Dive Brief
GOOD YEAR FOR DISCOVERY UNCOVERED AND UNKNOWN: EREBUS AND TERROR
M of U
ission Erebus and Terror has concluded. The Parks Canada- led search for the HMS Terror
completed two weeks of productive surveying, but the location of the ship still remains a mystery. This years much publicized discovery the HMS Erebus launched Parks
Canada Underwater Archaeology Team into the spotlight, capturing the attention of
divers, and non-divers
throughout North America. As the silt settled, the search continued
for the second of Franklin's lost ships, the 331 ton Terror, lost at sea late July 1845.
Parks Canada recovered a number of
artifacts from the Erebus, identified and mapped after clearing kelp from the wreck. In total 39 artifacts have been recovered, photographed and catalogued, ready for conservation. The recovered artifacts include wood,
lead, copper, glass and leather objects, most of which are in relatively good condition. A portion of the ships wheel was
amongst the most
the largest piece recovered, and identifiable
along
with a sword handle, helping paint a vivid picture of the time, and further capturing imaginations of the public.
A sword handle recovered from the Erebus,
remains of a well- preserved shoe, and a portion of the ship's wheel
"We are extremely happy with the
work we have accomplished on the wreck of HMS Erebus alongside our teammates
from the Arctic Research
Foundation" says Marc-André Bernier, Manager of Underwater Archaeology, Parks Canada. "We now have a really solid understanding of the site that will allow us to develop the best strategy for future investigations." Mission
Erebus and Terror
2015 resulted in the surveying of approximately 500 square kilometers in the northern archaeological search area, the most productive season to date.
RETURN TO ANTIKYTHERA
nderwater archaeologists have returned
to the ancient shipwreck of Antikythera. (See
DIVER, Vol. 39, Number 8.) Last year, an international team that included Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and
Sports began technical the multi-year
research project at the site to excavate the wreck. 2014 field operations involved
divers year's and
deployment of the ADS Exosuit. This
the expedition included
40 hours of diving time to depths of 180ft
(55m) and divers were joined
by four professional archaeologists for the first time. The ten-man dive team used technical diving equipment including
closed-circuit 14 rebreathers
and trimix, performing 61 dives in 10 days of diving. Metal detection surveys
Magazine
revealed that buried metallic artifacts are spread over an area of 130 x 165 feet (40 x 50 metres). Multiple teams of 2-3 divers made the most of their bottom time each day, utilizing an underwater dredge and unearthing more than 50 new treasures. These include an ornate table jug, mosaic glass, a bone flute, a gaming piece, and a bronze armrest that may have been part of a throne. The shipwreck dates to circa 65 BC
and was discovered by Greek fishermen in 1900 off
island of Antikythera. Early salvage attempts
the southwestern Aegean recovered statuary and
fragments of what is considered to be the world's first computer, known as the 'Antikythera Mechanism' - a geared mechanical
device that showed the
movements of the planets and stars and predicted eclipses.
Greek diver Alexandros Sotiriou discovers an intact 'lagynos' ceramic table jug and a bronze rigging ring on the Antikythera wreck
Photo: Brett Seymour
Photo: © Parks Canada
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