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October 17, 2006
Shipwreck Week
‘Graveyard of the Pacific’ Shipwreck Week, Oct. 21 through 29, 2006 - Long Beach Peninsula, Washington State
Shipwreck Week Acivities
Search and Rescue Demonstration
Oct. 27, 11AM, by the U.S. Coast Guard at Cape Disappointment Station, Ilwaco, and visible from the Viewing Room at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center;
U.S. Coast Guard Open House
Oct. 27 from 1-3PM at the U.S. Coast Guard Station, Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco;
Descendant of the Peter Iredale Tells the Story of Peter Iredale, the Man
At Ilwaco Heritage Museum, Oct. 25, from 7 to 9PM. Admission is free. The program features Thomas Peter Iredale, who will discuss the colorful history of Peter Iredale, the shipping magnate who owned the vessel;
Shipwreck Stories and Sea Shanties at the Ilwaco Heritage Museum
Oct. 29, from 2 to 4PM. Admission is free. The program features living history presentations of characters from the Columbia River’s past as well as performances of traditional sea shanties by Hank Cramer and the Constellation Crew;
Ranger talks at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
Perched on a 200-foot high cliff in Cape Disappointment State Park, daily from Oct. 21 to 29 at 1PM. From a vantage point overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River, talks will focus on how the nickname ‘Graveyard of the Pacific’ was earned, why the Cape has two lighthouses, how Cape Disappointment was named, and more. Talks will run about 30 minutes. Regular admission prices apply.
While at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, visitors also can view the Columbia River Bar shipwrecks exhibit, a first order Fresnel Lighthouse Lens -- one of the oldest in the U.S, and a Life Saving Service Boat, over 100 years old. Admission to the Interpretive Center is $3 for adults and $1 for youth age 7 to 17, with free admission for children under age 7. The Center is open daily from 10AM to 5PM. Tours of North Head Lighthouse are $1 per person.
Additional Shipwreck Week activities will take place in Oregon at the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Fort Stevens State Park.
Built of iron and steel in 1890, the Peter Iredale is one of nearly 2,000 vessels that have been lost to the tumultuous waters at the mouth of the Columbia River. Among the others is the Isabella, one of only two intact wooden wrecks from the 1830s era on the West Coast.
Posted by victoria at 05:00 PM
October 16, 2006
Beached Shipwreck Peter Iredale
Watch the Sea Hunters as they visit the beached shipwreck Peter Iredale.
Posted by victoria at 10:54 AM
October 11, 2006
South African sea treasures losing cultural heritage
South Africa has a rich underwater cultural heritage involving as many as 2 500 shipwrecks from 37 nations and dating back to at least 1505, and possibly even earlier.
And if the highly effective, inter-tidal stone fish traps are included like those on the southern Cape coast near Arniston which archaeologists suggest constitute one of the oldest forms of human technology, then that heritage stretches back perhaps as much as 100 000 years.
Much of this maritime heritage fundamentally helped shape South Africa's history and the make-up of its present society, but it has been and continues to be plundered by treasure seekers, amateur souvenir hunters and professional salvors, or is succumbing to Mother Nature, developers, mining interests or even government action.
We know people are taking stuff off shipwrecks, we know things are disappearing, and that we're losing cultural heritage every day," said maritime archaeologist Jonathan Sharfman of the SA Heritage Resources Agency.
'Things are disappearing'
Is the best way to protect it through South Africa signing the 2001 United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage?
That's the question that the Department of Arts and Culture asked participants at a two-day workshop held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last week.
The workshop did not agree on whether South Africa should sign the convention.
The convention, under the auspices of Unesco (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), defines underwater cultural heritage as "all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years".
The convention bans any commercial exploitation of shipwrecks or other underwater heritage.
The workshop decided that the department should organise further discussion on the issue.
South Africa's current heritage legislation recognises shipwrecks older than 60 years as archaeological sites which require permits to work on in any way. But the permit system has not been effective, Sharfman explained.
Between 1982 and 2000, there were 141 applications for permits to dive on 105 wrecks, of which 106 were issued, 78 percent for commercial ventures.
But only 53 percent of permit holders submitted the required annual reports and most of those reports were only a few lines long.
Formal research data was only published in 10 cases, Sharfman said.
"Clearly, as archaeologists and historians, this wasn't acceptable."
This article was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on October 11, 2006>>
If you know of wrecks off the South African coast please submit them to the Shipwreck Map
Posted by victoria at 09:12 AM
October 07, 2006
Cunard Line and Halifax Foundation to Make History
Sir Samuel Cunard Monument Is Unveiled in Halifax on Saturday, October 7, 2006
Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Cunard Line and The Halifax Foundation made history today with the dedication of a bronze statue of Sir Samuel Cunard, the Halifax native credited with revolutionizing commerce and communications between continents by successfully introducing steamships to the North Atlantic nearly two centuries ago.
Prominently presiding over the Port of Halifax waterfront, the towering bronze statue appropriately depicts Cunard standing beside a ship's telegraph, an iconic symbol of steamship travel.
Joining the celebration were Sir Samuel Cunard's great, great, great, great grandsons Benjamin and Samuel Paton.
The project has received moral and financial support from several sponsors including Cunard Line which made the initial contribution to start the fundraising efforts, CN (Canadian National Railway), The Halifax Foundation, The Halifax Port Authority, Secunda Marine Limited, The Bank of Nova Scotia, and The Waterfront Development Corporation and the committee members.
About Cunard Line
Cunard Line has operated the most famous ocean liners in the world since 1840. Cunard vessels have a classic British heritage and include the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2. Queen Victoria joins the fleet in 2007.
Cunard Line is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. The exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Windstar Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together they offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.
About The Halifax Foundation
The Halifax Foundation is the only community foundation in Nova Scotia, serving the whole of the Halifax Regional Municipality and representing it in the Canadian Capital Cities Organization. The Halifax Foundation differs from most other charitable organizations in that it customarily invests capital contributions and spends only from earnings, rather than capital, in this way guaranteeing performance forever of the purpose(s) sought by donor(s). All of the Halifax Foundation's Directors are volunteers, appointed by a committee of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Deputy Minister of Justice of Nova Scotia, and the President of the Metropolitan Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
Posted by victoria at 09:22 AM
October 04, 2006
Shipwreck found at Hawaiian marine area
NEW SHIPWRECK DISCOVERED DURING FIRST EXPEDITION TO NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SINCE MARINE MONUMENT DESIGNATION
Oct. 4, 2006 — NOAA marine archaeologists have confirmed the identity of a shipwreck discovered on July 3 in the waters of the recently designated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. The team has identified the wreck, found at Kure Atoll, as that of the 258-foot iron hulled cargo ship Dunnottar Castle. The discovery was made during the first research expedition to the NWHI since it was designated a marine national monument on June 15.
"The Dunnottar Castle is an incredible heritage resource from the days of the sailing ships like the Falls of Clyde, Balcalutha and Star of India, when our maritime commerce was driven by steel masts and canvas, and by wind power and human hands," said Hans Van Tilburg, maritime heritage coordinator for the Pacific Islands regional office of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program.
NOAA marine archaeologists working from the NOAA Ship Hi`ialakai confirmed the wreck's identity following its initial discovery by a volunteer with the state of Hawaii division of forestry and wildlife, Brad Vanderlip.
Built in 1874 and home ported in Scotland, the Dunnottar Castle was bound from Sydney, Australia, to Wilmington, Calif., with a load of coal when it struck a reef at full speed.
During the 28-day expedition to the NWHI, which concluded on July 20, marine archaeologists with the NOAA Maritime Heritage Program also investigated other shipwrecks, including a 19th-century American whaling ship and a U.S. Navy side-wheel steamer lost in 1870.
Also during the expedition, a team of oceanographers and coastal geologists used state-of-the-art seafloor imaging technology to create detailed maps of the seafloor. Educators and outreach specialists chronicled the expedition in daily logs.
"Scientific research is critical to understanding the unique marine ecosystem and rich maritime history of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands," said Aulani Wilhelm, NWHI Marine National Monument superintendent. "Whether we're talking about shipwrecks like the Dunnottar Castle or new marine species, discovery begins with exploration."
"Discovery and understanding of the unique natural, cultural and maritime heritage resources of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is critical to our ability to manage and protect these resources for Hawaii and the world as a part of our heritage for present and future generations." said Peter Young, Hawai'i department of land and natural resources chairperson.
NWHI is home to 7,000 marine species, of which approximately a quarter are unique to the Hawaiian Island chain. Among the species found there are the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, threatened green sea turtle, and endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles. The island chain also contains some of the world's most untouched submerged cultural resources. The NWHI Marine National Monument, which stretches 1,200 hundred miles north of Kauai and spans 140,000 square miles, is the world's largest marine conservation area.
The NWHI Marine National Monument and Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve are managed by the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program as a co-trustee with with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Hawaii.
The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase public awareness of America's marine resources and maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America's ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.
In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Related Links:
NOAA Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program
Posted by victoria at 09:33 AM
