, which
was found near Veliki Piruzi (Croatia).
Authors:
Rachel D. Moseley, Justyna J. Hampel, Rachel L. Mugge and
Leila J. Hamdan
The objective of this work was to investigate how historic
wooden-hulled shipwrecks impact the dispersal of wood-
colonizing microbial Biofilms. The study addressed how
proximity to wooden shipwrecks shapes diversity, richness,
and community composition in the surrounding
environment. Study sites included two historic shipwrecks in
the northern Gulf of Mexico identified as wooden-hulled
sailing vessels dating back to the late 19th century.
Authors:
Tomas Fernandez-Montblanc, Manuel Bethencourt, and
Alfredo Izquierdo
This paper presents a novel Underwater Cultural Heritage
(HCH) risk assessment methodology to quantitatively assess
the impact of wave-induced hazards on UCH in coastal
environments at a local level and the screening of UCH sites
at risk. The UCH risk is calculated as a function of
vulnerability (depending on archaeological materials, slope,
and seabed type), hazard (decontextualization, scouring,
and erosive wear), and exposure, computed for the UCH
sites registered in an archaeological database.
Authors:
David A. Plecher, Leonard Keil, Guy Kost, Max Fiederling,
Christian Eichhorn, and Gudrun Klinker
Virtual Reality (VR) enriched with techniques from
immersive Serious Games (SG) provides an authentic way
to enjoy Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) and the sport
of diving from the comfort of the user ’ s home or as a
museum exhibit. This paper focuses on the exploration of
the wreck of a Roman merchant ship from the 5th century
AD, which was found near Veliki Piruzi (Croatia).
Author: Xianglong Chen
This paper presents an overview of the history of the
radiocarbon dating technique and its significant
applications in Chinese archeology, focusing on the
transition from B-decay counting to accelerator mass
spectrometry.
Authors:
David A. Plecher, Leonard Keil, Guy Kost, Max Fiederling,
Christian Eichhorn, and Gudrun Klinker
In this paper, we are focusing on the exploration of the
wreck of a Roman merchant ship from the 5th century AD,
which was found near Veliki Piruzi (Croatia). The images
taken by the underwater archaeologists enable a 3D
reconstruction of the excavation site. The modular structure
of the application makes it very easy to transfer the
techniques presented to other excavation sites, including
information and objects.
Authors: Tomas Fernandez-Montblanc, Manuel
Bethencourt, and Alfredo Izquierdo
Coastal areas are characterized by high-energy conditions
associated to the wave transformation process and by
numerous underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites whose
preservation is crucial, given their cultural and economic
value. UCH management requires a decision support
system to prioritize interventions and actions for the long-
term preservation. This paper presents a novel UCH risk
assessment methodology to quantitatively assess the impact
of wave-induced hazards on UCH in coastal environments
at a local level and the screening of UCH sites at risk.
Author: Jean-Pierre Féral
Occupational Scientific Diving is science-led diving that is
needed to support professional research and education and
for the protection, conservation, and monitoring of the
natural and cultural heritage environment.
It is not recreational or commercial diving.
Scientific Diving exists in a health and safety framework that
involves certified scientific divers, diving officers, hyperbaric
physicians, scientific project leaders, heads of laboratories,
administrators, and legislators.
Publisher: National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) - USA
The purpose of these Scientific Diving Standards is to ensure
that all scientific diving is conducted in a manner that will
maximize rotection of scientific divers from accidental injury
and/or illness, and to set forth standards for training and
certification that will allow for working reciprocity between
scientific agencies. Fulfillment of these purposes shall be
consistent with the furtherance of research and safety.
Author: William Gomez Pretel
Roncador Cay, located in the western Caribbean within
Colombia's maritime area, is notorious for its treacherous
waters that have caused numerous shipwrecks, including
the USS Kearsarge on February 2, 1894. Both the United
States and Colombia consider the wreck a crucial part of
underwater cultural heritage, even though its precise
location remains unknown. This study aims to determine the
location of the wreck by utilizing diverse data and mapping
tools, while also examining the environmental and cultural
aspects of the area.
Authors: Jan Majcher
This paper investigates how sediment and water movement
affect the preservation of historic underwater wreck sites.
Multibeam echosounder (MBES) data from ten metal
shipwrecks in the Irish Sea, at depths ranging from 26 to 84
metres, was used alongside data from seabed samples,
shallow seismic surveys, and an oceanographic model. The
authors combined these data types in three studies to
achieve their research objectives.
Authors: Evangelia Tzavela, Anastasia Pournou
In September 2020, researchers discovered 50 coal cubes at
a Roman shipwreck near Kasos, Greece. They examined the
materials and conditions of the cubes to determine how to
preserve them and learn more about their origin and usage.
Authors: William Gomez Pretel, Andres Carvajal Diaz, and
Moonsoo Jeong
This study should be linked to the document titled “An
Interdisciplinary Study on the Wreck of the USS Kearsarge in
Roncador Cay” by the same author.
Author: Marco Milanese
The paper discusses the significance of studying shipwrecks
from the post-Middle Ages, particularly when accompanied
by old records. It sheds light on the tin-glazed tableware
production in Montelupo, near Florence. The Mortella II
shipwreck serves as a valuable example because
pinpointing the sinking date helps to revise the timeline for
the production of specific ceramics. The popularity of
Montelupo ceramics across Europe, the Americas, and
Africa highlights the global impact of updating their
historical narrative on archaeological research.
Authors: Curt D. Peterson, Scott Williams, & Craig Andes
This article discusses how rocks covering old shipwrecks
help to determine when and where rockslides happen on
underwater cliffs and hills. Based on what happens during
big winter storms, it also examines how remains from
wrecks may be transported around headlands and
ultimately end up in coves.
Authors: Mihkel Tammet, Priit Lätti, Raija Katarina Heikkilä
During the construction of an office building in Tallinn in
the spring and early summer of 2022, workers discovered a
medieval shipwreck that measures 24.5 meters in length
and 9 meters in width, making it one of the largest of its
kind ever discovered in Northern Europe. Believed to be a
cargo ship from the mid-14th century, the wreck contained
numerous artifacts and ecofacts, making it highly valuable
for scientific research.
Authors: Simon Brown, & Jon C. Henderson
This paper explains the survey and monitoring of the SS
Thistlegorm wreck in the Red Sea using digital
photogrammetry.
This proves that digital photogrammetry provides an
affordable and straightforward method that meets
professional standards,enabling non-experts to gather data
using a basic camera setup and standard software.
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Authors: William Gomez Pretel
This study focused on estimating the location of the USS
Kearsarge wreck site at Roncador Cay, within Colombia's
maritime territory, combining qualitative and quantitative
data to understand the environmental and socio-cultural
context of the shipwreck. It also addressed the limitations of
geographical isolation, ambiguous information, and legal
confidentiality. In addition, the research aimed to contribute
to international cooperation and capacity building among
maritime researchers, emphasizing the importance of
interdisciplinary research and fieldwork in the identification
and protection of underwater cultural heritage.
Author: Ivar Treffner
This thesis focused on a well-preserved flute wreck found in
the Gulf of Finland. It provides historical context about the
significance of the Baltic Sea for trade, the importance of the
Dutch flute ship, and the role of maritime archaeology in
understanding these historical artifacts. It also details the
author's involvement in the research and fieldwork related
to the wreck and sets forth the main goals of the thesis,
which include analyzing the wreck in relation to current
knowledge, offering explanations for new findings,
addressing challenges in deep-water archaeology, and
providing a written account for future research.
Authors: MTD Wingate, Y Lu, IOH Fielding, R Maas, RH
Smithies and SEM Gain)
This geological analysis aims to determine the origin of
ballast stones recovered from a shipwreck, possibly the Trial,
which sank off the northwest coast of Western Australia in
1622. The analysis involves comparing the characteristics of
the ballast stones with sedimentary rocks from various
locations, particularly in southwestern England, to ascertain
their provenance. The study discusses geological and
isotopic data, including U-Pb geochronology and Sm-Nd
isotope results, to support the hypothesis that the ballast
stones likely originated from the Plymouth area or nearby
regions in southwestern England.
Authors:
Javier Prieto, Fabio Bruno, Antonio Lagudi, Michela Ricca,
Mauro Francesco La Russa, George Papatheodorou, and
Nikola Miškovic
The document intends to inform and highlight the
importance of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) and the
challenges associated with its documentation, preservation,
and dissemination. It emphasizes the field's interdisciplinary
nature, involving collaboration among experts from various
disciplines. It also introduces a special issue that presents
original research articles and technical notes on innovative
methodologies, applications, and technological solutions
related to underwater materials. Specific studies and projects
are mentioned to illustrate advancements and potential
benefits in this field.
Author:
William Gomez Pretel, Moonsoo Jeong, Camilo Ernesto
Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, & Agustin Ortiz JR
This study examines the legal challenges of preserving
sunken military vessels as Underwater Cultural Heritage
(UCH) in Colombia. It addresses issues such as limited
international cooperation, lack of legal recognition under
domestic law, and the complexities of managing UCH. It
also focuses on specific cases like the USS Kearsarge and
analyzes legal frameworks in Colombia and the United
States. The ultimate goal is to highlight the need for a more
comprehensive legal framework and greater international
cooperation to preserve and protect these underwater
cultural assets.
Authors: Tilde de Caro, Fiammetta Susanna, Mauro
Francesco La Russa, & Andrea Macchia
This study analyzed the corrosion processes affecting nine
coins found in an underwater wreck. Various analytical
techniques, such as optical microscopy, micro-Raman
spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron
microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, were
employed to investigate the nature and microstructure of
the corrosion patina on the coins. That allowed the authors
to understand the complex corrosion processes and the role
of different chemical and physical parameters in the
degradation of bronze artifacts in underwater
environments.
Authors:
Joseph Nnaemeka Chukwuma, Moses Onyemaechi Ede,
Ifeoma Salome Chukwuma, Eddy M. Izueke, Joy Nneka
Uchenye Ejikeme, Chinyere Isaac Madukwe, Christopher N.
Ibenwa, Nnadi Fabian Uzochukwu, Michael Chigozie
Anyaehie, Obiageli Kay Nkechi Omali, Christian Ikechukwu
Nnadi, Nnamdi Ugochukwu Ijeudo, David C. Ononogbu,
Omaka Kalu Ngele, Robert Nyakuwa, Andrew Nnabuchi
Ogbochie
This study investigated the impact of psychoeducational
coaching, specifically rational-emotive behavior therapy
(REBT), on improving workplace ethical perceptions and
reducing deviant behaviors among lecturers in archeology,
religion, and cultural studies. The document outlines the
study's methodology, results, and conclusions.
Authors:
Sven Bergmann, Matthias Brenner, Jennifer Susanne
Strehse, Tobias Hartwig Bünning, Edmund Maser, Philipp
Grassel, David Heuskin, David Brandt, Marco Berger, Simon
van der Wulp, Mathew Skellhorn, Polly Hill, Sven Van Haelst,
Maarten De Rijcke, Uwe Wichert
This document informs about research efforts within the EU
Interreg project North Sea Wrecks (NSW) and its
collaboration with the German Aerospace Centre and the
Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures (DLR)
to understand the environmental risks posed by shipwrecks
and dumped munitions in the North Sea and globally. The
document details the methodologies used, including
historical document analysis, visual inspections, and sample
analysis, to assess the status of wrecks,
Authors:
JJan Majcher, Rory Quinn, Gert Normann Andersen, and
David Gregory
This paper provides an academic examination of the effects
of bottom trawling on shipwreck sites to conceptualize
them as process-response systems that reach a quasi-
equilibrium state over time and to analyze how bottom-
contact fishing gear disrupts this state. It discusses the
capabilities and limitations of modern geophysical methods
in detecting changes at underwater archaeological sites
caused by bottom trawling, highlights the challenges of
identifying disturbances on dynamic seabeds, and suggests
that detailed analysis of wreck distribution might serve as
indirect proxies for structural damage.
The Rebreather Forum 4 conference, held in April 2024,
aimed to address various aspects of rebreather diving,
including safety, physiology, technology, training, and
knowledge gaps. The primary objectives were to
consolidate and transfer knowledge and to promote best
practices within the diving community. Organized by
Michael Menduno, the program committee included John
Clarke, Simon Mitchell, Neal Pollock, and Frauke Tillmans.
The proceedings document contains thematic papers
presented at the forum, along with question-and-answer
exchanges and consensus discussions.
