HOT NEWS !

By Tracie Simer - Jackson Sun

The Discovery Museum will host a life-sized replica of the H.L. Hunley May 26-30.

The Hunley, named after its inventor Horace Lawson Hunley, was built by the Confederacy during the Civil War, said Rachel Raab, director of the Discovery Museum, at 315 E. Lafayette St. in downtown Jackson.

"Eight men could fit in it shoulder to shoulder," she said. "There was just enough room."

The Hunley sank twice trying to reach Charleston, S.C., from Mobile, Ala., and had to be shipped there by train, Raab said.

Georgie Dickson was the captain of the ship for several months. He would take it out in the water, but the sub was unable to attack ships, Raab said.

"And then on Feb. 17, 1864, it made a hit on the U.S.S. Housatonic, which was a Union steam sloop," she said. "The Hunley attacked and the ship sank.

Then the Hunley signaled back to the Confederate camp that they were coming back. But after that, they never returned."

According to the Web site for the submarine's preservation society, the submarine was excavated in 2000.

By Eiichi Miyashiro / Yuki Ogawa -The Asahi Shimbun

Research of ruins on seabeds and in lakes or rivers is increasing in Japan, where many sites are yet to be fully explored.

In Kushimoto in Wakayama Prefecture, the U.S.-based Institute of Nautical Archaeology held an excavation survey January and February of the Ertugrul, a Turkish warship that went down off the coast during the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

The 2,344-ton wooden battleship of the Ottoman Empire's navy was on its return voyage after paying a courtesy call on Emperor Meiji in 1890 when the ship was caught in a storm, run aground and went down.

All but 69 of the 650 souls on board perished in the disaster.

The story of the brave rescue efforts by local residents remains a part of Turkish historical lore to this day. The survey team, led by Turkish archaeologist Tufan Turanli, consisted of members from Turkey, Spain and Japan. 

This year, the team salvaged 3,513 items, including armaments, broken ceramic pieces, coins and a large cooking pot.

Turanli said at a meeting on the finds said that the team was able to salvage three times as many relics as last year.

He said survey was providing valuable insight into the military during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.

By Adam Mills - Examiner

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dive deep into the ocean and explore depths that you never thought possible ?

Or maybe you imagined what it would be like to go deeper when you were out scuba diving ? Well, if you have, or even if you are just an ocean or aquatic life enthusiast, today might be your lucky day.

The Deep Flight Super Falcon was unveiled Wednesday in San Francisco, a fully submersible vessel that can dive to depths as far as 1,000 feet underwater with two crew members on board.

Part plane, part submarine, and completely revolutionary, the Deep Flight Super Falcon, created by Hawkes Ocean Technologies, is an attempt to get normal people out into parts of the ocean only scientists, engineers and the military have touched.

Prior to this, only five other deep sea submersible’s existed in the world, all of which are owned by government entities. What is so exciting about this invention is that instead of needing a ton of time to get into the water, the Deep Flight Super Falcon can be launched virtually anywhere, without the need for a mother ship.


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From Swissinfo

Los Angeles - Les deux acteurs vedettes et le réalisateur du film "Titanic", ont donné 30.000 dollars à la dernière survivante du naufrage. Celle-ci est incapable de payer sa maison de retraite en Grande-Bretagne.

La survivante, Millvina Dean, âgée de 97 ans, en est réduite dit-on à vendre sa signature pour payer ses mensualités à Southampton, la ville anglaise d'où a appareillé le "Titanic" pour son premier et dernier voyage en 1912.

Millvina Dean n'avait que neuf semaines quand elle a embarqué sur le bateau avec sa famille qui espérait commencer une nouvelle vie aux Etats-Unis. Son père figurait parmi les 1517 victimes du naufrage du navire pourtant réputé insubmersible.

Les deux acteurs, Leonardo DiCaprio et Kate Winslet, ainsi que le réalisateur, James Cameron, ont procédé à ce don pour répondre à un appel par voie de presse lancé le mois dernier par le photographe irlandais Don Mullan qui a réalisé des portraits de Millvina Dean pour une exposition, a expliqué lundi Ken Sunshine, le porte-parole de DiCaprio.

Dans l'"Irish Independent", le photographe avait demandé aux trois célébrités de faire un don aussi élevé que le sien. Le film "Titanic", sorti en 1997, affiche la plus grosse recette cinématographique de tous les temps : à 1,8 milliard de dollars. Il a remporté onze Oscars.

From PhysOrg

The oldest submerged town in the world is about to give up its secrets — with the help of equipment that could revolutionise underwater archaeology.

The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC).

This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes.

Underwater archaeologist Dr Jon Henderson, from The University of Nottingham, will be the first archaeologist to have official access to the site in 40 years.

Despite its potential international importance no work has been carried out at the site since it was first mapped in 1968 and Dr Henderson has had to get special permission from the Greek government to examine the submerged town.

Although Mycenaean power was largely based on their control of the sea, little is known about the workings of the harbour towns of the period as archaeology to date has focused on the better known inland palaces and citadels.

Pavlopetri was presumably once a thriving harbour town where the inhabitants conducted local and long distance trade throughout the Mediterranean — its sandy and well-protected bay would have been ideal for beaching Bronze Age ships.

As such the site offers major new insights into the workings of Mycenaean society.

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From Aberdeeen City Council

A Victorian coffee pot and cream jug salvaged from the steamer City of Aberdeen, which foundered near Portlethen in January 1871, have been donated to Aberdeen Maritime Museum.

Australian pensioner Margot Rutherford, who is in her 90s, has donated the items to the museum because she wants to see them returned to their home city.

The silver jug and coffee pot, which are in excellent condition, have been prized Rutherford family heirlooms since they were acquired by Mrs Rutherford's husband's grandfather in 1871. The items were taken to Australia when his son emigrated there about 1905.

Mrs Rutherford said: "For well over a century this beautiful coffee pot and lovely cream jug have been cared for by my family here in Australia, and they've brought us a great deal of pleasure over these years. Indeed, after so long, they've become a part of my family, and it's been very hard to part with them.

"However, my daughter Debbie and I feel that the time now has come for them to return home to Aberdeen. By donating them to the Maritime Museum, we know that they will continue bringing pleasure to many more people across the years ahead, and a pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled."

Mrs Rutherford explained in a letter to Lord Provost Peter Stephen that her late husband's grandfather, James Rutherford, who lived in Newcastle upon Tyne, bought the coffee pot and jug as salvage from the ship.

They were taken to Australia by Mrs Rutherford's father-in-law John Rutherford. Her husband, James, inherited the items when his father died, and Mrs Rutherford has looked after them since her marriage in 1945.

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By Anchalee Kongrut - Bangkok Post

Underwater archaeologist Erbprem Vatcharangkul takes pride in recovering ancient items in the sea to make sense of it all and better understand the past.

What is your idea of a romantic and adventurous career ?

Answers tend to vary - an explorer, a professional extreme sports athlete, a treasure hunter, or a character in any Hollywood action film such as Indiana Jones.

One career that might fit the notion of being romantically adventurous could be that of Erbprem Vatcharangkul, 55, and one of few underwater archaeologists in Thailand.

The position of Chief of Underwater Archaeology Division, Fine Arts Department (FAD), Cultural Ministry, brings to mind footage that is commonly found in National Geographic features.

Almost every week, Erbprem jumps on to a boat and goes for a dive with the hope of recovering cargo items or any historical evidence from wreck sites, which are mostly remains of ancient commercial ships from the Ayutthaya period some 600 years ago.

Erbprem said he feels like a detective when approaching these mysterious ancient vessels.

"It is quiet and very, very cold under the sea. When you approach a [wreck] site, everything is blurred and you cannot distinguish A from B. Eventually, the images become slightly clearer, but you still have to touch the subject with your hands, taking care you don't destroy it. Sometimes, you don't even know what you've found once you're back in the boat," said Erbprem, describing his experience under the water.

The richest archaeological site his team found was Bang Rachai - an ancient vessel dating back almost 400 years, which cruised along commercial port towns within the Gulf of Thailand, loading and delivering goods.

From The Local

A team of 50 divers from the Swedish coastguard happened upon the 20-metre long wreck by chance on Wednesday afternoon. 

"Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters," marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vänern Museum told The Local. 

A few Viking boats have previously been discovered in Sweden, but earlier finds were made on dry land, Peterson explained. 

One of the ship's ribs was discovered protruding from the bottom of the lake, while the rest of the boat was filled with a one metre-thick layer of sediment.

A wood sample from the ship, as well as iron samples from a spear and a sword found with the vessel, are to undergo expert analysis over the coming weeks. 

"We can't be sure of anything until we get the dating results back, which could take around a month.

But the sword did seem semi-familiar," said Peterson, referring to the weapon's apparent similarity to earlier Viking era finds.

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