« May 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
June 30, 2005
Friends We've Made Along the Way
Shipwreck Central would like to give a shout out to Carola Gajardo, our Chilean translator. She was visiting Halifax, our home port, with her fiancé, Ken Gallant, in June. Ken is from Montreal, and Carola is from Santiago. Go figure!
The Sea Hunters have had the pleasure of working with Carola over the last three years. She did an amazing job during the last trip to Punta Arenas for the Doterel show where she was integral in getting our gear shipped to us from Santiago. (Check out the blog entries from Doterel if you missed our gear/luggage saga.)
Carola’s company is called 2Translate, based in Santiago,Chile. Her website is www.2translate.cl. She is a super person and we look forward to working with her again!
Posted by victoria at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
June 29, 2005
Researching Ships
We get lots of comments and emails requesting information on shipwrecks both famous and not-so famous. These questions are great and we are glad to help where we can. However, I suspect there are many of you out there who don't need help with your research and have stock piled vast amounts of information on wrecks all over the globe.
I invite those of you who haven't yet, to submit your cherished wrecks to our map, and if the tales are particularly interesting you can also post information in the community to enlighten those of us who aren't in your corner of the world.
Remember that the Shipwreck Map belongs to all of us. It is your portal to shipwreck information around the planet, and we have just begun to build the shipwreck record.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Victoria
A shipwreck I have always been interested in is the Mont Blanc. She was one of 2 ships that collided in Halifax harbour causing the Halifax Explosion in 1917. Did you also know that the HMCS Canada/Queen of Nassau, from our March Live from the Dive was in port at Halifax that day? Check it out!
Posted by victoria at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2005
What to Watch
If you missed any of this seasons episodes of The Sea Hunter do not worry. Our good friends at National Geographic Canada continue to play new show along with the classics.
Tonight, from this season, The Search for the Avro Arrow Flight Models:
Join “The Sea Hunters” as they dive under the cold waters of Lake Ontario, at the Picton Test Site, and off the coast of Maryland, at the American C.I.A. Headquarters at Wallop’s Island, and search for exact replicas, reduced in size, of a plane that was the fastest fighter of its day. Launched by Nike Missiles, these models were propelled at supersonic speeds for test purposes and never recovered. Working with the National Aeronautics Museum in Canada, and the Chief Historian for the U.S. Coast Guard in the United States “The Sea Hunters” will dive both sites and search for the last remnants of the fastest plane that was never built and in the process tell a story of espionage, subterfuge and assassination that starts under the cold waters of the Atlantic and Great Lakes and moves to Bermuda, South Africa, Holland and Iraq.
Airing Tuesday, June 28, 2005 on National Geographic Canada at 10 pm EST. Check local listings!
Posted by victoria at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2005
Part 1: Higher Ground
John Rosborough was dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of production equipment because there was too much weight for the helicopter to perform the maneuvers demanded by the scene. Now's not the best time for him to run into a Grizzly bear.
Posted by livedive at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)
Part 2: The Landing - Too Close for Comfort
Poor Johny almost received buzz cut.
Posted by livedive at 04:04 AM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2005
A Serene Night Dive
The Sea Hunters are used to their dive boats rocking in the waves. This night dive in Patricia Lake is somewhat unusual for Warren and Mike as Patricia's surface is dead calm and flat as a board. Surely, it's the most peaceful dive this season.
Posted by livedive at 06:14 AM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2005
You Learn Something New Every Day
Everywhere they go the Sea Hunters learn something new. Jim and Mike find themselves in an ancient seabed in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.
Posted by livedive at 03:01 AM | Comments (0)
Patricia Lake - A Beauty to Behold
Here's a breath-taking panoramic view of Patricia Lake.
Posted by livedive at 02:40 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2005
Habbakuk: Archaeology of Strategic Vulnerability
Jim relates his impressions of the Habbakuk remains based on Dr. Susan Langley's findings from when she last dove to the bottom of Patricia Lake over a decade ago. Our first underwater look at the Habbakuk today.
Posted by livedive at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)
Top Secret Laughs
When it comes to archeology, no one on the Sea Hunters' team could be more serious than Jim. On the shoot's down time however, Jim is a little less serious. Here he is introducing the "Ace #1 Sea Hunters Stealth Dive Craft".
Posted by livedive at 06:01 AM | Comments (0)
Fasten Your... Harness?
Sea Hunters' cameraman Marc Pike is not affraid of heights. Marc sports his new HD camera which is the format that the Eco Nova 10th Anniversary Special (Habbakuk) is being shot on.
Posted by livedive at 05:32 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
Above it All
Get a look at Marc Pike and John Rosborough at work inside the Helicopter. Remember that this Special Episode is being shot in HD so the aspect ratio of the video is different.
Small space, amazing visuals, good job!
Posted by victoria at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
What the Divers Saw
Even though Habbakuk was a "ship of ice", the prototype at Patricia Lake has a skeleton that survives underwater. There is the "envelope" of wood planking, inside which they installed refrigeration ducts running between blocks of ice, which were cut from the lake and placed by hand. On top of that is the refrigeration housing, and then on top of that the remains of the roof.
As Mike Fletcher said, it is very well preserved thanks to the cold clean water, but it is also very fragile and delicate. One thing we hope to achieve on this shoot is to take a good look at the amount of degradation to the site since Susan Langley's last survey. Jim Delgado was diving with the team so he'll be able to get a really good look at it and report back to us.
The Alberta Underwater Council and the Alberta Archaeology Society have done great work getting a plaque placed at the lake, and are mindful of the need to preserve such a unique and fragile piece of history.
Until we can get the underwater footage up here we'll have to do with some older photos of Habbakuk. The photos below are from Susan Langley's dive on Habbakuk when she was writing her thesis. As you can see there is quite a bit there, the wooden envelope that encased it, and the duct working that ran throughout it. The entire vessel was sealed with a homemade asphalt, combining tar and a local vermiculite. You can still see it covering the rocks on shore and I'm sure it has helped "the Ark" stay together through many a tough winter.
Posted by victoria at 06:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2005
Diving is NOT a Crime!
Jim Delgado is on the wrong side of the law under the waters of Patricia Lake.
Posted by victoria at 08:17 AM | Comments (1)
June 13, 2005
Back in the Saddle Again?
You can lead a Sea Hunter to water but by horse? You've seen them in the air, in the sea, and now by horse back. A Sea Hunters first!
Posted by victoria at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
Jasper National Park of Canada
As the shoot in Jasper starts to wind down, the uploads to our server start to increase. This is an Eco-Nova Productions 10th Anniversary Special Event and your first chance to watch the Sea Hunters in HD. Enjoy these first images from on location and enjoy your first glimpse of the Sea Hunters in widescreen.
Posted by victoria at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2005
The Last Dive: Habbakuk and Beyond?
Patricia Lake has certainly been a great host to our diving team. Right now they're getting ready for their last dive on the Habbakuk which will be the most challenging dive they've encountered so far this season.
Posted by livedive at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)
Other Divers' Footage...
Our bloggrapher asked Mike if he had watched dive footage shot by other divers before he headed to Patricia Lake. Here's Mike's philosophy on the matter.
Posted by livedive at 02:09 PM | Comments (0)
How Long Will the Habbakuk Last?
The first few dives on the Habbakuk have centered around how much the structure has changed in the past decade.
Posted by livedive at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2005
Habbakuk: 62 years later
Mike, Warren and Jim have prepared a surprise for two surviving members of the original crew who built the Habbakuk back in 1942-43.
Posted by livedive at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2005
Contact!
This is the first update from Mike since the team has left for the remoteness of Patricia Lake where they will investigate the remains of the Habbakuk Project.
Posted by livedive at 05:32 PM | Comments (0)
Glacier Images from Alberta
The team went out on a helicopter shoot today with Icefield Helicopter Tours. Here are some awesome aerial shots of where the Team is right now!
Posted by livedive at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
Waiting for Contact
The team has arrived in Alberta and we are waiting patiently (not really) for our first report. Tonight you can watch another classic episode on National Geographic Canada.
Airing at 10 EST. Check local listings!
The Search For Andrea Gail
As portrayed in the movie "The Perfect Storm" the Andrea Gail was lost in one of the most inhospitable working environments on earth, off Sable Island, while fishing in the North Atlantic in October. Though the wreck occurred ten years ago this Halloween, she has never been found. It may provide clues to the real ending of the story of the Perfect Storm.
The Nor'easter now known as the Halloween storm of '91 or the "Perfect Storm" was the result of a culmination of meterological events so rare that it occurs maybe once in a century. Waves ten stories high and winds of over 190 kilometers an hour whipped the North Atlantic. The Andrea Gail went down in that storm. Her crew, like so many Gloucestermen before her, would not return to Gloucester's historic docks.
Indeed, Gloucester is an integral part of the history of the North Atlantic fishing fleet. First settled in 1623, Gloucester would eventually build the first schooner, would become arguably one of the largest fishing ports in the world, and would produce the first fisherman to sail across the Atlantic alone. But this proud tradition of skill and indomitability has come with a price - the loss of hundreds of her valiant sons to the ocean.
And it was off one of the most treacherous areas of the North Atlantic ocean, Sable Island, that the Andrea Gail would meet her tragic fate. In fact Sable Island is surrounded by hundreds of shipwrecks. About 90 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, Sable Island is a most unusual ecosystem, unique in the world. This giant sandbar has beguiling beauty: one of the world's only herds of truly wild horses, a vast array of marine mammals and fish, rare sea birds and many uniquely suited plants.
The Sea Hunters will tell the story of this Island by summarizing its legacy of shipwrecks and comparing it to other dangerous places. We will examine the reasons that make this place so deadly for man while at the same time being such a haven for beauty.
Posted by victoria at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2005
Habbakuk Pre-Show Continued
The team leaves tomorrow for Alberta and the remains of Project Habbakuk. If you already have a question in mind from reading this blog or from your own research, please post then in the Live from the Dive section of the Community and we'll get them answered.
Tonight be sure to watch a classic episode of the Sea Hunters on National Geographic Channel Canada. Airing at 10 pm EST. Check Local Listings!
Runners and Raiders
Two blockade-runners rest in the warm, clear waters off Bermuda. Largely intact, these two wrecks offer unique insights into these highly specialized ships, and into the very nature of Bermuda's involvement in the American Civil War.
Now join us as we visit the last resting places of two blockade-runners and one of the most famous Confederate raiders in history, the CSS Alabama.
Posted by victoria at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2005
ESRI: GIS and Mapping Software
For those of you who don't know our Shipwreck Map is powered by ESRI mapping software ArcGIS 9. We worked closely with our ESRI programmer (Thank you to Bruce Dobson) to make our map the most interactive map on the web. We are very proud of how works and how it looks.
You might recognize ESRI and ArcGIS because they also provide mapping software to schools all over North America. Check out their Geography Network
In the Spring/Summer issue of ArcNews,their magazine, Shipwreck Central is featured in a article about the tecnical aspects of our Shipwreck Map. The article is also posted on their site and we'd love for you to read it.
Go to Article Now >>
Thanks ESRI!
Posted by victoria at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Habbakuk Pre-Show
This is an amazing story. I had never heard of Project Habbakuk before this year. Britian, durring WWII, was to build an iceberg aircraft carrier that would be indestructible! Here are some images from the construction phase of the test model Habbakuk. I can't wait for the team to depart; this is going to be a great summer!
Posted by victoria at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2005
Thank You MV Grace and Crew
Another huge thanks goes out to everyone on the MV Grace. You are amazing hosts. Check out the pics below from Alex Yeo (Thanks Alex ) and if your in the South China Sea area and need a dive boat and crew we recommend Penetration Divers.
Posted by victoria at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
