Fraser Sturt - a short biography - Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds

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Hello, I am Fraser Sturt and I am one of the educators on the Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds course. I am a maritime archaeologist with specialisms in prehistory, geoarchaeology and advanced computational techniques. Essentially I am interested in how people’s relationship with the world’s oceans and seas has changed through time; from the impact of changing sea-levels on population and resource distribution through to the connections created through seafaring. Answering questions related to these themes is complex, requiring knowledge of a variety of techniques and an ability to work both on land and underwater. This means that my job never gets dull, and that the questions I am interested in are relevant across the globe, and have significance for how we think about the present and future, as well the past.

While my passion is for understanding the changes which occurred both socially and culturally in North West Europe over the last 12,000 years (particularly in the period 12,000 – 4000 years ago) and the amazing potential of submerged landscapes, I am increasingly interested in how changes over this period played out in other regions. Recently this has seen me working on the pacific coasts of South and North America. I’ll also admit to a creeping interest in earlier periods (the submerged Palaeolithic landscapes of North West Europe), as well as shipwrecks…

The other important part of my job at the University of Southampton is teaching undergraduates and postgraduates about maritime archaeology and geoarchaeology. I currently coordinate the MA/MSc in Maritime Archaeology and supervise a number of PhDs on maritime, geoarchaeological and prehistoric themes.

If you’d like to read about one of my current research projects you can follow me on twitter (@FSturt), or take a look at the Neolithic Stepping Stones website, run in conjunction with Duncan Garrow at the University of Reading.

I am looking forward to hearing peoples’ thoughts and ideas on the course!

Michael Burt says:

July 3, 2014 at 3:33 pm

Hi Fraser, thanks for your e-mail today and I am pleased to meet you through social media. I am looking forward to the course, I have never done an internet based one so it should be interesting. I am retired now but most of my working life, 47 years has been associated with a maritime theme, Devonport Dockyard and the Merchant Navy. I still maintain my links with the sea through having a small cabin cruiser which my wife and I use for estuary and river cruising.

I am very passionate about naval history and I do voluntary work at Devonport Naval Base Heritage Centre where I do research and displays. My period of interest is the Royal Navy 1898-1945 but particularly the Naval Arms Race with Imperial Germany 1898-1914 where I am fascinated by the tremendous personalities of Jackie Fisher, Tirpitz, Scott, Dreyer, Beatty and Jellicoe. I have recently become interested in underwater archaeology and Shipwrecks through SHIPS Project who have been given permission to dive on the sunken submarine A7 in Whitsand Bay.

Being an ardent supporter of the need to protect our maritime heritage for future generations, including shipwrecks, I hope that the course will be beneficial.

Regards, Michael Burt.

Chris Lawrence says:

July 3, 2014 at 4:49 pm

Following on from this, as Jackie Fisher and Tirpitz were mentioned: I would be interested to know whether the course includes the ‘Lusitania’?

1. Fraser Sturt says:
  
  July 3, 2014 at 6:26 pm
  
  Hi Chris,
  We’ll be looking a range of case studies, and responding to requests where we can. At present the ‘Lusitania’ hasn’t been singled out, but we’ll see what we can do!
  yours
  fraser
  
  1. Chris Lawrence says:
    
    July 4, 2014 at 8:38 am
    
    Oh right, thank you. There seem to have been quite a few at that time that ended up in official enquiries that were afterwards held by Lord Mersey. I have seen these as topics together in several library books.
    
Fraser Sturt says:

July 3, 2014 at 6:25 pm

Hi Michael,
thanks for making the post, its been amazing to see how much interest there has been in the course already. From what you say of your background it sounds like you’re going to be very well placed to add a depth of experience to the course with regard to what its like to be at sea and working in maritime centres. For those of us that have put the course together this is one of the most exciting aspects of the online format, it’ll allow us not only answer questions, but put them to you and see the responses and ideas that come back and then discuss them. In this way we can extend discussion beyond the confines of the individual elements covered each week and allow people to expand their knowledge base. Do keep posting and let us know your thoughts, and we’ll strive to ensure that the course will be beneficial to you
yours
fraser

Edwin says:

July 5, 2014 at 10:15 am

Have had an avid interest in the early history of seafaring and its land support for many years I am looking forward to this course, I only found out about it today. Will there be an element of experimental archaeology such as looking at the various reconstructions of prehistoric craft and the navigation/piloting skills used in the past?

Fraser says:

July 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

Hi Edwin,
yes we will talk about the contribution that experimental archaeology has had to maritime archaeology. We’ll also be talking about navigation and piloting, its a topic that most of the team have an interest in, from early environmental navigation, through to the development of modern instrumentation.
yours
fraser

Fraser Sturt – a short biography

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