MAG Maritime Archives Project, New Edition of NAS Guide, Ancient Greek Vessel Raised

Securing a Future for Maritime Archaeological Archives

This project has been formulated in response to the work undertaken by MAG to highlight the dire situation relating to maritime archaeological archive provision in the UK. The project is seeking to:

• Understand how museum and archive repository collection areas and collection policies consider the marine zone (phase one);

• Review where maritime archaeological archives are currently held and assess their public accessibility (phase two); and
• Analyse present maritime archive creation and assess the scale and nature of future maritime archives (phase three).

Without this baseline information it is impossible to gauge the current provision for maritime archives and the numbers and diversity of current collections. This project is a vital first step in defining the extent of the problem to enable appropriate responses on a national level to be formulated.

As part of phase two we are targeting a wide range of individuals, organisations, exhibits, groups etc. who may hold maritime archaeological archive material. We ask all MAG members who hold relevant material to complete the questionnaire.

You can go directly to the questionnaire or visit the project website where you can find further information on the project, a number of downloadable documents and links to relevant projects and information.

NEW Edition of Nautical Archaeology Society’s Underwater Archaeology: Guide to Principles and Practice

MAG members take note, the new edition of Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice (Edited by Amanda Bowens), provides a comprehensive summary of the archaeological process as applied in an underwater context. The new edition contains extensive practical advice and information, including how to get involved, basic principles, essential techniques and approaches, project planning and execution and publishing and presenting results.

Fully illustrated with over 100 drawings and new colour graphics, this second edition contains additional chapters on geophysics, historical research, photography and video, monitoring and maintenance and conservation. With ‘Underwater Archaeology’ the NAS reveals the real underwater treasure – a rich cultural heritage that has helped shape the world in which we live. By outlining the principles and practices, this book will enable the reader to make informed and responsible decisions about how to get the most from their involvement with underwater archaeology.

The text can now be purchased from the NAS Head Office in Portsmouth. The paperback is priced at £19.99 for NAS Members / £24.99 non members and the hardback is £50.00 for NAS Members / £60 for non-members. For more information, or to order, phone/fax (+ 44 23 9281 8419) or email nas@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org the NAS Head Office with payment and delivery details. Prices are exclusive of postage and handling.

Other News

A 21 metre long ancient Greek vessel dating to c. 500 BC has been raised to the surface off Sicily. The wooden vessel was found by scuba divers in 1988, 800 metres from the ancient Greek colony and port of Gela. Parts of the vessel and the cargo have already been raised.

Ancient Greek Wreck (Image via ANSA/PAl)

The timbers are to be stored tanks containing PEG, and will be transported to Portsmouth where they will be conserved by Mary Rose Archaeological Services.

Further details have been reported at: http://www.bigpond.com/news/technology/content/20080729/2317354.asp and http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=10447

ACHWS 2007 Report, Scottish Marine Bill Consultation, EH training

ACHWS 2007/2008 Report Now Out

The National Heritage Act (2002) enabled English Heritage to assume responsibilities for maritime archaeological sites of all types from low water out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit around England. The Act also allows the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport to direct English Heritage to undertake functions relating to the Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites (ACHWS).

The ACHWS was set up to advise Government on the suitability of wreck sites to be designated for protection on the grounds of historical, archaeological or artistic interest in accordance with the Protection of Wreck Acts 1973. The ACHWS Annual Report 2007, comprising an account of both the general work of the ACHWS and its activities throughout April 2007 to March 2008, is now available to download from the Maritime Archaeology pages of English Heritage’s website.

Scottish Marine Bill Consultation

Sustainable Seas For All – A consultation on Scotland’s first marine bill was launched by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, on July 14 2008 during a visit to Storehouse of Foulis, north of Inverness.

The consultation period for Scotland’s first marine bill is now underway and will run until October 6 2008. The consultation can be viewed online and hard copies can be requested from marinebill@scotland.gsi.gov.uk . If you are responding, you do not have to respond to all questions, you may wish to answer only a few relating to your area of interest or expertise.

If you have any enquiries, please contact marinebill@scotland.gsi.gov.uk .

Last Day to apply for EH training Scheme!

English Heritage is launching an exciting new training scheme in October 2008. Trainees will be placed within our regional teams across the country and will gain experience in the application of professional conservation management skills in a planning and development context. The traineeships will be for a period of two years and up to ten places are available. Units are planned that include marine historic advice to planning and the marine consent system. Appointments will be made on a two-year fixed term basis. Salary from £18,500 p.a. with an additional allowance of £2,316 p.a. for Trainees based in London.

Please note that the closing date is today -apologies for the late notice
More details are available here.

Other News

The new Heritage at Risk Register, which includes designated wrecks has been noted in an Early Day Motion tabled by Gordon Marsden.

Wrecks at Risk, Plymouth University Diving Course, HSE Diving Committee notes, Horsea Shuts

Wrecks at Risk

English Heritage launched the Heritage at Risk register today.

This new programme makes England the first country in Europe to have such a comprehensive knowledge of the state of its protected heritage. The maritime element of the programme comprises an assessment of England’s Protected Wreck Sites and has been based upon an objective audit and Annual Licensee Reports.

Cannons on the Hazardous (Courtesy HWTMA)

10 of England’s 45 protected wrecks have been listed on the register:

• Northumberland
• Restoration
• Rooswijk
• Stirling Castle
• Hazardous
• HMS/m A1
• Iona II
• Salcombe Cannon Site
• Coronation
• Royal Anne

More details can be found on EH’s Shipwrecks at Risk page

University of Plymouth New Diving Courses

The University of Plymouth has its own Diving & Marine Centre and is the only University in the country to offer students the opportunity to gain the Professional Diving (SCUBA) qualification as part of their marine-based academic degree programme. The Centre is now offering the Pro Scuba course to any archaeologist or student doing an archaeological degree/Masters. The Centre runs intensive courses through the summer which are priced at about half the commercial rate.

As part of the training they are hoping to ground truth anomalies in Plymouth Sound identified through geophysical (sub-bottom profiling, magnetometer and side-scan) surveys and search for 4 wrecks, including the East Indiamen Palsgrave/Paulsgrove (1637) and the Dutton (1796).

The Centre is also planning to provide surface supply training to the students in Plymouth from this autumn and will make this available to a wider community next year.

Further details about the course can be found on their Diving & Marine Centre website (under the Prof Diving tab).

MAG notes from the HSE diving Industry Committee

Mark Dunkley of MAG reports the following from the committee meeting:

ADC Information Note 4/08 on the use of the Scientific & Archaeological ACoP when conducting pre-commencement inspections or surveys on construction related or wind farm development sites (dated 28th June 2008 ) has now been issued. Contact the ADC for more information.

New HSE Research is to include a Helmet Noise Project (research paper in prep.), Differential Pressure Hazards and Helmet Protection Testing. All HSE Research Reports for Diving can be found on the HSE Diving Homepage.

A major revision to USN Tables was completed in April 2008 which includes more conservative approach to air decompression (though they are still less conservative than RN and DCIEM tables). The revised tables are available within Section 9.8 of the US Navy Diving Manual (Revision 6, April 2008 ) .

The European Scientific Diving Committee was set up as interim commission based on a meeting of experts in scientific diving and underwater sciences held in Berlin in June 2007. The 2nd International Symposium on Occupational Scientific Diving (ISOSD2008 ) of ESDC is to be held in Helsinki in October 2008.

Other News:

Horsea Island dive centre, which contains the remains of the Gresham Ship (also known as the ‘Prince’s Channel Wreck‘), has been closed to public diving access .

‘On the Waterfront’ Conference, Swash Channel Wreck Threatened

Forthcoming English Heritage ‘On the Waterfront’ Conference

This conference is intended to explore port cities and how we can protect the integrity of historic maritime ports and ensure their distinctiveness is retained.

This major international conference will be held in Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture 2008 in November. It will explore the future of port cities from Shanghai to Mumbai.

This is an essential event for all those who believe in the important role heritage plays in regeneration and placemaking. Further conference details can be found here, and a full conference programme can be viewed here.

Booking forms can be downloaded here (Word) and returned to onthewaterfront@sam-culture.com

Swash Channel Wreck Under Threat.

The protected 17^th century Swash Channel wreck is under threat from a warm water shipworm, previously unknown in British waters. The blacktip shipworm (Lyrodus pedicellatus) is particulary destructive as it can bore through wood throughout the year, a trait that could eventually destroy the site’s remarkable carved decorations and surviving hull timbers.

Archaeologists from Bournemouth University, who have been monitoring the wreck for two years, plan to retrieve the wreck’s decorated rudder to save it from damage from the worm. The site will be included on English Heritage’s new Heritage at Risk register, which is due to be published next week. A more detailed article on this story has been published by Maev Kennedy in the Guardian.

Other News

The debate on the UK’s failure to ratify the UNESCO convention, sparked by an article on the wreck of La Vierge, continues to be played out in letters to the Independent. For more background see this previous MAG update.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology is posting regular updates on the West Florida University field school in underwater archaeology and their experiences on the 16th century Emanuel Point II and the 19th century “Brick” shipwrecks.

The world’s oldest ropes have been found in an Egyptian cave.