Although this weblog has only been a little over a month old, it has already received over one thousand visitors, numerous emails and wonderful acclaim. Within the past month, we published three series of weblogs on such diverse subjects as the Nantucket Lightship, RMS Titanic and the rich nautical history of Philadelphia. As we go forward, we will be reporting live from our numerous dive expeditions and projects throughout the globe. Several of our global viewers have asked some questions regarding ships and our weblog that I thought that I could share the answers to these questions with all our viewers.
Q) I enjoy your weblog but notice that you do not limit yourself to just shipwrecks. Why is this? J.A. Ramsgate, Kent, England
A) We are very fortunate to have many historical ships still afloat that are used as a tremendous educational tool to teach nautical history. We are very keen on providing a firm context of the shipwrecks that we explore with that of the ships that are available for public display to tell a more inclusive and complete history of nautical history.
Q) I live in Beverly, Massachusetts and our family vacations on Nantucket Island during the summer. I enjoyed your articles on the Nantucket Lightship and was wondering about the famous ship, Andrea Doria, that sank off the coast of the island? A.M. Beverly, MA USA
A) The Italian Luxury Liner Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish-American liner Stockholm and sank on July 26, 1956. The ship was a floating art museum, flag-ship of the Italian line and the pride of all travelers going to/from Italy. We will be covering this ship very extensively on this weblog. Nautical Research Group has three Andrea Doria museum exhibits and there is an Andrea Doria exhibit that is permanently displayed on Nantucket Island at the Nantucket Lifesaving Museum.
Q) What do you mean when you entitle your weblog as "Time Capsules of Human Civilization"? P.H. Sydney, NSW, Australia
A) When a ship sinks, it literally is frozen in time. Therefore, a ship that sank in the 1750's, is still from the 1750's even though we are visiting her in 2005. This is especially poignant when we discover a new shipwreck. When we explore her for the first time, we are literally going back in time to the exact period that the ship sank. From this standpoint, the ship has become a time capsule where we can go back in time to explore what life was on that ship during its time afloat. Nautical archaeologists, in the advances of recent technology, are finding extraordinary discoveries about man and their relationship with the seas via the exploration of these time capsules.
Many thanks for your emails and I will share several of these throughout the year. Please, do not be shy, leave comments for others to see and share. Although I love your emails, it would be nice for others to see your comments on our posts.
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