Some are legendary ships that have fascinated people for generations, like Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance, which sank in Antarctica in 1915, while others, like the barge that was carrying 1,000 tons of grain when it sank, Some common capital ships, such as the Ironton, disappeared into the deep sea. She sank in Lake Huron in 1894.
People working in the rarefied world of deep-sea exploration say more shipwrecks are being discovered these days than ever before, regardless of their place in history.
“I think more is being discovered and more people are paying attention,” said James P. Delgado, an underwater archaeologist based in Washington, D.C., adding: Ta. And ocean exploration in general is beginning in earnest. ”
So what's behind the increase?
Experts point to a number of factors. They say technology has made scanning the ocean floor easier and cheaper, allowing amateurs and experts alike to explore. More and more people are exploring the ocean for research and commercial ventures. Shipwreck hunters also seek out shipwrecks for their historical value rather than for sunken treasure. Climate change is also intensifying storms and coastal erosion, exposing shipwrecks in shallow waters.
Underwater robots and new image processing can help.
Experts agreed that new technology has revolutionized deep sea exploration.
Free-swimming robots, known as autonomous underwater vehicles, are much more common than they were 20 years ago and can scan large areas of the ocean floor without being tethered to a research vessel, said director J. Carl Hartsfield. That's what it means. Senior Program Manager, Marine Systems Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts.
He said the remotely controlled vehicle can travel 40 kilometers beneath the polar ice sheet. Satellite imagery can also detect shipwrecks from the plumes of sediment that move around them, visible from space.
“This technology is more powerful, more portable, and built on scientists' budgets,” Hartsfield said, adding, “For every dollar spent, we can sample larger and larger areas of the ocean.” .
Jeremy Weirich, director of ocean exploration at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the expanded use of telepresence systems, which stream images of the ocean floor to anyone with an Internet connection, allows more people to see shipwrecks in real time. He said he was able to explore and discover.
Digitizing archives has also made it easier to search and reference historical documents, said David L. Mearns, a marine scientist and shipwreck explorer.
Still, Hartsfield said it's still easier to organize a mission to find a famous shipwreck than an unknown one.
“You can get an investor to find out what happened to Amelia Earhart, but you can't find a freight forwarder,” he says. “It’s all about a compelling story.”
Climate change is a factor.
Experts say climate change is causing more frequent and powerful storms, which are causing impacts such as eroding coastlines and lifting sunken ships.
For example, in late January, a few months after Hurricane Fiona hit Canada, a 19th-century shipwreck washed ashore in Newfoundland's remote Cape Ray area, shaking the small community of about 250 people. caused it.
In 2020, a couple was walking on a beach in St. Augustine, Florida when they noticed the timbers and bolts of a tree sticking out of the sand. Archaeologists said the pieces were likely the remains of the USS Caroline Eddy, which was built during the Civil War and sank in 1880. Experts said it was probably exposed due to coastal erosion caused by Tropical Storm Eta and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Dr. Delgado said such coastal discoveries may become more common. “As the oceans rise, things that have been buried or hidden for more than a century are being unearthed,” he says.
Treasure hunting is not what it used to be.
Private treasure hunters still search shipwrecks in hopes of finding sunken gold, coins, and jewelry. But Deborah N. Carlson, director of the Institute for Marine Archeology, a nonprofit research organization, said their discoveries are often mired in legal battles and their claims rarely come to fruition. .
She pointed out that underwater archaeologist Peter Throckmorton once called ocean treasure hunting “the worst investment in the world” and said it “only benefits promoters and lawyers.”
Private claims for shipwrecks can be contested by the state or by insurance companies. For example, Spain retained ownership of a Spanish frigate sunk by Britain in 1804 after an American treasure hunting company discovered the shipwreck off the coast of Portugal in 2007 and removed the ship's treasure trove of gold and silver coins. successfully defended the claim that he had done so. Warehouse in Florida.
The UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2001, aims to protect shipwrecks from plunderers and stipulates that countries should preserve shipwrecks and other underwater artifacts “in the interest of humanity.” He said that.
Hartsfield said if the goal was to have a “non-disturbing view” of shipwrecks, costs would come down because there would be no need to winch down the submersible and pull objects from the ocean floor. He said scientists only need to use a video camera to record the artifacts they find.
“Now, your gold is 4K photography,” Hartsfield said, referring to a type of high-definition video. “If the sensors are good enough, you don't necessarily have to recover the object to investigate it.”
More people are joining in and exploring the deep sea.
Treasure hunters are still in business, but more commercial and research ventures are joining them and expanding the realm of deep-sea exploration.
Weirich said more shipwrecks have been discovered in recent years largely because private companies are surveying oil and gas leases, cables and pipelines.
More private research groups are also scanning the ocean floor, bringing scientists around the world closer to the goal of mapping the entire ocean floor by 2030, said Phil Hartmeyer, a marine archaeologist with NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration. He said that it was helpful.
For example, NOAA works with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit research group founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy Schmidt. The Ocean Exploration Trust is a nonprofit organization founded by Robert Ballard, who led the expedition that discovered Titanic in 1985. and OceanX, an ocean exploration company founded by billionaire investor Ray Dalio and his son Mark.
Carlson said the field of underwater archeology has also “expanded significantly,” with more graduate programs producing archaeologists interested in excavating shipwrecks for their historical value.
“There are a lot more people working in this field than there were 50 years ago, and there are a lot more people searching for and finding shipwrecks,” said Dr. Carlson.