At 5pm on 21 November, 1915 having been trapped
in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meanderin... more At 5pm on 21 November, 1915 having been trapped in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meandering a total of 1250 nautical miles (NM) Sir Ernest Shackleton’s vessel, Endurance, finally disappeared through the ice and sank 3km to the sea floor below. Captain Frank Worsley, master of Endurance, recorded the position as 68°39'30"S 52°26'30"W.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2019
A unique leaded-gunmetal disc decorated with iconic Portuguese markings was recovered in 2014 dur... more A unique leaded-gunmetal disc decorated with iconic Portuguese markings was recovered in 2014 during archaeological excavations at the Sodré shipwreck site in Al Hallaniyah, Oman. Initially the identity and function of the disc was unknown, although it did possess characteristics suggesting it could be an astrolabe. Laser imaging of the disc post conservation revealed regular scale marks on the limb of its upper right quadrant. Accurate digital measurements of the marks show them to be graded at close to 5-degree intervals, thus confirming the identity of the disc as a mariner's astrolabe and the earliest known example discovered to date.
—In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologist... more —In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists followed the historical trail that led them to the wreck site in Ghubbat ar Rahib Bay off Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The excavation found over 2800 artefacts including a ships bell and a concretion of silver coins. In this study the use of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is outlined and how its exploitation guided conservators in restoring these artefacts, leading to revealing the date on the ships bell and discovery of an ultra-rare coin: thé ındio or " ghost coin " of Dom Manuel I.
Two Portuguese naus from Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India, left behind to disrupt maritime ... more Two Portuguese naus from Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India, left behind to disrupt maritime trade between India and the Red Sea, were wrecked in May 1503 off the northeastern coast of Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The ships, Esmeralda and São Pedro, had been commanded by da Gama's maternal uncles, Vicente and Brás Sodré, respectively. A detailed study and scientific analysis of an artefact assemblage recovered during archaeological excavations conducted in Al Hallaniyah in 2013 and 2014 confirms the location of an early 16th-century Portuguese wreck-site, initially discovered in 1998. Esmeralda is proposed as the probable source of the remaining, un-salved wreckage.
The deep sea salvage tool Grab 3000 was a remotely operated tool, deployed from a standard drill ... more The deep sea salvage tool Grab 3000 was a remotely operated tool, deployed from a standard drill ship and able to penetrate inside wrecks for recovering valuable cargoes. It was specially developed by Ifremer in 1994 for recovering silver inside the wreck of SS John Barry, a WWII Liberty ship sunk at a depth of 2600 metres. Following the success of this operation, Blue Water Recoveries (BWR), acquired this tool and operated it on numerous targets in Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. One year later, a new tool, Grab 6000, based on the same concept, but able to operate at 6000 metres with greatly enhanced performance, entered into service. However, despite great technical successes, allowing to recover several thousands tons of valuable cargoes from depths of nearly 4000 metres, the activity stopped after two years of continuous operations. All pilots that have operated the Grab have been amazed by the simplicity of operating such a safe and powerful tool with such accurate control. The authors, which have been fully involved at Ifremer and BWR in the development and the operation of this salvage tool strongly believe that this proven concept cannot be forgotten and is applicable for an European environmental tool ready to operate in emergency situations concerning nuclear products and oil recovery from deep sea wrecks.
Intense storms, including hurricanes, are believed to have an important impact upon the biota and... more Intense storms, including hurricanes, are believed to have an important impact upon the biota and sediment cover on the continental shelf. Hurricane Diana crossed Onslow Bay, North Carolina, during September 1984 and provided an opportunity to examine its effect on the sea floor. An area in the bay transited by the hurricane had been surveyed previouslyby side-scan sonar,3.5 kHz echosounding, and underwater television. We re-surveyedthe area in November 1984 with the same techiques and collected box cores for sedimentary structure analysis. The post-hurricane survey yielded no unequivocal evidence of hurricane impact on the sea floor and, surprisingly, showed an abundance of seemingly delicate benthic organisms thriving on the impacted area. Sedimentary structures in the box cores included rip-up clasts and cross-laminations that are indicative of a dynamic sedimentary environrnent, but they could have formed during non-hurricane storm conditions. The lack of a dramatic signature on the sea floor from Hurricane Diana is attributed to the low sediment influx and frequent occurrence of intense storms on the North Carolina shelf. These factors result in an "armored" depositional environment that shows little response to the passage of each successive storm.
High-resolution, side-scan sonar data collected from the middle
continental shelf of Onslow Bay, ... more High-resolution, side-scan sonar data collected from the middle continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, before and after an intense storm (Hurricane Diana, September 11-13, 1984) were used to investigate the impact on this shelf surface. Wave hindcasting pre- dicts that significant wave heights and periods were 6 m and 10 s during the storm's passage, and horizontal water velocity at the sea floor was 125 cm/s. Comparison of prestorm and poststorm sono- graphs revealed no measurable sea-floor changes. Distinct spatial patterns representing textural variations between Miocene muddy sand and coarse Holocene clean sand, as well as extensive areas of loose rock debris, appeared similar. The storm-dominated nature of this shelf surface results primarily from its sediment-starved existence and the equilibrium that has been reached with the region's arnbient, high-energy setting.
Grab devices have been extensively used for commercial cargo salvage and sensitive military recov... more Grab devices have been extensively used for commercial cargo salvage and sensitive military recovery projects throughout much of the past century. Early grabs suffered from a lack of positional control and remote intelligence and thus were not very efficient. The first truly controllable grab was developed in the early 1970s by the CIA in their partially successful attempt to recover a Russian ‘Golf’ class submarine. This concept of a controllable Grab deployed from a modified drillship was commercialised in 1994 by Blue Water Recoveries (BWR) with development of a 3,000 metre rated Grab used to recover 18 tonnes of silver coins from the SS John Barry. Although technically successful, it was soon apparent that this prototype Grab 3000 would need to be improved to be able to recover cargo at even higher rates of efficiency. What was required was a blending of an extremely strong mechanical Grab that exerted forces of up to 200 tonnes with a very highly specified ROV control system and sensor suite. Reliability and efficiency were the key design parameters of the new 6,000 metre rated Grab and bucket recovery system that was completed and sea- tested by BWR in late 1996. The new 150 horsepower Grab 6000 was run from a unique fibre- optic cable and utilised twice the number of sensors found on most work-class ROVs. Within weeks of it’s deployment the Grab 6000 was setting new standards in deep water salvage by recovering over 50 tonnes of cargo from a depth of 3,800 metres in a single lift.
... Hunter, RE and Clifton, HE, 1982. Cyclic deposits and hummocky cross-stratification of probab... more ... Hunter, RE and Clifton, HE, 1982. Cyclic deposits and hummocky cross-stratification of probable storm origin in Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Cape Sebastian area, Southwestern Oregon. J. Sediment. Petrol., 52 (1) : 127-143. Kirby-Smith, WW and Ustach, J., in press. ...
'The underwater worlds of past and present collide in the depths of the ocean in this gripping an... more 'The underwater worlds of past and present collide in the depths of the ocean in this gripping and suspenseful narrative by David Mearns, a true expert on mysteries of the deep sea.' CLIVE CUSSLER David Mearns has found some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. His deep-water searches have solved the 66-year mystery of HMAS Sydney, and found the final resting place of the mighty battlecruiser HMS Hood, as well as the narrow underwater canyon that served as the grave for the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur. His painstaking historical detective work has led to the shallow reefs of a remote island that revealed the crumbling wooden skeletons of Vasco de Gama's 16th century fleet. The Shipwreck Hunter is the compelling story of David's life and work on the seas, focussing on some of his most intriguing discoveries. It details the extraordinary techniques used, the research and the mid-ocean stamina and courage needed to find a wreck kilometres beneath the sea, as well as the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Part detective story, part history and part deep ocean adventure, The Shipwreck Hunter is a unique insight into a hidden, underwater world.
2017 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), 2017
In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists... more In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists followed the historical trail that led them to the wreck site in Ghubbat ar Rahib Bay off Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The excavation found over 2800 artefacts including a ships bell and a concretion of silver coins. In this study the use of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is outlined and how its exploitation guided conservators in restoring these artefacts, leading to revealing the date on the ships bell and discovery of an ultra-rare coin: the índio or "ghost coin" of Dom Manuel I.
At 5pm on 21 November, 1915 having been trapped
in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meanderin... more At 5pm on 21 November, 1915 having been trapped in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meandering a total of 1250 nautical miles (NM) Sir Ernest Shackleton’s vessel, Endurance, finally disappeared through the ice and sank 3km to the sea floor below. Captain Frank Worsley, master of Endurance, recorded the position as 68°39'30"S 52°26'30"W.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2019
A unique leaded-gunmetal disc decorated with iconic Portuguese markings was recovered in 2014 dur... more A unique leaded-gunmetal disc decorated with iconic Portuguese markings was recovered in 2014 during archaeological excavations at the Sodré shipwreck site in Al Hallaniyah, Oman. Initially the identity and function of the disc was unknown, although it did possess characteristics suggesting it could be an astrolabe. Laser imaging of the disc post conservation revealed regular scale marks on the limb of its upper right quadrant. Accurate digital measurements of the marks show them to be graded at close to 5-degree intervals, thus confirming the identity of the disc as a mariner's astrolabe and the earliest known example discovered to date.
—In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologist... more —In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists followed the historical trail that led them to the wreck site in Ghubbat ar Rahib Bay off Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The excavation found over 2800 artefacts including a ships bell and a concretion of silver coins. In this study the use of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is outlined and how its exploitation guided conservators in restoring these artefacts, leading to revealing the date on the ships bell and discovery of an ultra-rare coin: thé ındio or " ghost coin " of Dom Manuel I.
Two Portuguese naus from Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India, left behind to disrupt maritime ... more Two Portuguese naus from Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India, left behind to disrupt maritime trade between India and the Red Sea, were wrecked in May 1503 off the northeastern coast of Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The ships, Esmeralda and São Pedro, had been commanded by da Gama's maternal uncles, Vicente and Brás Sodré, respectively. A detailed study and scientific analysis of an artefact assemblage recovered during archaeological excavations conducted in Al Hallaniyah in 2013 and 2014 confirms the location of an early 16th-century Portuguese wreck-site, initially discovered in 1998. Esmeralda is proposed as the probable source of the remaining, un-salved wreckage.
The deep sea salvage tool Grab 3000 was a remotely operated tool, deployed from a standard drill ... more The deep sea salvage tool Grab 3000 was a remotely operated tool, deployed from a standard drill ship and able to penetrate inside wrecks for recovering valuable cargoes. It was specially developed by Ifremer in 1994 for recovering silver inside the wreck of SS John Barry, a WWII Liberty ship sunk at a depth of 2600 metres. Following the success of this operation, Blue Water Recoveries (BWR), acquired this tool and operated it on numerous targets in Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. One year later, a new tool, Grab 6000, based on the same concept, but able to operate at 6000 metres with greatly enhanced performance, entered into service. However, despite great technical successes, allowing to recover several thousands tons of valuable cargoes from depths of nearly 4000 metres, the activity stopped after two years of continuous operations. All pilots that have operated the Grab have been amazed by the simplicity of operating such a safe and powerful tool with such accurate control. The authors, which have been fully involved at Ifremer and BWR in the development and the operation of this salvage tool strongly believe that this proven concept cannot be forgotten and is applicable for an European environmental tool ready to operate in emergency situations concerning nuclear products and oil recovery from deep sea wrecks.
Intense storms, including hurricanes, are believed to have an important impact upon the biota and... more Intense storms, including hurricanes, are believed to have an important impact upon the biota and sediment cover on the continental shelf. Hurricane Diana crossed Onslow Bay, North Carolina, during September 1984 and provided an opportunity to examine its effect on the sea floor. An area in the bay transited by the hurricane had been surveyed previouslyby side-scan sonar,3.5 kHz echosounding, and underwater television. We re-surveyedthe area in November 1984 with the same techiques and collected box cores for sedimentary structure analysis. The post-hurricane survey yielded no unequivocal evidence of hurricane impact on the sea floor and, surprisingly, showed an abundance of seemingly delicate benthic organisms thriving on the impacted area. Sedimentary structures in the box cores included rip-up clasts and cross-laminations that are indicative of a dynamic sedimentary environrnent, but they could have formed during non-hurricane storm conditions. The lack of a dramatic signature on the sea floor from Hurricane Diana is attributed to the low sediment influx and frequent occurrence of intense storms on the North Carolina shelf. These factors result in an "armored" depositional environment that shows little response to the passage of each successive storm.
High-resolution, side-scan sonar data collected from the middle
continental shelf of Onslow Bay, ... more High-resolution, side-scan sonar data collected from the middle continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, before and after an intense storm (Hurricane Diana, September 11-13, 1984) were used to investigate the impact on this shelf surface. Wave hindcasting pre- dicts that significant wave heights and periods were 6 m and 10 s during the storm's passage, and horizontal water velocity at the sea floor was 125 cm/s. Comparison of prestorm and poststorm sono- graphs revealed no measurable sea-floor changes. Distinct spatial patterns representing textural variations between Miocene muddy sand and coarse Holocene clean sand, as well as extensive areas of loose rock debris, appeared similar. The storm-dominated nature of this shelf surface results primarily from its sediment-starved existence and the equilibrium that has been reached with the region's arnbient, high-energy setting.
Grab devices have been extensively used for commercial cargo salvage and sensitive military recov... more Grab devices have been extensively used for commercial cargo salvage and sensitive military recovery projects throughout much of the past century. Early grabs suffered from a lack of positional control and remote intelligence and thus were not very efficient. The first truly controllable grab was developed in the early 1970s by the CIA in their partially successful attempt to recover a Russian ‘Golf’ class submarine. This concept of a controllable Grab deployed from a modified drillship was commercialised in 1994 by Blue Water Recoveries (BWR) with development of a 3,000 metre rated Grab used to recover 18 tonnes of silver coins from the SS John Barry. Although technically successful, it was soon apparent that this prototype Grab 3000 would need to be improved to be able to recover cargo at even higher rates of efficiency. What was required was a blending of an extremely strong mechanical Grab that exerted forces of up to 200 tonnes with a very highly specified ROV control system and sensor suite. Reliability and efficiency were the key design parameters of the new 6,000 metre rated Grab and bucket recovery system that was completed and sea- tested by BWR in late 1996. The new 150 horsepower Grab 6000 was run from a unique fibre- optic cable and utilised twice the number of sensors found on most work-class ROVs. Within weeks of it’s deployment the Grab 6000 was setting new standards in deep water salvage by recovering over 50 tonnes of cargo from a depth of 3,800 metres in a single lift.
... Hunter, RE and Clifton, HE, 1982. Cyclic deposits and hummocky cross-stratification of probab... more ... Hunter, RE and Clifton, HE, 1982. Cyclic deposits and hummocky cross-stratification of probable storm origin in Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Cape Sebastian area, Southwestern Oregon. J. Sediment. Petrol., 52 (1) : 127-143. Kirby-Smith, WW and Ustach, J., in press. ...
'The underwater worlds of past and present collide in the depths of the ocean in this gripping an... more 'The underwater worlds of past and present collide in the depths of the ocean in this gripping and suspenseful narrative by David Mearns, a true expert on mysteries of the deep sea.' CLIVE CUSSLER David Mearns has found some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. His deep-water searches have solved the 66-year mystery of HMAS Sydney, and found the final resting place of the mighty battlecruiser HMS Hood, as well as the narrow underwater canyon that served as the grave for the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur. His painstaking historical detective work has led to the shallow reefs of a remote island that revealed the crumbling wooden skeletons of Vasco de Gama's 16th century fleet. The Shipwreck Hunter is the compelling story of David's life and work on the seas, focussing on some of his most intriguing discoveries. It details the extraordinary techniques used, the research and the mid-ocean stamina and courage needed to find a wreck kilometres beneath the sea, as well as the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Part detective story, part history and part deep ocean adventure, The Shipwreck Hunter is a unique insight into a hidden, underwater world.
2017 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), 2017
In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists... more In 1503, two ships part of Vasco da Gamas second armada to India were lost at sea. Archaeologists followed the historical trail that led them to the wreck site in Ghubbat ar Rahib Bay off Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The excavation found over 2800 artefacts including a ships bell and a concretion of silver coins. In this study the use of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is outlined and how its exploitation guided conservators in restoring these artefacts, leading to revealing the date on the ships bell and discovery of an ultra-rare coin: the índio or "ghost coin" of Dom Manuel I.
In 1915 while the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition's vessel Endurance was icebound in the Wedd... more In 1915 while the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition's vessel Endurance was icebound in the Weddell Sea, lunar occultation timings were carried out in order to rate the chronometers and thereby find longitude. The original observations have been re-analysed using modern lunar ephemerides and catalogues of star positions. The times derived in this way are found to differ by an average of 20 s from those obtained during the expedition using positions given from the Nautical Almanac and introduces an additional offset of the true positions to the east of those recorded in the log.
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in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meandering
a total of 1250 nautical miles (NM) Sir Ernest
Shackleton’s vessel, Endurance, finally disappeared
through the ice and sank 3km to the sea floor below.
Captain Frank Worsley, master of Endurance, recorded
the position as 68°39'30"S 52°26'30"W.
Following the success of this operation, Blue Water Recoveries (BWR), acquired this tool and operated it on numerous targets in Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. One year later, a new tool, Grab 6000, based on the same concept, but able to operate at 6000 metres with greatly enhanced performance, entered into service.
However, despite great technical successes, allowing to recover several thousands tons of valuable cargoes from depths of nearly 4000 metres, the activity stopped after two years of continuous operations.
All pilots that have operated the Grab have been amazed by the simplicity of operating such a safe and powerful tool with such accurate control. The authors, which have been fully involved at Ifremer and BWR in the development and the operation of this salvage tool strongly believe that this proven concept cannot be forgotten and is applicable for an European environmental tool ready to operate in emergency situations concerning nuclear products and oil recovery from deep sea wrecks.
continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, before and after an intense storm (Hurricane Diana, September 11-13, 1984) were used to investigate the impact on this shelf surface. Wave hindcasting pre- dicts that significant wave heights and periods were 6 m and 10 s during the storm's passage, and horizontal water velocity at the sea floor was 125 cm/s. Comparison of prestorm and poststorm sono- graphs revealed no measurable sea-floor changes. Distinct spatial patterns representing textural variations between Miocene muddy sand and coarse Holocene clean sand, as well as extensive areas of loose rock debris, appeared similar. The storm-dominated nature of this shelf surface results primarily from its sediment-starved existence and the equilibrium that has been reached with the region's arnbient, high-energy setting.
in the Weddell Sea ice for 306 days and meandering
a total of 1250 nautical miles (NM) Sir Ernest
Shackleton’s vessel, Endurance, finally disappeared
through the ice and sank 3km to the sea floor below.
Captain Frank Worsley, master of Endurance, recorded
the position as 68°39'30"S 52°26'30"W.
Following the success of this operation, Blue Water Recoveries (BWR), acquired this tool and operated it on numerous targets in Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. One year later, a new tool, Grab 6000, based on the same concept, but able to operate at 6000 metres with greatly enhanced performance, entered into service.
However, despite great technical successes, allowing to recover several thousands tons of valuable cargoes from depths of nearly 4000 metres, the activity stopped after two years of continuous operations.
All pilots that have operated the Grab have been amazed by the simplicity of operating such a safe and powerful tool with such accurate control. The authors, which have been fully involved at Ifremer and BWR in the development and the operation of this salvage tool strongly believe that this proven concept cannot be forgotten and is applicable for an European environmental tool ready to operate in emergency situations concerning nuclear products and oil recovery from deep sea wrecks.
continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, before and after an intense storm (Hurricane Diana, September 11-13, 1984) were used to investigate the impact on this shelf surface. Wave hindcasting pre- dicts that significant wave heights and periods were 6 m and 10 s during the storm's passage, and horizontal water velocity at the sea floor was 125 cm/s. Comparison of prestorm and poststorm sono- graphs revealed no measurable sea-floor changes. Distinct spatial patterns representing textural variations between Miocene muddy sand and coarse Holocene clean sand, as well as extensive areas of loose rock debris, appeared similar. The storm-dominated nature of this shelf surface results primarily from its sediment-starved existence and the equilibrium that has been reached with the region's arnbient, high-energy setting.