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By Fred Hiers - News Chief

Hernando De Soto's route through Florida is as elusive to modern archaeologists as the gold the famed Spanish explorer sought throughout the southeastern United States.

Ever since De Soto's 600 men set foot on the shores of Tampa Bay, arriving from Cuba almost 500 years ago, historians have debated the exact direction of his failed treasure-hunting expeditions as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.

But in north Marion County, an archaeologist has found what his contemporaries deem rarer than the gold De Soto was seeking — physical evidence of the explorer's precise journey through Marion County and enough information to redraw Florida De Soto maps and fuel many more archaeological digs based on his findings.

"It gets rid of the guesswork now on the route through Marion County," said Ashley White, a local archaeologist who found the site. "Now, we know for sure he came up through the Black Sink Prairie to Orange Lake and looped around through Micanopy."

From the De Soto site, which sits on the one-time Indian town known as Potano, De Soto eventually marched to Utinamocharra in present day Gainesville and later to Tallahassee for the winter.

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From the Art Newspaper

Diving school trainer Hakan Gulec came across more than fish and flotsam during a recent trip to the bottom of the ocean near Antalya off the coast of southern Turkey.

An object protruding through the sand on the sea bed caught Gulec's attention, prompting the intrepid explorer to dislodge and photograph the mystery find.

According to Hürriyet Daily News, he then showed his images to officials at Alanya museum who were taken aback by the discovery: a striking, well-preserved sarcophagus adorned with Medusa heads, cupids holding up garlands and dancing women at the corners."

The Alanya museum has gained a new piece of art," said its director Yasar Yildiz.

"The figures on it show that it dates from the Roman period." But where has it come from ? Perhaps it was made in the famous sculpture school at Aphrodisias further up the coast, which produced sculptural works for the Roman empire.

By Steve Zucker - Charlevoix Courier

Within about the next year, researchers expect to know whether a shipwreck that lies in northern Lake Michigan is the remains of a ship belonging to one of the Great Lakes’ earliest European explorers.

That was the news delivered to the Charlevoix City Council Monday by Ken Vrana of the Center for Maritime and Underwater Resource Management, which has been working with part-time Charlevoix resident Steve Libert and his Great Lakes Exploration Group which found what could be the shipwreck site of the long-lost French vessel, the Giffon, in 2001.

Shortly after the discovery — which amounted to what appears to be a ship’s mast sticking out of the lake bottom — Libert became embroiled in a drawn out legal dispute with the State of Michigan and the Republic of France. But about two years ago, Libert inked a deal with the state and France allowing research at the site to continue.

Libert signed his portion of those documents at Charlevoix City Hall as a gesture to show his continued intentions to use Charlevoix as a base of operations for his explorations at the site.

Built by the legendary French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, the Griffon was the first European vessel to sail the upper Great Lakes. It was intended to carry out lucrative fur-trading commerce which would support La Salle’s expedition in search of the mouth of the Mississippi.

According to Libert’s website, on Sept. 18, 1679, on its return maiden voyage, the Griffon, loaded with 6,000 pounds of furs, sailed out from present day Washington Harbor on Washington Island in northern Lake Michigan and was never seen again.

Vrana told the city council Monday that additional research that has been conducted to-date, including radio-carbon dating of a sample from the suspected ship’s mast, sonar, magnetic and other readings have not been conclusive, but they have been consistent with other research about the ship’s characteristics.

He also noted that none of the data collected has ruled the site out as possibly being the Griffon.

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From Derry Journal

Local sailors may have found the remains of an ancient boat near the Foyle riverbank.

The remains of the boat, which are partially submerged in mud flats, were discovered by members of Culmore Yacht Club on the west bank of the Foyle near Culmore Point.

Local archaeology enthusiasts from Templemore Archaeology have investigated the find and believe it could date at least to Siege of Derry in 1689.

Ian Leitch of Templemore Archaeology said the boat, which is made up of large oak timbers, it was too early in the investigation to confirm the age of the find with any certainty. “It could possibly date to the 17th century but much further investigation of the wreck is needed,” he added.

Mr Leitch added that the wreck, which measures around 30 feet in length, is only visible at low tide.

He added: “Templemore Archaeology would like to thank members of Culmore Yacht Club for reporting the find to us.

“We believe it could be a highly significant find and could even be much older than initial estimates. Hopefully we can establish exactly when it dates from and how significant it may be in the near future,” he added.

By Joel Allen - Carolina Live

Salvagers are working an old shipwreck offshore, with the hope of finding treasure.

The dredging boat Rio Bravo is docked at Crazy Sister Marina in Murrells Inlet this week.

The boat's crew wouldn't allow NewsChannel 15 cameras on board or tell us what they're doing, though officials at the marina say the boat is involved in a salvage operation.

And Kehl Carter says he knows what they're up to.

Carter has been diving the area for years and says he was contracted by the salvage company, Marex, in 1996 to work a shipwreck that local divers call the "Copper Pot".

"Some other businessmen here at the beach put together a full fledged salvage operation of the wreck site," Carter said. He said the Rio Bravo is doing another excavation of that same site he worked years ago.

What divers call the "Copper Pot" wreck is really the steamship SS North Carolina. The boat was owned by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the world's richest men in the 19th century.

In 1840, the ship collided with a sister ship off Murrells Inlet and sank, with 56 people on board. No one died in the wreck, but about a dozen senators and congressmen who were on board lost many of their possessions, some of which were later salvaged by Carter.

By Cammy Clark - The Miami Herald

Long before GPS, the coral reef tract that runs along the Florida Keys routinely sank unsuspecting ships. Storms also blew boats into the hard, shallow structures, contributing to a massive underwater graveyard.

An American schooner named Kate, the British brig Lion and the French ship Cora Nelly all met their demise on this popular marine trade route.

So did the Spanish warship Arcuana and the Winchester, a British man-of-war captained by John Soule that hit a reef so hard it tore a hole in its hull in 1695.

“It’s a fascinating world out there of all the shipwrecks in our own backyard,” says Brenda Altmeier, a support specialist for maritime heritage resources at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Some shipwreck sites have been well known for decades. The Winchester was discovered in 1938 and was the subject of a National Geographic article.

But the whereabouts of many of the sunken vessels — or what little is likely left of them — remains a mystery.

Key Largo-based ocean explorer Ian Koblick and his partner Craig Mullen are hoping to change that by conducting the first comprehensive survey of the Keys ocean floor.

“We’re treasure hunting for cultural jewels,” Mullen says.

They began by dusting off a 1988 report by researcher Judy Halas, who spent endless hours scouring 18 volumes of admiralty records, newspaper articles and other sources to document 877 ships that were lost, bilged, saved, sunk, rammed, stranded, “ashore” or torpedoed in the waters of the island chain.

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By Yona Gavino - Upper Michigans source

Munising is alive with maritime history, and between 15,000 and 18,000 people a year view the turn-of-the-century shipwrecks that rest on a watery grave on the bottom of Lake Superior.

Shipwreck Tours offers daytime and sunset tours.

Below this glass viewing area rests The Bermuda. It's a fully-intact vessel that sank in the mid 1800s and it's sitting upright in almost 30 feet of water.

Jessica Carrasco of South Lyon, Michigan says it's her first time visiting the Upper Peninsula.

"I love the water. I love all the lakes," said Carrasco. "I think the weather's been perfect. It's not too hot, it's not too cold. It's perfect, and all the views are awesome around the lakes. All you see is the natural land."

During the daytime tour, Captain Theresa Karr narrated the history of the doomed vessels, and this season is the tour's 20th anniversary on the water.

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By Adam Linhardt - Keys news

A Key West salvor believes an 1856 shipwreck of the merchant ship Isaac Allerton has ties to the Baldwin brothers of Hollywood fame, and his lawyer has sent a letter to movie star and "30 Rock" actor Alec Baldwin stating just that.

"I was doing the research and I must have Googled and Googled over and over until I finally traced it back to the Baldwins," said Ray Maloney, who has salvage rights to the shipwreck.

The captain of the ship was Roswell Baldwin, who was born in Stonington, Conn., in 1818, Maloney said. Recently, Maloney's Key West High School pal and attorney Robert Cintron wrote a letter to the entertainment company representing Alec Baldwin.

"If we have correctly traced the genealogy for Capt. Roswell Baldwin, we would welcome communications with Mr. Baldwin's representative to determine whether he and/or Mr. Baldwin might have any interest in learning more of the wreck of the Isaac Allerton, to include an actual underwater visit to the wreck that lies in about 25 feet of water approximately one mile off the lower Florida Keys," Cintron wrote.

"We know that Mr. Baldwin has a busy schedule and likely receives all manner of requests, but we thought that the personal nature of this inquiry might be of interest to Mr. Baldwin and his family."

Maloney has exclusive salvage rights to the ship in federal court, not the Baldwin family, but he thought they might be interested in the legacy of their ancestor ship captain.

Maloney has been in contact with a cousin of the Baldwin brothers, and it appears some extended family are interested in coming down to have a closer view of the wreck. Whether or not Alec Baldwin or any of his brothers will come down remains to be seen, and that's fine with Maloney, he said.

"I just want to share the information and thought the family would be interested to know," he said.

For Maloney, the letter was also sent to complete the historical context of the ship. He wants to make sure his records are complete and correct, but he added he's certain he's got the right Baldwin family.

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