Jim returned
from his most recent expedition to the Pearl Islands in Panama
and Sub Marine Explorer with the Waitt Institute for
Discovery in late February, 2008. This field season involved completing
the interpretive reconstruction plans and archaeological drawings
of the submarine, biological assessment and remote sensing of
the surrounding seabed and maritime landscape.
Jim's
comprehensive article on the discovery and history of Explorer
has been published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
(Online Early).
Click here to read more.
Link courtesy of the IJNA.
Explorer,
built by German-born Julius
H. Kroehl, is
a rare example of the earliest generation of working submersibles
(submarines) from the pioneering developmental period of the mid-19th
century. A camera crew from Germany's Der Spiegel TV were onsite
to film a documentary of the work Jim and his colleagues performed.
Shipwreck
Central's ongoing blog has posted:
a) audio clips of Jim's recap of his February trip to Explorer.
b) video excerpts of The Sea Hunters' 2004 visit to Explorer.
Click here to listen to the audios and view the videos (see
Live Dive Blog).
Photos
from Jim's 2008 expedition.
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John
McKay's inboard Isometric plan of Explorer
as built. |
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Jim
mapping Explorer at mid-tide.
Photo credit: Fritz Hanselmann |
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Fritz
Hanselmann (Indiana University) measuring damage
to Explorer's port side.
Photo credit: James Delgado
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Fritz
Hanselmann, Clyde Smith (INA) and John McKay (architectural
draftsman) at Explorer.
Photo credit: Fritz Hanselmann
|
|
 |
| AUV
survey operations off Isla San Telmo. Photo
credit: James Delgado |
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Photos
from Jim's 2006 expedition for NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration).
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Bow
of Explorer at high tide. |
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Todd
Croteau (fwd) from the US National
Park Service and Bert Ho from NOAA map
the inside of Explorer.
|
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Larry
Murphy from the US National Park Service takes metal measurements
of Explorer. |
A
look inside the hatch of Explorer while being mapped. |
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| |
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Jim
(left fwd) and colleagues Michael (Mack) McCarthy from the
Western Australia Maritime Museum, Larry Murphy and Todd
Croteau from the US National Park Service carry out post-dive
computer work on Explorer. |
| |
Local
kids at a nearby pearl fishing village are curious about
Jim's camera. |
|
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A
local pearl diver no doubt an expert as are the generations
of pearl divers in the area. |
