Shipwrecks - Time Capsules of Human Civilization

2006 - Year of New Underwater Shipwreck Discovery and Exploration

The following article is a modified extract of a comment that I made to fellow underwater explorer, Steve Libert about several of my projects over the next three months. I hope that you enjoy....

I thought that it might be tough to top all the exciting and wonderful expeditions that I had in 2005 that included Titanic, Empress of Ireland, the Bermuda Triangle rescue aircraft - Martin Mariner PBM-5, various historical shipwrecks that ranged from naval to merchant and old treasure galleons to ocean liners (including a Blue Riband Cunard Liner Oregon).

2006 is shaping up to be an even better and more historic diving season that will be highlighted by our series of events surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the Collision and Sinking of the Andrea Doria. I will be releasing some new nautical forensic information and underwater video regarding this beautiful Italian liner's sinking that will change the historical perception of that tragic evening. In two weeks, I am off to Florida diving deep in the underground caves using a mixed-gas, closed circuit rebreather (as part of a cave diving course run by two of the world's best instructors - legendary Tom Mount and former British Special Forces diver Andrew Driver). Hopefully we will find in situ evidence for some prehistoric species deep within these underwater caves (a mastodon or mammoth would be nice). In March, I have two presentations to give. The first presentation is at the American Academy of Underwater Sciences meeting at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratory (FHL) in the San Juan Islands -located north of Seattle between the mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia about the latest scientific observations about the biological decay of Titanic. The second presentation of the month will be at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida about Diving to the Italian Liner Andrea Doria. Before the end of the month of March, I am off to the Black Sea and this should be very interesting - perhaps, if I am very lucky, I might discover Noah's Ark (just kidding!). In addition, I have some other "secret" shipwreck explorations and projects that I can't quite divulge yet (don't want the bureaucrats to put a damper on all the adventure) but will provide some significant new information about several historic shipwrecks.

Thank you for your continued support for this web site which is globally the number one blog ( weblog ) for shipwrecks. I find that it is a perfect forum for me to get things off my chest without feeling inhibited about the dives, expeditions and science. As a corporation, Nautical Research Group is thriving and we have been able to pick and choose the best and most interesting underwater projects. Our unique blend of nautical archaeology and deep technical diving - wrapped around our roots in the biological sciences is unparallelled.

Shipwrecks and Lost Aircraft Profiled in Recent Magazines

I enjoy working with the media to educate the public about the nautical history of shipwrecks and the undersea world. Lately, I have been involved with several television documentaries that have been placed on many of the cable networks ( MsNBC, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Sci-Fi Channel etc.) and have done a slew of newspaper and magazine interviews. This month, I have been profiled in several different magazines pertaining to my work on the shipwrecks and an aircraft. This is not so uncommon because I am involved with so much shipwreck and underwater research that the media and the public finds very fascinating. However, this month has to be the most diverse in terms of the types of magazines that I have been written about in a long time.  It seems that my diving and shipwreck work has taken a new persona as characterized by these three distinct magazine articles:

December 2005 Sci Fi Magazine - Profiles the search for the Bermuda Triangle's famed lost Mariner rescue aircraft that went missing while looking for the 5 US Navy Avenger aircraft in 1945. I led a team of 20 scientists, divers and operational crew on the underwater search for the PBM-5 Mariner aircraft.

January 2006 Worth Magazine - This magazine caters to high net worth individuals and has an article about the the search for lucrative shipwrecks and its ability to provide the investors and salvors fortune and fame. I have a few comments about treasure hunting in this article.

January / February 2006 Aquanaut Magazine - This diving magazine is written in German and caters to the Swiss, German and Austrian sport and recreational diving markets. The article that I am profiled in is entitled Andrea Doria: Der Mount Everest der Wracktaucher which translates out to Andrea Doria: The Mount Everest of Wreck Diving. I have dove the Andrea Doria over a hundred times since the mid-1980's and will be going back this summer with the Official Andrea Doria Diving Expedition ™ to mark the 50th anniversary of its collision and sinking.

Well-so far I have not been approached by Playboy yet ;-) !

Titanic Presentation - A Virtual Diving Tour to the Unsinkable Ship

My 2006 presentation/lecture series on Shipwrecks starts out with a bang on Saturday, January 28th at Rutgers University. The topic for the presentation is a virtual dive to the wreck site of RMS Titanic. This presentation will be provided as part of Rutgers University's Geology Open-House that is FREE to the public.

This presentation will have the latest video of Nautical Research Group's special diving expedition to the shipwreck of the famed ocean liner RMS Titanic. Recently Nautical Research Group has placed a 10-part photographic series on the the current condition of RMS Titanic on their corporate website that has received rave reviews. Here is a quick synopsis of the presentation:

Using the latest in digital videography, complete with edited, raw video footage and instructional voice-overs, David Bright will give you the virtual experience of participating and diving with a scientific research expedition to the RMS Titanic. Leaving port from the Canadian shores of Newfoundland, we will depart on the Russian oceanographic research vessel Akademik Keldysh, the most advanced deep-diving support vessel in the world. Using the sophisticated submersible Mir I and captained by the famous ocean scientist and explorer Anatoly Sagalevitch, we will descend to the bottom of the Atlantic, where we will explore the wreck site of the Titanic. Once on the ship, we will explore the intact bow section of the ship and observe many features of the ship that played roles during the collision and sinking. Particular observation will be given to the microbial decay that has produced rusticles all along the ship. Moving back toward the debris field, we will see many of the passengers' personal effects, as well as other distinctive articles from the ship. As we conclude our visit to the wreck site, we will see the Titanic's huge engines and the mangled stern section of the ship. This presentation combines the exuberant feeling of observing a historic shipwreck and the reverent feeling of visiting the final resting place of more than 1,500 people.

Attached is a flyer (click to enlarge) for this presentation that will be given at Rutgers University in Scott Hall - Room 123 at 11:00 AM. Many shipwreck discoveries have been made by geologists that are mapping the ocean floor and one of Rutger's geology professor-emeritus named Dr. Robert Sheridan was one of the discoverers of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor back in the 1970's. The co-discoverer of Titanic was also a geologist by the name of Dr. Robert Ballard.

2006 Marks the 50th Anniversary of the Andrea Doria Collision and Sinking

This is the year of the Andrea Doria and I have many exciting projects planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the collision and sinking of this beautiful ocean liner. I have been saving some phenomenal materials that will be unveiled for the first time this year that will change the overall perception of what happen that tragic evening of July 25th, 1956. This rare information will include one-of-a-kind documentation about the collision, sinking and the behind-the-scenes negotiations by the lawyers and insurers that will shed some new insight into the tragedy that was never before published. The book by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Simpson will soon become an Andrea Doria classic as some of this new information will be placed in her book. The anticipated release date for the book is Spring 2006 and will be a startling revelation about the collision, sinking, rescue and diving of the Andrea Doria. In addition, two new film documentaries will be released in the European and the North American markets about some of the latest information about this tragedy that was never formally released to the public. Nautical Research Group will be the sponsor of the Official Andrea Doria Diving Expedition to be held in early July 2006.  The year's activities will climax with the Andrea Doria Survivors Reunion that is a closed, by-invitation-only gala affair that will be held at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in late July. Stay subscribed to our weblog ( blog ) for the latest developments and project planning surrounding the Andrea Doria Anniversary activities.

Who is to Blame for the Andrea Doria - Stockholm Collision?

Being a noted authority on the history of the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria, I have been asked this same question over a thousand times. I have spent over 25 years looking into this question and am 100 percent positive with the following conclusions. Here is a quick synopsis of my highly controversial answer:

There were many small errors made by both ships, the Italian liner Andrea Doria and the Swedish-American liner Stockholm, that contributed to the collision. Each small error concatenated to become bigger errors. However, the biggest error that fateful evening of July 25th, 1956 was the misreading of the radar by the young Third Officer Carstens aboard the Stockholm. This was truly the fatal error and was pivotal for the collision to have taken place that foggy evening at 11:10 pm!

As far as formal guilt for the collision, there was none that was legally attributed. There were pre-trial depositions that were taken, in contemplation of a full trial, but both ship owners, deciding that it would not be in their best interests to have a long, drawn-out trial, settled their differences with their common insurers. Therefore-it never went to trial to decide who was at fault. Informally, many professional mariners in the US went over all the testimony; and understanding the laws of the sea figured that, barring perjury from either the Doria or Stockholm's officers and crew, the Stockholm bridge officer was mistaken about the radar. These mariners have always believed that the radar misreading was the critical error. Every decision that Stockholm's young and inexperienced Third Officer Carstens made on the bridge from 20 minutes before the collision to the collision time suggest that he thought that the Doria was much further away. It made the most reasonable and logical sense for this theory. However, Carstens has vehemently denied this, but computer projections of the collision prove out, with very little doubt that the reason for this collision was the radar misreading by Carstens.

This misread of the radar by Carstens has overwhelming and uniform acceptance; and is supported by the world's most prestigious mariners/nautical scientists. Making this type of error is a very simple thing to do on a busy bridge with fog and a vessel closing fast. Back in those days, the radar rings were not illuminated and the radar's range scale selection was done manually by moving a switch. It is believed by these experts that Carstens thought that he was on a different range (15 mile) when in reality he was on another range (5 mile). In order to verify what range you are on in the night, a small flashlight is used. All the decisions that Carstens made on the bridge would support that Carstens believed that he was on a distant range and that the Doria was farther away then he thought.

For fair balance, a good account of the collision with a totally different interpretation is the book Collision Course by Alvin Moscow. In his book, Mr. Moscow attributed the blame to the captain of the Andrea Doria-Piero Calamai. For many years, Moscow's book was the definitive source for the collision. A marine engineer named John Carrouthers who was contracted by the Navy to investigate marine accidents concluded otherwise and could prove with utmost certainty that the accident was caused by the Stockholm. As the world's nautical experts had an opportunity to look at all the evidence, they have felt that the misreading of the radar was highly probable as the fatal mistake. Currently, at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), the cadets use this accident scenario every semester as an example of radar misreading on the bridge. The textbook used for this course is called Watchstanding Guide for the Merchant Officer by Captain Robert J. Meurn Publisher: Cornell Maritime Press, ISBN 0-87033-409-3. (May 1990; updated 2006) In this book, Captain Meurn spends several pages (pp173-176) explaining the reasons for the collision of the Doria-Stockholm on misreading of the ship's radar by the Stockholm and uses this as a learning tool to make sure that any nautical/maritime officer avoids this ship-to-ship encounter. Additionally all cadets are taught how to man a ship's bridge using a multimillion dollar simulator that has the complete accident of the collision programmed specifically with what was occurring out at sea on July 25th, 1956. Captain Meurn is a master mariner and professor emeritus at the USMMA and this textbook is used at the United States Coast Guard and the US Naval Academies; as well as for NOAA mariners.

Since there was never a formal trial (just pre-trial deposition) the ultimate truth will always be left up to the individual; however, with the 50th anniversary of the collision and sinking approaching, there is no doubt that professional mariners in the United States know who was at fault. Coming late Spring 2006, look for a new book by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Simpson who will provide new and startling evidence for the facts behind the collision and sinking of the Andrea Doria.

Guest Article from Michael Tuttle: John Paul Jones' Ship Serapis

For today's weblog ( blog ) article, we are in for a real treat. I have invited a friend, Michael Tuttle, cultural resource director on the Serapis project to provide an overview into his fantastic work on John Paul Jones' ship named HMS Serapis. The following is his synopsis:

The remains of the American Revolutionary War era ship HMS Serapis have been located off the coast of Madagascar.  The vessel was taken by John Paul Jones who uttered those immortal words, "I have not yet begun to fight!" when asked to surrender by the British captain. Jones in the Bonhomme Richard was finally successful in the epic Revolutionary War Battle off Flamborough Head.  The battle was so intense that the Bonhomme Richard later sank in the North Sea while leaving the British coast.  John Paul Jones and his crew had to remove to the Serapis and sailed on to the Netherlands.  The Serapis ended up in the French navy, as the Bonhomme Richard was a French vessel that Benjamin Franklin helped to secure for the American cause.  The Serapis was sent into the Indian Ocean in 1781, where it caught on fire and sank.  In 1999 a crew of American, French and Malagasy archaeologists and historians located the remains of the vessel.  Today, under the direction of Michael Tuttle, the Serapis Project continues to research the vessel remains in order to recover the history and expose the story Jones and the Serapis.  In association with the University of Antananarivo it is hoped that enough materials will be recovered to establish a permanent museum display on Isle St. Marie to illuminate the maritime heritage of Madagascar and John Paul Jones. Please examine our web site at serapisproject.org.

I have included a link to the Serapis Project web site that can be found on the far right hand column of our blog. This is truly a valuable and historical cultural treasure!

Search for the Griffon - Great Lakes oldest shipwreck

  With this latest news release from the Detroit Free Press , it appears that my friend, Steve Libert might get a very legitimate opportunity to explore and identify a shipwreck that many feel might be the lost LaSalle vessel named Griffon. Barring any other bureaucratic or governmental intervention, Mr.Libert and his Great Lakes Exploration Group will be working in coordination with Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History curator, Scott Demel, to explore the wreck site and provide clues into this old ship's identity. I commend Mr. Libert for working with the academic and nautical archaeology community for working on this expedition.

Since the Griffon has been such a personal interest of mine for almost 35 years, I would like to include a few pictures (courtesy of Kathleen Joyce) of the original monument at where the site of this historic ship was built at the apex of where Cayuga Creek runs into the Niagara River approximately six miles east of Niagara Falls. This marker was dedicated by the City of Niagara Falls NY in May 1902 and was placed adjacent to the city's boat launch opposite Cayuga Island and very near to the infamous Love Canal.  This section of Niagara Falls is called LaSalle and is dedicated to the memory of the brave explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier Sieur de LaSalle and his significant role in the exploration of the Great Lakes.

Bermuda Triangle Lost Mariner – Part VI Final Conclusions

Our scientific expedition team spent seven days scouring the Atlantic Ocean for the lost Mariner aircraft using side scan sonar and a magnetometer.  Initially, I had requested a two-week window for our search but constraints on the resourcing of the project limited our group to one week. As we established our search area using GPS and Hypack, the goal was to "mow the lawn" around the Naval coordinates. Because of our short window out on site, our entire search pattern and our resources were predicated on the Naval coordinates being somewhat accurate.

As we thoroughly examined over 5 square miles around the Navy's coordinates, over one hundred acoustical anomalies were detected by the side-scan sonar, about 5 magnetic anomalies were found by the magnetometer and several targets were examined by our divers. Mark Padover, our technical expert from Aqua Survey (as well as myself) have continued with examining all data collected and we will be putting together our findings for a final Naval Historical Center report by the spring of 2006. Although we did not find the huge, potentially intact engines and tail sections of the airplane, we do not have conclusive evidence that any of the supplemental targets might not be that of our Mariner. The last magnetic hit that we got about an hour before we ended our search was very interesting and would of been a good target for our divers to visit.

In conclusion, we found some very interesting acoustical and magnetic targets. We dove one major piece that we were not able to conclusively rule as a piece from the Mariner. That does not mean that we didn't find a piece of the Mariner, just that we could not identify it as such. In a project debrief, it was felt by all the scientists that we were extremely satisfied with all the search patterns and decisions based on establishing the location of the aircraft. We were all in agreement that had we done the project again, the exact same logic and methodologies would of been followed and applied.  I would like to send a personal thanks to NBC, namely Tim Beacham, Jon Schreiber and Lester Holt, for their support on this wonderful project.