Expedition Titanic

It’s difficult to fathom (no pun intended) that we have the technology to raise the Titanic virtually by revealing images from a wreck more than 12,000 feet beneath the sea. The images of the Titanic are as clear as can be thanks to 3-D scan images, but also because the water is clear and the wreck has so little residue on it. Miraculously, the wreck is in great shape considering its 98 years. Nevertheless, it won’t be long before there is total collapse. It is expected to implode  floor by floor.

The dream team of Expedition Titanic is making a great effort to preserve a legacy– one that most of us will be able to enjoy virtually. The three-week long mission will reveal the debris field scanned by side scan sonar. It gives us a map (like the map of a city) of the gigantic ill-fated liner which sank off the coast of Newfoundland.

We will also come to understand the human tragedy of that tragic night in 1912. One example cited by the dream team is that first Officer William Murdoch did not commit suicide; rather, he was washed overboard attempting to launch a lifeboat.

The expedition is filled with challenges: a grueling 36 hour trip from the coast, hurricane weather, technological challenges, etc. But the team led by David Davino seems to be thrilled at every moment. In fact, two scientists who met on an expedition five years ago held a wedding ceremony on board the research vessel.

If only Leonardo and Kate would have had the same good fortune!

For  videos, mission, photos (even of a wedding on board), check out Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rmstitanicinc?v=wall

Filed under: Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Expedition Titanic, marine archeology, Newfoundland, North Atlantic shipwrecks, shipwrecks, Titanic|No Comments

Risk-Taking Rises as Oil Rigs in Gulf Drill Deeper

How many men,  livelyhoods, animals and species,  beaches and marshes do we wish to sacrifice? It appears that mankind is prepared to go to any depth to feed its gluttony for oil.  We must examine our conscience and ask how much are we willing to sacrifice? If the answer is “less than in the past”, then we must put all our directives toward finding alternatives.

What are we willing to do about this? Write to our governments, use less fuel, invented a new technology? After reading the following article, I believe we’ll all be more willing to answer the question.

By JAD MOUAWAD and BARRY MEIER

Published: August 29, 2010

In a remote reach of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 200 miles from shore, a floating oil platform thrusts its tentacles deep into the ocean like a giant steel octopus.

Filed under: Serving Our Seas | Deepwater Horizon, drilling technology, Gulf of Mexico, Oil drilling, oil wells, Perdido, rigs|No Comments

The WASP Atmospheric Diving Suit

Two divers, one wearing the “Tritonia” ADS and the other standard diving dress, preparing to explore the wreck of the RMS Lusitania, 1935.

An atmospheric diving suit or ADS is a small one-man articulated submersible of anthropomorphic form which resembles a suit of armour, with elaborate pressure joints to allow articulation while maintaining an internal pressure of one atmosphere. The ADS can be used for very deep dives of up to 2300 feet (700m) for many hours, and eliminates the majority of physiological dangers associated with deep diving; the occupant need not decompress, there is no need for special gas mixtures, and there is no danger of decompression sickness or nitrogen narcosis. Divers do not even need to be skilled swimmers.

The ADS has variously been referred to as a Winnie the Pooh suit (because of its large head), armored diving skirt, articulated diving suit, Iron Duke, Iron Mike, and ‘deep-sea diving robot’. The term ‘atmospheric diving suit’ itself did not come into widespread use until the invention of the JIM suit in the early 1970s.

Atmospheric Diving Suits in current use include the Newt suit/Hardsuit, and the WASP, both of which are self-contained and incorporate propulsion units. The Newtsuit/Hardsuit is constructed from cast aluminum (forged aluminum in version constructed for the US Navy for submarine rescue), while the WASP is of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) body tube construction. The upper hull is made from cast aluminum. The bottom dome is machined aluminum.

Filed under: Serving Our Seas | deep sea technology, diving suits, Navy submarine rescue, oil exploration|No Comments

Drilling for oil on the Tahiti Spar

I just received an e-mail from a new friend in Louisiana. Mark is the proud owner of two Andrea Doria lifeboats, which he plans to house in a museum. But first he plans to restore them. Mark has a fascinating job as a deep sea diver and explorer. The Gulf oil spill resulting from BP’s negligence is creating jobs in other sectors. Here is Mark’s email regarding his service on our seas.

Dear Pierette,

 I’m still at sea. We thought the oil spill would slow things down, however,  it has had the opposite effect. Lots of work. Attached is a photo of the WASP suit good to a depth of 2300′. We just completed work on the Tahiti Spar. Too bad it wasn’t on the Island.

I researched the Tahiti Spar on http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/tahiti/.

“Tahiti is located in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico, approximately 190 miles (306km) south of New Orleans. It lies in Green Canyon blocks 596, 597, 640 and 641, in a water depth of approximately 4,200ft (1,280m). The field is operated by Chevron, which owns a 58% working interest, on behalf of Statoil (25%) and Total(17%).

The Phase-I development cost $2.7bn to Chevron. Crude oil production from the field began on 5 May 2009, with an estimated daily production of about 125,000 barrels of crude oil and 70 million ft³of natural gas by the end of 2009.

http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/tahiti/”

For a picture of the WASP suit, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_diving_suit

Filed under: Serving Our Seas | Atmospheric diving suit, Chevron oil drilling, deep sea technology, Gulf oil spill, oil rigs, Tahiti Spar|No Comments

A Night of Horror on the Andrea Doria

It was July 25, 1956. Elizabeth Hanson, six months pregnant, was returning to the U.S. with her  three young children after her husband’s Fulbright professorship in Italy. He had flown ahead to retrieve the family car while they came across the Atlantic on a fine liner, the Andrea Doria.  Here is an excerpt from the story as Elizabeth wrote it.

Andy (12), Ardith (7) and I woke up when the Stockholm plowed into the side of their ship, just a few cabins forward from our cabin as we later learned. The sensation was what one might feel sitting in a row boat as it bumped several times against a dock. Andy instinctively slammed shut the porthole cover beside him, as he saw lights flash by. We were instantly aware that our cabin floor was tilting. My mind was sort of blank. I just knew that something very serious was wrong. I went to the row of four metal lockers, in the bottom of which the life jackets were stowed, and I yank them out, one after the other, throwing them on the floor and noting with alarm that they slid across the tilted floor toward the outer wall, as I did so.

Our steward was in the hall, calling “Signore, signori, andate fuori! Signore, signori, andate su!” Essentially, “Ladies and gentlemen, come out of your cabins and go up on deck.”  There seemed to be a smoky haze in the hall. (I believe now that it was exhaust from an engine that must have ruptured by the Stockholm). All I wanted to do was to get my kids and myself above deck. It didn’t occur to me to get dressed, although and he had the presence of mind to slip on his shorts. I put Ardith’s  life jacket on her over her slip, but I forgot to tie it. I sent her and Andy out in the hall to go above deck. Then, I had to awaken Donnie (10). A sound sleeper, he had slept through it all! I had to urge and urge him to come right away. I got his life jacket on him, but he was conservative and wanted to get dressed.

In retrospect, there would have been plenty of time for him to address. But all I knew then, the ship could sync with us trapped below deck. I urged him, “You have to come now. Your life may depend on it.”

Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | ocean survival, shipwrecks, Stockholm, survival, surviving families|No Comments

Coming soon: A 3-D Titanic map!

Scientists will launch an expedition to Titanic next month to assess the “deteriorating” condition of the world’s most famous shipwreck and create a three-dimensional map for the public. The 20-day expedition to the site, which is two-and-a-half miles beneath the North Atlantic, is billed as the most advanced scientific mission to the wreck since its discovery 25 years ago, the ‘Sunday Express’ reported. The team will leave St. John’s, Newfoundland, on August 18 under a partnership between RMS Titanic which has exclusive salvage rights to the wreck and is funding the project and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Expedition leader David Gallow said they will explore a three-mile area, still scattered with debris from when the ship sank on April 15 1912, killing 1,522. “For the first time, we’re going to treat it as an archaeological site,” he said.

Dr. Gallow emphasizes that this project  is not an exploration but a marine forensic examination to create the first deepwater archaeological site map. It will be done virtually and digitally using robots and sonars to create a model of the titanic ship–the one lost on its maiden voyage and only seen by its unfortunate travelers, designers, and builders. Finally, it will be available to a voracious public who can’t seem to satiate its appetite for the Titanic.

As for the man, who brought Titanic’s fame to the surface, will James Cameron be part of the investigation? My friend Bill Garzke,  Cameron’s consultant for the  movie Titanic and chairman of marine forensics for SNAME, explained:

        “The marine forensics investigation is not being conducted by Jim Cameron but one of our Committee members, P. H. Nargeolet who is leaving today from St. Johns, Newfoundland to map the Titanic wreck site. I have asked him to locate any parts of the main reciprocating engines.”

You’ll receive updates in future blogs.

Filed under: Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Dr. David Gallow, Marine forensics, North Atlantic shipwrecks, RMS Titanic, shipwrecks, Titanic, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution|No Comments

Oceaneering International

I had never heard of this company until an acquaintance wrote to me about it. He is an employee for Oceaneering International. He is also the proud owner of two Andrea Doria lifeboats;  he plans to exhibit them in a museum that he is establishing for this purpose. Mark, a deep-sea diver, is fascinated by the Andrea Doria story.

I am fascinated by the fact that he and his company are were involved in capping the BP well in the Gulf.  Here is a company profile from Wikipedia

Oceaneering’s services and products are marketed worldwide to oil and gas companies, government agencies, and firms in the telecommunications, aerospace, and marine engineering and construction industries. Its business offerings include remotely operated vehicles, mobile offshore production systems, built-to-order specialty hardware, engineering and project management, subsea intervention and installation services, non-destructive testing and inspections, manned diving, and space suits. Oceaneering won a $745 million United States government contract in 2008 for the design and manufacture of space suits for future American lunar exploration.^[4]

The company’s stock is a component of the S&P 600 stock market index.

http://www.oceaneering.com/

Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas | BP oil well, capping the BP well, Ocean engineering, ocean Enterprises, Oceaneering International, the H.L. Hunley|No Comments

The World’s Water 2008-2009 Versions Available

In light of the BP oil disaster, the health of our water has never been more in the forefront. The experts on this topic share their findings in a publication called The World’s Water. Regardless of our expertise or lack of, our geographical location, age or gender,  we should be concerned about this topic.

The World’s Water
 
Published every two years by Island Press, The World’s Water provides both detailed analysis of the most significant trends and events and up-to-date data on water resources and their use. They are essential references for water resources specialists, resource economists, planners, students, and anyone concerned with water issues.

Several editions of The World’s Water can be found here:

http://www.worldwater.org/books.html

Filed under: Serving Our Seas | help of our water, status of our water, The World's Water, water and the environment|No Comments

Germany Prints New Andrea Doria Stamp

I received this welcomed news from my friends in Germany. Klaus Dorneich survived the Andrea Doria with me and was rescued by the Stockholm. Klaus and I correspond frequently, for which I’m very grateful. I’m also very grateful for his excellent English.

Pierette, thank you for your prompt answer – I have just posted my postcard with the Andrea Doria Stamp, you will receive it within the next 8 days. Although I was the only German aboard, many North Europeans (Austrians, Swiss, and even Dutch) were also on the ship and the Rescue became well known in Germany as well (remember I had written my eyewitness report while on the “Stockholm” that was printed by 48 German newspapers after 8 days). Also, there was a popular pop song about the Andrea Doria later on and the writer (Udo Lindenberg) apparently painted the picture that was used now for the stamp! I will look into it and if I find more details I´ll let you know. Besides – in 2006 the German dpa-Press Service published an interview with me (and Hilly) that also was reprinted in many newspapers across the nation! Of course, “Lostliners.de” even printed excerpts from my old Doria Diary in 2006. I think I have sent all that to you, although most of it was in German. Let me know if something is missing.

Before I forget – thank you also for the Newsletter! After Antony´s (Grillo) sudden death there was not much communication among the survivors, so your new efforts will certainly be appreciated by the public.

Perhaps you can use some of this information in you newsletter (correcting my English)? And thanks for your interest – I hope the stamp gets to you soon. Affectually, Klaus and Hilly

Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | |No Comments

Considering a Maritime Career?

The possibilities are wide and deep, like our oceans and seas. Here is a list of the main categories; some are very broad and make no mention of diving, collecting, fishing, exploration,   and more. What can you add to this list?

Filed under: Serving Our Seas, Uncategorized | Maritime careers, nautical professions|No Comments