A New Exhibit: Shipwrecks in Bermuda

From East Carolina University's Shipwrecks in Bermuda Exhibit

The students and faculty in East Carolina University’s 2008 Maritime Studies Fall field school have produced an exhibit based on their research on a selection of shipwrecks and abandoned watercraft within the vicinity of St. George’s Harbor, in Bermuda’s East End.  Videos, slideshows, maps, photographs, and zoom-able images tell the story of how these students explored this incredible collection of submerged cultural resources.

 

We hope you enjoy this latest edition to the MUA.  To view the exhibit click on the “ECU’s Shipwrecks in Bermuda” link on our home here:

 

http://www.themua.org

Maritime Archaeology in Belgium

Artist Reconstruction of Medieval Fishing Village.

PhD researcher Sorna Khakzad returns to the MUA with her second post featuring underwater archaeology in Europe.  Today’s entry on Belgium highlights past work including submerged medieval fishing villages, shipwrecks, exhibitions, and an online maritime database.

You can view her post by clicking on the “Maritime Archaeology in Belgium” link on our main page here: http://www.themua.org

50 Years Later – By Dr. Filipe Castro

In 2010, less than one year from now, George F. Bass and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology will go back to Cape Gelidonya and take a new look at the Late Bronze Age site that 50 years ago was the first shipwreck to be excavated in its entirety on the seabed, by a diving archaeologist, and using the common standards of land archaeology.  The careful excavation, conservation, study, and publication of its artifact collection led archaeologists to believe that this late 13^th-Century BCE ship was originally Near Eastern, probably Syrian or Canaanite, and pushed the beginning of the Phoenician seafaring tradition several centuries back.  Such can be the importance of a shipwreck excavation.

U of West Florida Wraps Up Summer Field School

The underwater archaeology students from the University of West Florida’s summer field school posted their wrap up entry on the MUA. Their work provided details about 16th-century Spanish ship construction and a mid19th-century schooner. Their post also discusses their conservation efforts as well as their search for additional wrecks in Florida’s waters. You can view their final entry here:

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/project_journals/wf09/wf09_week13.shtml

Preserving the Submerged Past: The IMH in 2009

The Institute of Maritime History (IMH) just posted an update on the MUA about all the projects they are working on in 2009. It has been a busy year for this group of avocational and professional underwater archaeologists. Check out their post on projects from Florida to Massachusetts to see an excellent model of how the public and professionals can work together to preserve shipwrecks and other submerged sites. It’s a great alternative to the tired conflict between archaeologists and treasure hunters.

You can view the IMH post by clicking on their link under the “New
Entries” section on our home page here:
http://www.themua.org

A New Exhibit – Raising the Fleet: an Art Science Initiative

The MUA is proud to announce the launch of a new fully developed exhibit entitled: Raising the Fleet: an Art / Science Initiative. This innovate project conducted in Lake George, New York brings together underwater archaeology, cell biology, and art in a multidisciplinary study.

Viewers might ask how these three fields can intersect, but artist Elinor Mossop fails to see how they cannot. The sunken remains of British bateaux and the single celled creatures that inhabit the lake bed are all part of the same environment.

The artwork created as a result of this endeavor is on display in three venues; at the Lake George Arts Project Gallery (opening today 8/25/09), on easels resting on the lake bed near sunken British bateaux, and online at the MUA.

We’re proud to take part in such an unusual and creative effort. The web exhibit includes information on the historical background of the colonial sites involved, the methodology used to collect the data and create the artwork, a video about the project, and of course the artwork itself. We hope you enjoy the new exhibit which can be seen here:

http://www.themua.org/raisingthefleet/

Emanuel Point II Update

The underwater archaeology field school in Florida continues with two new
posts. The entries cover new discoveries on the 16th century wreck,
Emanuel Point II while other teams search for a third wreck from the same
period. You can view the new posts here:

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/project_journals/wf09/wf09_week7.shtml

Also,

The next few weeks will be busy ones at the MUA with several new posts by
other researchers from around the world so check back soon.

Sound of Mull Archaeological Fieldschool Online

(From the editor: Our friends at NAS sent us this note…)

Why not keep up to date with what’s happening on the Sound of Mull
Archaeological Fieldschool at http://www.mullproject2009.blogspot.com/

Big thanks to Historic Scotland for their grant support and to Lochaline Dive Centre and Colin and Paula Martin for making this happen.

Mark Beattie-Edwards,
Programme Director,
Nautical Archaeology Society,

A New Site and New Finds on a 16th Century Wreck

University of West Florida field school students have posted two new
entries on their project journal. In the first new post they describe
finding a schooner in 7 feet of water near the shore in Pensacola Bay.
They have already posted a site plan of the wreck. In the second new
entry another group of students continued their work on the 16th-century
wreck, Emanuel Point II. They have posted a slide show of some recent
discoveries including bones, seeds, and what may be cross bow bolts.

You can see their two new entries here:
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/project_journals/wf09/wf09_week5.shtml

In other news…

As part of a fund raising effort The MUA recently posted 7 books on
maritime and colonial history for sale on ebay. If you are interested in
obtaining these great books and supporting our mission please consider
visiting our page to see the titles and to place your bid.

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/kurt_mua

Remember the MUA is a 501c3 non profit organization. All contributions to
the MUA are tax deductible. Thank for your support!

Best regard,

T. Kurt Knoerl
Director
The MUA

What does one find on a 16th century shipwreck in Florida waters?

The latest post by the University of West Florida’s underwater archaeology students helps answer that question. Get a recap of last week’s events and take a closer look at some of the artifacts discovered on the Emanuel Point II wreck.

You can view the post by clicking here:
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/project_journals/wf09/wf09_week4.shtml