Week 4

Doing Maritime Archaeology

• Nautical Archaeology Society Training. NABS divers practising underwater archaeology techniques on the City of Washington shipwreck. An insight into the actual work underwater archaeologists have to do.
• Naked scientists interview with Dave Parham about studying shipwrecks. Interview as part of the show ‘Underwater Archaeology and Underwater Welding’.
• An interview with Graham Scott, Wessex Archaeology about working as a Maritime Archaeologist.
• The Maritime Archaeology Trust has created resources that allow you to experience wreck diving without getting wet:
  • A2S (Atlas to the Seas) Mystery Wreck Virtual Dive (Wreck research project from maritime Archaeology Trust)
  • Explore HMS Invincible (1758)
  • Explore SS Braedale (1932)
• Seafloor explorer game. Discover the different fieldwork techniques used by geologists, ecologists and archaeologists to explore the seafloor, and have a go yourself.
• Britain must dig deeper to save its archaeology. News article from The Independent by Kitty Knowles, July 2014, about how archaeology as a profession may go under.
• Long-lost anchor may soon give up its secrets
• Exploring an aircraft wreck What evidence can you find on the seafloor for World War II? (3:20)

Discoveries from maritime excavations

• Two news stories about the World Trade Center ship:
  • Tree rings solve mystery of World Trade Center ship
  • Origins of mysterious World Trade Center ship revealed
• The Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archaeology Lab Artifacts. 3 minute slide show.
• Underwater archaeology in Pensacola Bay. Researchers from the University of West Florida are slowly uncovering the remains of a 16th-century shipwreck of a Spanish galleon in the shallow, murky waters near Pensacola (4:07)
• Clip from BBC’s Coast on what caused the Yongala to sink. In this extract, Xanthe Mallett dives to see the Yongala in search of answer about what caused it to sink. (1:44)
• Diving for the secrets of the battle of the Atlantic. Off the coast of North Carolina lie dozens of shipwrecks, remainders of a forgotten theater of World War II by Jim Morrison, Smithsonian, January 18, 2012.
• Clip from BBC’s Coast on the spoils of war. Nick Hewitt visits a submerged German U-boat near Medway – not sunk during battle, but sold for scarp after World War I. (3:16)

Maritime Archaeology at risk

• UNESCO focuses on protection of underwater cultural heritage. News article from July 2014.
• What is underwater cultural heritage and why does it matter? By Elizabeth S. Greene. Browse to page 8 to read this article.
• The marine historic environment – English Heritage. Link to information from English Heritage about its records of over 40 000 wreck sites and its interactive wreck site map.
• Map of designated sites in the UK – English Heritage. Link to 61 designated sites.
• Finding treasure. Open University resource about what people should do with treasure trove.
• Raiders of the lost wrecks fined. BBC News article by Sue Nicholson about two divers who plundered shipwrecks off the Kent coast.
• The search for Guggenheim treasure Loot valued at $20 million lies off the coast of Staten Island, and Ken Hayes is on the hunt for the sunken silver bullion by Christopher Solomon, Smithsonian, March 5, 2010.
• Should shipwrecks be left alone? BBC News article on whether underwater cultural heritage should be protected.

Excavation vs. preservation

• Amateur archaeologists shed light on historic cannons found in Sound. News article about amateur archaeologists doing research in Plymouth Sound. From July 2014.
• Divers head deep to find old warship on Solent seabed. Short video (3:00).
• More information about the story is available here: Divers will begin to unravel the secrets of Crimean warship this week
• Divers uncover historical treasure trove in Hong Kong:
  • Article from Scubaverse
  • Article from South China Morning Post
• Why conserve the Cutty Sark? 50-minute long lecture for Gresham College in which Richard Doughty, Chief Executive of Cutty Sark Trust, considers why this merchant sailing ship is so highly regarded around the world and why, despite the damage done by the fire in 2007, so much time and effort has been invested in conserving her original structure.

Miscellaneous items which may be of interest to you.

• Building a war of 1812 warship. This summer, a ship named after naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry will set sail by Amy Crawford, Smithsonian Magazine, April 2014.
• The luxuries of the Titanic. Fresh flowers, beautiful cafes, and a heated pool: Titanic survivor Archibald Gracie recalled the style and grace of the ship in his testimony after the crash. (2:56)
• Three of the best shipwreck dives for beginners. This article includes videos of the three wrecks that are described.

• Why the Titanic still fascinates us. One hundred years after the ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank, the tragedy still looms large in the popular psyche by Andrew Wilson, Smithsonian Magazine, March 2012.

Academia.edu

• The Illicit Antiquities Trade as a Transnational Criminal Network: Characterizing and Anticipating Trafficking of Cultural Heritage by Peter B. Campbell.
• Rigorous Reasoning, Reflexive Research and the Space for’Alternative Archaeologies’. Questions for Maritime Archaeological Heritage Management by Jesse Ransley.
• Alum Bay Maritime Archaeological Investigations: Management Report by Julian Whitewright.

© University of Southampton, 2015