HOT NEWS !

By Michael Sheridan - New York Daily News

Sorry geeks, it's not the Millenium Falcon.

A team of deep sea treasure hunters investigating a bizarre formation below the Baltic Sea said over the weekend it’s definitely not a UFO.

"It's not, obviously, an alien spacecraft.

It's not made of metal," Peter Lindberg, the leader of the Ocean Explorer team, told Fox News. He also noted it appeared to be some sort of "natural, geological formation."

It is likely a rock, the team said, but it still presents a bit of a mystery.

"During my 20-year diving career, including 6,000 dives, I have never seen anything like this," Stefan Hogeborn, one of the divers at Ocean Explorer Team, said in a news release posted to the team's website on Saturday.

Images of the bizarre shape, which made the object appear to resemble the famed starship from the "Star Wars" films, were first captured by Ocean Explorers in August 2011.

The photo sparked wild speculation, and garnered so much interest that the team was able to raise the money needed for a full-fledged dive.

Lindberg, along with scientists and divers, spent 12 days exploring the 200-foot-wide object and are in the process of reviewing the footage.

In the news release, the team described the formation as a "huge mushroom," with "rounded sides and rugged edges."

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By Adrian Bishop - Earth Times

One of the most proactive marine conservation body is offering to help patrol and protect Australia's new Coral Sea marine reserve.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) says it can contribute expert know-how, ships and resources to help preserve the world's largest marine reserve.

The Australian Government announced just last week that it is establishing the reserve to combat the dangers faced by the precious marine ecosystems.

Conservation groups believe that enforcement is vital to prevent poaching, overfishing and other illegal acts that will damage the new Coral Sea marine sanctuary.

The Coral Sea Region covers an area of more than half the size of Queensland and includes green turtle nesting sites, as well as various species of shark and big predatory fish.

Former MP Peter Lindsay said the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority should take charge of monitoring, but would need help. "There's no point in having a marine park unless you can patrol it and police it.

"They would have to receive adequate funding, they can't do it in their existing budget. Even if it does take another $10 million, it's money well spent."

In response, Sea Shepherd has pledged to help protect the waters from foreign fishing vessels operating illegally at Coral Sea, which means Australian taxpayers would pay nothing.

SSCS says it would also let members of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, or other appropriate Australian authorities, use vessels and go onboard during patrols.

It will work with the various Australian authorities to create strategies that will lead to prosecution of illegal fishing activities.

Full story...

 
Photo Mike Spencer

By Ben Steelman - Star News Online

More than 100 scholars and Civil War enthusiasts are expected to gather Tuesday at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for a symposium on one of the Lower Cape Fear's most famous shipwrecks.

The symposium marks the 150th anniversary of the sinking of the blockade runner Modern Greece off Fort Fisher in 1862 and the 50th anniversary of its first excavation in 1962 by U.S. Navy divers.

The Tuesday event is already a sellout, said Chris Fonvielle, associate professor of history at UNCW and one of the symposium's organizers. UNCW Media Productions is working to arrange a live feed of the sessions online.

Members of the public, meanwhile, are invited to an open house at the state of North Carolina's Underwater Archaeology Branch, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p,m. Wednesday at the branch's facilities, next to the Fort Fisher State Historic Site off U.S. 421 south of Kure Beach.

By Barbara De Lollis - USA Today

A luxury resort in Bermuda this summer has arranged for guests to explore a shipwreck that dates back to the 17th century.

Guests at Rosewood's Tucker's Point resort can dive to see the historic Castle Harbour shipwreck of the Warwick. The dive package is available through July 24.

The ship's believed to date back to the Armada of 1588. When it set sail in 1619, it ran into a hurricane, which sent the ship to the depths of the sea off the coast of what is now the hotel.

The research team is back this summer to continue uncovering the mystery in a partnership with the National Museum of Bermuda and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology.

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From South Wales Argus

It captured the imagination of Newport when it was found and sparked a campaign that attracted the support of thousands of people.

Ten years on from the discovery of the city’s medieval ship DAVID DEANS investigates progress to conserve it.

IT has been a decade since it was discovered on a bank of the Usk – but a team of specialists are still continuing the work to preserve and eventually rebuild the Newport Medieval Ship.

The shop was found at the building site for the Newport Riverfront Theatre in 2002 and was excavated following a campaign that saw protesters holding a 24-hour vigil and thousands signing petitions.

Ten years on, the ship resides in a Maesglas industrial estate unit, where a team of specialists have cleaned and recorded each of the boat’s timbers and are now working to conserve them.

They are led by project curator Toby Jones – an American archaeologist who was plucked from his former home in San Diego in 2004 to get the ship rebuilt.

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Photo Jeff Kessler

By Jeffray N. Kessler - Grand Traverse Insider

Day one of the 2012 International Nautical Archaeology Field School was described by Dr. Mark Holley as “basic training.”

This is the third time Northwestern Michigan College has hosted the two-week event, and there is a reason for it.

“NMC is unique in that it is the only academic Nautical Archaeological Society in the United States.

We are the only school that teaches freshwater underwater archaeology on the great lakes,” explained Holley.

For the next two weeks, Traverse City – and particularly the college – becomes the world vortex of nautical exploration education, including the latest in research and technology advances.

Students come from across the country and cover a broad range of interests and ages. They are exposed to a variety of research disciplines and an international faculty of experts.

Kristin Sweeting is one of this year’s students. She talked about her reasons for coming up from Florida for the school.

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By Robb M. Stewart - gCaptain

Australia’s version of the Titanic has taken another step towards becoming reality.

Finnish ship design and marine engineering firm Deltamarin Ltd. has been commissioned to assist with the construction of modern version of the ill-fated passenger liner for Australian billionaire Clive Palmer.

Mr. Palmer in an emailed statement Tuesday said his recently established shipping company, Blue Star Line Pty. Ltd., has hired Deltamarin to undertake a full review of the Titanic II project to ensure the vessel will be compliant with all current safety and construction regulations.

Hopefully that includes icebergs.

China’s state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard was hired in late April to build Titanic II, a luxury ship that will be constructed to the same dimensions as the original vessel that sank 100 years ago.

Mr. Palmer has previously said the only changes would be below the water line, including welding rather than riveting, a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency, diesel generation, and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability.

Mr. Palmer reaffirmed plans to launch the ship in 2016, with the intention of sailing from China to England before a maiden voyage retracing the intended original journey.

 
Photo Jens Koehler

By David Rising - Yahoo News

It looked like a Stuka, partly buried in the muck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, but researchers now say the wreck German military divers have been recovering for the past week is a totally different — though nearly as rare — World War II aircraft.

German Military Historical Museum spokesman Capt. Sebastian Bangert said Friday that enough of the plane has now been recovered to make clear it is not a single-engined JU87 Stuka divebomber, but a twin-engine JU88 aircraft.

The two Junkers planes shared several parts — including the engines on many models — and from the way it sat in the seabed Bangert says it appeared to have been a JU87.

But now that a wing section is up, it's clearly the larger JU88, he said, talking from the deck of the German Navy ship being used in the recovery.

Instead of looking at the partially-buried whole wing and the engine on the front of a JU87, it was clear they had been looking at the tip of a JU88 wing and the engine that once hung underneath it, he said.

"It looked just like the Stuka in the underwater pictures — everything that we had brought up had been pieces that were used in the JU87 — so there was no reason to doubt it," he said.
"But this find is perhaps historically even more important."

Perhaps more importantly, the divers have also found human remains, including a partial skull, which they hope to be able to identify.

Full story...