Russia to raise shipwreck; Thames Discovery Programme; Funding opportunity…

Russia to raise shipwreck containing Catherine the Great’s treasures

London’s Daily Telegraph reports that Russia plans to raise a schooner that sank off the coast of Finland in 1771 with gold, precious porcelain and Dutch paintings for Empress Catherine the Great aboard.  Quite what state oil paintings will be in after 200 years underwater is anyone’s guess…

Thames Discovery Programme

A website is being constructed for this HLF digital outreach project about London’s longest open-air archaeological site, the Thames.

Funding opportunity for institutions with maritime collections?

The final phase of Their Past Your Future launches on 3 November 2008. The Big Lottery funded programme is open to all museums, libraries and archives in England.
 
The project explores the ongoing legacy of 20th and 21st century conflict on people and places. The grants are designed to inspire inter-generational activities between younger and older people under the themes of remembrance and commemoration; identity; reconciliation; citizenship; diversity; asylum; conflict resolution and peacekeeping.

The administrator of the programme for the MLA, Eve Pattinson said: “The first two years of the project has helped facilitate a host of creative projects throughout the country. We are looking forward to a final round of applications that will encourage museums, libraries and archives to use their collections to explore innovative ways of increasing young people’s knowledge and understanding of the impact and contemporary significance of war and conflict. “

Grants between £500 and £10,000 are available for venues to develop programmes, workshops, exhibitions and events. The deadline for applications is the 16th January 2009. To apply and for further information visit here.

 ALGAO and the Scottish Marine Bill

The October 2008 response of ALGAO: Scotland to the Scottish Marine Bill consultation is available on-line.

National Maritime Museum

The NMM are seeking to appoint an adult learning manager.

COWRIE

COWRIE is considering opening up its data management system training courses to consultants and contractors working for offshore windfarm developers. Details can be found on their website.

The future of HMS Victory

National Historic Ships, the advisory committee set up by DCMS to advise government on all matters relating to historic ships in the UK has written to the MOD on the future of HMS Victory. You can download a copy of their representations from the NHS website.

The National Historic Ships e-newsletter for Winter 2008 is now available.

Their Directory of Skills and Services will go live on their website on 28 November. Members with relevant skills and services can download a company entry form from their website.

New Mary Rose theory holed below the waterline?

The theory that the Mary Rose was sunk by a French cannonball that holed it below the waterline has been drawing some fire itself. Amongst the criticisms levelled at the theory, your editor has been told that the ‘possible shot damage’ to the cannon muzzle is very probably a casting flaw and that all of the stone shot recovered by the excavation team that has so far been  analyzed has proved to be from Kent.

Is the new theory GIS gone too far or is it a case of GIS pushing the boundaries forward?

Regardless of where the truth lies, the Mary Rose team should be congratulated on its continuing success in keeping the ship in the news.

ACUA

The Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology has published the 2008 Underwater Archaeology Proceedings, consisting of papers presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology’s annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Publication can be downloaded as a PDF File for US $10 or you can obtain a printed version for US $18. You can also purchase the 2009 ACUA Calendar featuring award-winning photographs from archaeological sites and featured during the 2000-2008 annual archaeological photo competition.

IMCA Safety Flashes

MAG members involved in diving or other marine operations should note that access to safety flashes issued by the International Marine Contractors Association is free through their website.

Virtual Library

A new European virtual library has opened. The library plans to offer access to 10 million works by 2010.

British Archaeological Awards; The loss of the Mendi; Knighthood…

British Archaeological Awards

Jan Meulmeester and Hanson Aggregates Marine Limited together with the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association have been awarded Archaeological Discovery of the Year Award for 2008 as a result of their discovery and subsequent investigation of a group of Palaeolithic hand axes from the North Sea off Great Yarmouth. The finds were reported through the BMAPA Protocol for Reporting Finds of Archaeological Interest. English Heritage and the Dutch government archaeology services also received the judges’ praise for their collaborative approach in dealing with the discovery.  See the British Archaeological Awards and Wessex Archaeology websites for further details.

Martin Bell was a finalist in The Best Scholarly Archaeological Book Award for Prehistoric Coastal Communities: The Mesolithic in western Britain, a CBA publication based on recent work in the Severn Estuary. The winners were Thomas McErlean and Norman Crothers for Harnessing the Tides: The Early Medieval Tide Mills at Nendrum Monastery, Strangford Lough, the publication of their work on the earliest known tidal mills (619 AD).

The Time Team Special, Britain’s Drowned World, looking at archaeological discoveries under the North Sea and English Channel, was a finalist for The Best Archaeological TV/Radio Programme Award.

The loss of the Mendi

The poet Jackie Kay will remember the sinking of the SS Mendi in the English Channel in 1917 at 11:00am on 19 November 2008 on Radio 4. See the R4 website for details.

 Knighthood for a maritime heritage philanthropist

The Monaco-based Israeli shipping magnate and billionaire Sammy Offer is to be awarded an honorary knighthood this week in recognition of his philanthropic donations. Mr Ofer, who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, donated £20m in April towards the cost of a new wing for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. This was followed by a £3.3m donation towards the cost of restoring the fire damaged Cutty Sark.

Credit crunches archaeology jobs?

Those members whose companies are currently struggling to cope with the severe downturn in terrestrial fieldwork volumes will not be surprised to read the following:

The Daily Mail reported on the 13 November that archaeology vacancies have been growing over the past few years, and that around 7,000 are now employed in field archaeology units, local authorities, education and consultancies as well as in museums, the National Trust and English Heritage. However the British Archaeological Jobs Resource told them that competition is fierce at the moment with a recent position for a field archaeologist attracting more than 200 replies.

Was the Mary Rose sunk by enemy action?

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth led by Dr Dominic Fontana are reported to have developed a theory that the Mary Rose was sunk after being holed by a cannonball fired by a French galley and not as a result of an accident. The theory will be aired on television on November 24 when a new documentary entitled “What really sunk the Mary Rose” is screened on the History Channel.

WreckSight

An interesting new interactive visualisation application for recreational divers called WreckSight has been produced by the ADUS. It is based upon geophysical surveys of the World War One wrecks of Scapa Flow and further information can be found on their website.

Odyssey Marine Exploration

MAG members will see that there is a short article on the activities of this company in the attached Bulletin. Anyone wanting to keep track of their vessels in UK waters can often access this information without charge through the website ShipAIS.

New editor / New bulletin

The MAG Winter 2008 Bulletin is now available to download.

The editor of the MAG blog has changed. As a result the blog has not been updated recently - normal service will be resumed on Monday 24 November.