Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck
Project
2004 Photo Mosaic Expedition Summary
Chris Southerly, Project Archaeologist/Divemaster
The week of April 5th 2004 marked the third attempt at shooting a digital
photo mosaic of the Queen Anne's Revenge wreck site. The first attempt,
in September 2003, was called off because of the imminent arrival of Hurricane
Isabel, and the second, in November 2003, was cancelled before deploying
due to poor weather. This time, water and weather combined to allow a
successful project.
 The
team consisted of Mark Wilde-Ramsing (QAR Project Director), Chris Southerly
(QAR Project Archaeologist), Nathan Henry (UAB Archaeologist/Conservator),
Julep Gillman-Bryan (UAB Dive Safety Officer), Jim Martin (Visiting
Scientist/Videographer), David Moore (NCMM Archaeologist) and Courtney
Platt (National Geographic Photographer). Tom Piner (Captain) and Rocky
Best (Mate) crewed R/V Shellpoint, the operating platform provided by
NC Marine Fisheries. Lauren Hermley, Calvin Mires, and Steve Workman
(East Carolina University graduate students) provided additional dive
support when available. Sarah Watkins-Kenney (QAR Project Conservator)
and Wendy Welsh (QAR Project Lab Manager) made a topside site visit
Monday.
Monday the team went out to the site despite 3-5 foot seas and a west
wind blowing 25-30 knots. Visibility was fair and two moorings were
set for early the next day in hopes of better conditions.
 Tuesday
morning was cool with winds light from the west-southwest. When the
first diver entered the water at 8:40 AM, the visibility was excellent
(20-30 feet) and water temperature was 57ºF on the bottom.The 10x20
foot photo grid was lowered over the side and setup over the main ballast
pile along the baseline. Digital images were taken at each grid point
while divers prepared reference lines for digital video. The grid was
then moved to the west and partially shot with digital images before
visibility began to diminish with the falling tide. Sand elevations
were recorded before leaving site for the day.
 Wednesday
was again clear with a light breeze.Photography at grid location two
was completed while the National Geographic photographer documented
the digital video passes. The grid was moved south and west to its third
location where digital stills were taken. In anticipation of possible
poor weather in the morning the grid was broken down and recovered once
shooting was complete in location three.
Thursday was overcast with light winds. There was some surge on the
site with only 10-15 foot visibility and colder water moving in; bottom
temperatures had dropped to 53ºF. The grid was lowered over the
side again and setup over the baseline, extending out to cover the north
anchor. Digital stills were taken despite diminishing visibility and
overall conditions. Once photography was complete the grid was broken
down and recovered while reference lines and tapes were collected in
preparation for the forecast afternoon storm.
Friday conditions had not improved from the previous afternoon's conditions
and archaeologists conducted reconnaissance dives on two nearby magnetic
targets/sites while waiting for high tide and hopefully better visibility
to allow for more photography. The conditions did not improve even with
high tide and slack tide so the final dive of the day was made to recover
the mooring buoys and baseline from the QAR site, wrapping up the project
for the week.
 In
the five days of the project 10 divers made 55 dives, for a combined
bottom time of 33 hours and 18 minutes. Over 300 digital images were
taken, in addition to digital video. Sand levels at the site have remained
consistent through the winter with minimal variation since the 11/17/2003
measurements. There has been some burial at the northern end of the
site while the north anchor (A-3) has seen some scour and sand loss.
Project Support from the Following:
National Geographic Magazine - Washington, DC
General Expedition Support
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
NC Marine Fisheries - Morehead City, NC
R/V Shellpoint and crew
http://www.ncfisheries.net/
Comfort Inn - Morehead City, NC
Lodging for out-of-town crew
http://www.moreheadhotels.com/
Courtney Platt Eclectic Photographer - Grand Cayman
Photographer for National Geographic
http://www.courtneyplatt.com/
Capital SCUBA - Wake Forest, NC
Drysuit and accessories
http://www.capitalscuba.com/
Discovery Diving - Beaufort, NC
Dacor SeaSprint Scooter
Tank Fills
http://www.discoverydiving.com/
Olympus Dive Center - Morehead City, NC
Equipment Support
http://olympusdiving.com/
East Carolina University Diving and Water Safety - Greenville, NC
Olympus C4040 Digital Camera and Tetra 3030 Housing
http://www.ecu.edu/diving/
Jim Martin - Burgaw, NC
Video camera/housing and videography
Mapping Resource Group - Wilmington, NC
Mylar plotting
http://mapres.com/
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Tank dive time for camera calibration photos
http://www.ncaquariums.com/newsite/about.htm
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