Shipwrecks - Time Capsules of Human Civilization

Photos and Science on the Titanic - Ready to View & Download

On our Corporate website at http://nauticalresearch.com , we have placed our scientific research paper and its associated PowerPoint presentation that was given at this past week’s Oceans 2005 conference in Washington, DC. This paper is part of a preliminary analysis on the gross morphological structural integrity changes due to natural processes on the bow of RMS Titanic. This paper is not meant to be an all-inclusive summary of the microbial effects on the ship, as the wonderful scientists, Roy Cullimore and Lori Johnston, are the experts in this field and would be in the best position to discuss their groundbreaking work. While looking at these downloads, please browse through our highly graphic and informative Corporate website. Throughout the website, we have pictures of Titanic, as well as many other famous wreck sites that we dive and conduct research.

Please note that this research paper and the presentation are covered by the corporate copyright protection act. This act will allow you to use this information as an individual and to place links from your websites or forums to the corporate source. You may not alter or copy these materials for re-distribution to another website or forum but feel free to discuss the contents of the items with links to the source on any internet forum or website that you wish. Additionally, you can make personal copies of the items but can not use the text or pictures in any other publication or website unless permission is granted by the corporation. These requests can be handled by our Corporate Affairs area at info@nauticalresearch.com. We wholeheartedly endorse the sharing of this educational information!

Finally, the method for retrieving this information can be found by going to our main Corporate website and then selecting Updated News from the left-hand column. The presentation links can be found under the September 26, 2005 submission. As mentioned on an earlier blog, we will be revamping the Corporate website to provide an Educational section that will include all our original articles, science, photos and video from various well-known and famous shipwrecks.

SPECIAL NOTE : We have released our exclusive 2005 RMS Titanic Scientific Research Expedition series of stunning photographs on the Corporate website. The first series is a never-before-seen complete Wellin davit mechanism with its double rocker arm that was found in the stern section of the ship. There has never been reports of a finding of a complete davit mechanism ever found on Titanic and this photo shows that this davit mechanism is in great shape!

Scientific Abstract on the Deterioration of Titanic

The Titanic is proving to be a literal treasure-trove for scientific study of the deep ocean floor. Because there are only five submersibles in the world that can visit the extreme depths of 12,600 feet, where Titanic resides, every visit to the ship have proven to be of tremendous value to the scientific community. Each dive to the Titanic has the potential to discover a new species of plant or animal life - and in most cases, many new lifeforms has been found and cataloged for further study. The area surrounding Titanic can now be referred to as a natural field laboratory for the study of deep ocean ecosystems. There are very few scientific works about Titanic that have been released to the general public; however, in the future we will be seeing more scientific data presented that will provide a keen insight into the local environment surrounding the ship. By further understanding this in-situ environment, we can provide the associated research that could aid in the preservation of the Titanic. Obviously, the difficulty of conducting scientific studies at this depth limits the number and types of comprehensive examination that can be performed on the wreck site of Titanic. The following is an abstract of a scientific research paper that I presented yesterday at the global Oceans 2005 conference in Washington, DC. The entire five page paper will be placed on our corporate website next week.

Comparative Photometric Analysis of Structural Degradation on the Bow of RMS Titanic

Abstract - A comparative, qualitative photometric survey of RMS Titanic was undertaken to subjectively analyze the condition of the structural integrity of the ship since her discovery in 1985 to the present. The goal of this study is to visually observe the rate of degradation of the condition of the bow section of the ship. Photographs taken from previous expeditions commencing from 1986 to the present were analyzed and compared to monitor the structural decay of the hull and superstructure over the course of time. The observations of this subjective analysis reveal a rapid decomposition of many areas throughout the bow of Titanic. Many decks have collapsing walls, rotted out structure, and vibrant growths of rusticle development. There is a significant widening of the bow expansion joint over time that is clearly evident in this part of the ship. Additionally, there is a very huge tear in the starboard plate aft of the number one davit that is expanding with each passing year. The results of this analysis show that the bow of RMS Titanic has been losing its structural integrity at a rapid rate and she is in danger of total collapse.

RMS Olympic's Encounter with a U-boat

Many stories have been written about the two ill-fated White Star ocean liners, Titanic and Britannic. Because of the tragic sinking of these two liners, one by iceberg and the other due to a mine, these ships have been documented extensively in the press, web, documentaries and movies. The account of these other sisters have dwarfed those of the most successful White Star liner named RMS Olympic. The Olympic was known as "Old Reliable" because of its long service as a passenger liner, troop carrier and general purpose ship that the Crown used for various purposes. In its twenty-five year service, the Olympic steamed close to two hundred thousand miles into various ports around the world.

The Olympic has the unique distinction of being the only vessel of its kind to directly sink an enemy ship without the use of armaments. In 1915, the Crown needed to bring her into the war as a troop carrier to ferry soldiers to the front. Immediately she was repainted in the "dazzle" motif which was a bizarre, geometric-like abstract color pattern of black, white and gray on a yellow backdrop. This paint pattern was meant to confuse enemy ships from attacking this huge liner. In May of 1918, the Olympic, on its twenty-second voyage as a troop carrier, was attacked by a marauding German submarine U-103 in the English Channel. The submarine started the assault on the much quicker liner by launching two torpedoes directly at the ship's port-side bow. Unarmed but not defenseless, the Olympic used evasive maneuvers and was able to escape the torpedoes destructive impact. Even though the huge liner could of steamed away from harm's way following this torpedo attack, in a most courageous act, she turned on this deadly submarine and proceeded to ram the U-103. Even though the impact on the submarine was a glancing blow, the size and weight of the Olympic's attack proved to be deadly to the submarine and she quickly sank. Several submariners were able to escape and eventually were picked up by an American destroyer. The Olympic was the only merchant ship to sink an enemy warship during the war.

Leading Shipwreck Blog - Many Thanks!

This Shipwreck weblog has been in operation for only six months. During this period of time, we have dove and explored shipwrecks from around the world including famous ocean liners, military ships, merchant vessels and other places of nautical interest. Our readership during this period of time has expanded from about a thousand visits per month to almost seven thousand per month. This amazing burst in readership could not happen without your support.  I would like to personally thank all the subscribers using RSS that actively access our articles as they are released. If you would like to receive this feature, it is very easy using the syndicate link on the bottom left-hand portion of our blog.

We have been very proud of the fact that we not just report the latest diving news, but we actually CREATE the news via our various dive projects and expeditions. Our scientific research expeditions to the Titanic, historic treasure-ladened vessels and discovery of military wrecks have been leading front-page news throughout the world. Additionally, our weblog has had input from several leading global shipwreck explorers and researchers that have contributed articles about their novel projects and expeditions. Many of these explorers and researchers have been subscribers of our blog from its inaugural postings. Using the latest in digital computer communications, we have reported live webcasting from remote sites, utilized the satellite for blog submission while in the middle of the ocean and incorporated our copyrighted video, films and photography to our viewers while out on the dive. We have made a huge investment of our resources in providing the public access to the very latest nautical information.

As we move forward over the next year, we would like to continue to incorporate the latest multimedia advancements in web technology to get you even closer to our diving expeditions. Please visit our corporate website at www.nauticalresearch.com for the latest news about our projects and expeditions. In the fall season, we will be taking advantage of the corporate website to provide an educational component that people can access to gain information about certain significant wrecks. It is envisioned that our intensive research will be unveiled on the corporate site and would include our latest work, videos and photographs. We have registered new domain names and other websites for conveying our latest information. Collectively, this web ring of underwater resources will be tied together through the corporate backbone.

Success breeds success - and based on the tremendous viewership numbers and wonderful emails that we have received, it is obvious that we are doing some very good things!

St Lawrence Tech Dive - Visit to the Roy A. Jodery

One of my favorite dives in North America is the technical dive to the wreck site of the Roy A. Jodery. Launched in 1965, the ship is a large 700 foot freighter, the same size as the Andrea Doria, and was routinely plying the Great Lakes with its cargo of steel. On the evening of November 20th, 1974, the Jodery hit the shallows of the St Lawrence River across from Alexandria Bay. The result of the grounding was a torn keel and she had little time to save herself. As the captain frantically tried to save her by beaching her in shallower waters, the entire crew of 29 was saved. Unfortunately for the Jodery, the ship sank in less than four hours, ironically within 50 meters of a Coast Guard station. The ship's resting place lies on a vertical shelf and the depth ranges from 140 feet to the mast to about 240 feet at its deepest point.

The wreck site of the Jodery lies immediately off a huge ledge that is covered by zebra mussels. These mussels have filtered the water quite well and the water is extremely clear. Despite the clear waters, the Jodery is a dangerous dive with cold, dark waters and ripping currents. For many years, the Jodery was off-limits to divers because of the leaking oil that was clearly apparent in the 1990's. In 2002-2004, efforts to remove this oil were undertaken by divers from the Hunt commercial diving group from nearby Clayton, NY and deep diving specialist Andrew Driver. This group of experts have effectively removed the leaking oil from the Jodery and she has been cleared for diving only by the most experienced technical divers.

In the past year, I have made eight dives to explore the wreck site of the Jodery with five of these dives led by Andrew Driver. Andrew knows this wreck site better than anyone and it was great to have this expert give me a guided tour of this vessel. The Jodery is in fantastic condition and the original paint and many of the ship instruments are very intact and clearly visible. Utilizing a 10/50 tri-mix diluent in our closed circuit rebreather, we visited many of the significant areas of the ship including a dive deep into the engine room where Andrew had been extracting the oil. The removal of this oil must of been a very arduous task. One of our last dives was a visit to the stern area that was accomplished by a line tied from shore to the stern that requires a 300 foot swim into a treacherous current. This dive is only for the best of divers in very good physical condition. Overall the Jodery is not for the faint of heart but for those with top-notch experience, this wreck is a real beauty!

Titanic Revealed?????

Recently, many global media reports have been written about the submersible expedition down to Titanic regarding the finding of keel pieces in a “new debris field” located 900 meters away from the ship's stern. This claimant said he had found previously unseen damaged pieces of the ship's hull that are said 'to support his theory that the Titanic rode up onto the iceberg before sinking'. Unfortunately, the theory that he claims was his and his discovery of hull plating far from Titanic were nothing new to several dedicated Titanic researchers that have been visiting the wreck site for the past six years.

The theory regarding the notion that Titanic was a victim of a grounding was initially introduced immediately following the sinking.  In fact, that notion was well publicized as early as 27 April 1912 in a popular English newspaper and has been promoted by several dedicated Titanic researchers in the time since. Among those have been three veteran Titanic divers and Explorers Club members named Robert Williams and famed Arctic submariner Dr. Alfred McLaren, in close collaboration with David Concannon. These explorers have postulated this theory many years ago and have made several dives to Titanic to map out the limits of the debris field and observe hull pieces that lie beyond the immediate vicinity of the ship and known areas of debris. All divers that have been visiting Titanic over the past five years knew that Williams, Concannon and McLaren were gathering additional evidence to their research and had sworn people to utmost secrecy. Obviously this secret was revealed and these noble explorers had their opportunity to reveal the extent of their many years of research and their combined expenditures of many hundreds of thousands of dollars ruined.

In an unprecedented response, Robert Williams has created a website that will provide the high-level evidence for the work that he is doing at the wreck site of Titanic as well as other deep ocean locations. While looking through this wonderful website, you will be able to see all the amount of hard work that he has contributed in formulating and expanding the "grounding" theory and to also gather definitive evidence that Titanic's rapid influx of water was due to a keel breech indirectly caused by the grounding.

*** Setting the record straight is the right thing to do!

Oregon - Cunard's Greyhound of the Atlantic

Long before the Queen Mary and even before the beautiful swift sisters, Lusitania and Mauritania, was the fast and opulent liner called Oregon. In the 1880's, the Oregon was the fastest transatlantic vessel in the world and holder of the Blue Riband ( or Hales Trophy) while initially running under the Guion Line flag. The Oregon succeeded in capturing the westbound record from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in six days, ten hours and ten minutes ending on April 19th, 1884. She would later grab the eastbound record as well to have the fastest recorded times both ways across the Atlantic Ocean. The leading British shipping company, the Cunard Line, saw the potential in having a fleet of beautiful and fast ships. Five months after the Oregon's record-breaking performance, the Cunard Line acquired her from the Guion Line in August 1884. The pairing of Oregon with their other fast liners, Etruria and Umbria, the Cunard Line had the world's three fastest transatlantic vessels in their fleet. Oregon broke her records well into 1885 until her running mate, the Etruria, took the record away from her.

At the peak of her popularity, the greyhound Oregon collided with and was sunk by a schooner named Charles H. Morse on the morning of March 14th, 1886, off of Fire Island-Long Island, New York.  The Oregon stayed afloat long enough to have all of her passengers saved by nearby boats (with most passengers saved by the Fulda) that ply this heavily traveled waterway just outside of New York harbor. This tragic accident stunned the transatlantic shipping community, as the Oregon was a long favorite of the many European and American passengers. She sank in approximately 140 feet of water about 35 miles from Captree State Park. This wreck site is my favorite inshore wreck site in the entire New York Bight area.

The first time that I dove the Oregon was in the early 1980's with the dive boat Wahoo operating out of Captree and captained by Steve Bielenda.  I was amazed by its immense size and mesmerized by all the history that was still surrounding this vessel. Many personal and ship-related items were scattered all across this ship and an occasional porthole or piece of china were discovered. I continued visiting the Oregon several times a year for the next twenty years and she has aged gracefully. On several occasions over the past two summers, I have visited this once-proud liner using the Eagle's Nest dive boat with an old friend of mine, Captain Howard Klein, using a closed-circuit rebreather. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, I used to be Howard's deep-diving mate on board his wonderfully maintained dive boat and was very comfortable in using his dive boat for exploring this liner with a rebreather. Because of its relatively shallow depth (if you can call 140 feet relatively shallow), I had a long bottom time and a fairly long decompression. The nice thing about the rebreather is that it optimizes your breathing mixture based upon pre-set limits of oxygen partial pressure. Using this additional time on the wreck site gives much more opportunities to explore the wreck site without having to be too concerned about running out of gas. After shackling into the high section of the engine, the remainder of the wreck can be explored by looking forward beyond the huge boilers or aft in various collapsed hull plating that hide a vast array of ship items or huge lobsters.

One of the best ocean liner books and the definitive source of information on the steamer Oregon is a book by Herb "Cap" Kaasmann called Oregon Greyhound of the Atlantic . Mr Kaasmann has written the complete story of this beautiful liner from its inception to the many diving expeditions to visit her historic watery remains. The book was published in 1993 in soft cover and quickly went out of print. I have had the pleasure of chatting with "Cap" a couple of times this year and he has confided to me that he has copies remaining of his book that can be ordered directly through him at his email address of olwalrus@comcast.net . This book is an absolutely MUST HAVE for any person interested in ocean liners, shipwrecks and diving. For me, the fascinating history of this ocean liner and the advent of the generation of huge super-ocean liners like Titanic, Lusitania, Mauritania and Olympic makes this book a real treasure to have in your collection!

Update on the Griffon - Things are Getting Ugly!

Bureaucracy is running crazy with the discovery of LaSalle's flagship Griffon. The officials from the State of Michigan, which claims all rights to any shipwreck along its waters, have filed suit against the Great Lakes Exploration Group to provide the state the rights to all information that the salvor has regarding the location and critical scientific information regarding the Griffon. This request has been bantered throughout the Federal Courts all summer and has prevented Great Lakes Exploration Group from doing any diving nor additional research on their find, in order to conclusively prove that this is LaSalle's ship.

In the meantime, the admiralty lawyers in this case are making a fortune as both sides have dug their heels in on the issues. From Great Lakes perspective, they have spent over 28 years and countless millions of dollars on the discovery, exploration and research of this famed vessel and then the State of Michigan wants to come in and take all this information for free - as well as taking over all rights to the ship. The salvors are not looking for fortune and treasure here. They just want to discover this famous ship and preserve it for all generations to see. They are working with nautical archaeologists from Chicago's renown Field Museum therefore this site will never be plundered.

Most recently, the French government have entered the fray with documents claiming that this ship was an official French vessel, commissioned by their government to do French business and exploration in this region. LaSalle's trips "were not merely a personal initiative of an intrinsically private nature but required a king's decree," the official French government memo states emphatically. Normally Nautical Research Group does not endorse salvage operations without the appropriate archaeological sciences; however, in this case, Great Lakes is acting as a proxy for true professional, nautical archaeologists to do their job. From this standpoint, we truly commend Steve Libert and Great Lakes for all their study, research and discovery. Unfortunately, the State of Michigan has withheld their permits to dive the wreck and this has prevented Great Lakes from proving the ship is LaSalle's Griffon. With France coming into the picture, it appears that any leverage that Michigan is currently wielding may be moot. Overall, the biggest losers are the American public and its historical heritage.