Dawn Cheshaek, CraigWhitaker, and I found a 20th century, 90-foot steel barge in the Potomac yesterday. It is not likely to be historic, but will be a good training site for mapping.
October 2009 reconnaissance report
In October, IMH’s boat Roper steamed from Maryland to Lewes DE and back, and scannned many potential sites along the way. A summary report of the findings is attached in .pdf. If you want more information on the sites, or want to dive them when we start working on them, please contact david.howe@maritimehistory.org
Got air?
At Lewes DE, and on the trip there and back this month, we found 13 new old wrecks in the Delaware and 27 in the Chesapeake that need to be dived and mapped, plus a big bunch of maybes. A sidescan image of one is attached.
There are 17 more sites (16 wrecks and a fort) in the Potomac that also need attention, even if we don’t find anything else in this year’s SHIP recon for the Maryland Historical Trust. That makes 57 sites to map and assess in the near future.
If we start now and do one every weekend, we can finish the lot by Christmas 2010. We can start diving them as soon as we finish SHIP and fetch the U-buoy. Got air?
S01705b
SO1705 b
Lewes project mostly blown out
We got one full day and two half days of work at Lewes, but the seas were too rough to work on the other days. We finished the small area left over from 2007, found two sites in the outer harbor, confirmed two others that appear on the nautical chart, and disproved two more on the chart. We also confirmed a dozen charted wrecks in the Chesapeake and the Delaware en route to Lewes, including (I hope) the schooner Mary A. deKnight that foundered in 1870 near Annapolis.
On Wednesday, 14 October, we tried to bring Roper back to Maryland, but it was too rough for a safe trip so we turned back and will leave her there until the weather eases.
Delaware so far – finished 2007 area!
Roper had a bumpy trip up to Lewes but did finally arrive early on the mornign of October 3.
We participated in Lewes’ annual Boast the Coast day, wrapping up with an Honorable Mention for our entry in the Parade of Lights.
The following day, Roper was at the Coast Day event put on by the University of Delaware. We shared space with the Lewes Fire Department’s spiffy new boat and had opportunities to talk to lots of folks that are interested in archaeology and history. Not sure if we got any new recruits for the ASD but we did encourage a few divers to sign up. We took tours and drooled over the R/V Hugh R. Sharp’s toys, navigation and space as well as the Delriver, which is a fuel spill clean-up vessel. ASD had a neat display but their big draw was the ROV that the kids drove around the pool.
Monday we attempted to scan but it was just a bit too rough. Lucky for us, Craig Lukezic arranged for us to visit the DeBraak warehouse and we got a fantastic lecture from Chuck Fithian about the ship’s history and modern challenges to the ship’s preservation after all of the damage done by the salvagers.
Tuesday we did get out to scan and finished the final portion of the 2007 area! Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating and there will be no scanning for the next couple of days.
Debbie and Lee Nelson joined us for a couple of days; this will be our last chance to see Lee before he is deployed to Iraq for a year. 🙁
Many thanks to the Cape Henlopen State Park for allowing us to stay in the dorm again. It is a great location, nice facility and very reasonably priced for volunters to use.
Hyperbaric Facilities in Maine
The two primary Hyperbaric Facilities in Maine (St. Mary’s, Lewiston and St. Joseph’s, Bangor) are no longer accepting emergency patients after regular business hours (8am-5pm). Most hyperbaric facilities in New England operate under similar policies. This means that in Maine, a diving injury requiring hyperbaric treatment that occurs during non-business hours will most likely be referred to the 24-hour hyperbaric facility at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary/Massachusetts General Hospital.
In case of a diving accident call 911 and the emergency physician will make contact with the hyperbaric facility directly or through the Diver’s Alert Network (DAN). IMH recommends DAN insurance and IMH members will be required to have DAN for any IMH-directed volunteer diving projects in Maine. Be safe!
black water dive training
Once again, Adventure Scuba Company (Tom Black and Ron Miller) will be
conducting its Black Water Training – Self Rescue Course on Sunday,
December 13.
There will be a brief (~ 1 hr) class portion at the shop beginning at 3pm,
and the confined water training will be conducted at Oak Marr Pool. The
pool session runs from 6pm to 7:45pm. Directions to the pool will be
provided. Tanks and weights will be provided if you need them. You do need to bring
a weight belt and standard scuba unit set up. If you need to rent any
gear, you can do so at the shop before heading to the pool.
The cost for the course is $100 and this includes a tank, weights and the
Black Water Training Specialty C-card.
They have room for 10 students. This class does fill quickly! For medical and liability forms or any questions, please contact Todd Plaia at 703-263-0427 or todd@scubava.com.
Ocean Policy Task Force – Interim Report
Obama Administration Officials Release Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Interim Report
WASHINGTON, DC – Obama Administration officials today released the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Interim Report for a 30-day public review and comment period. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of 24 senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices. The report provides proposals for a comprehensive national approach to uphold our stewardship responsibilities and ensure accountability for our actions.
“This Interim Report represents a wide spectrum of views and considerations, not just from within the federal government, but from members of the public, local officials, stakeholders and experts from coast to coast,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “It delivers on President Obama’s request for recommendations that will move this country towards a more robust national policy for our oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes and recognizes that we have a responsibility to protect the oceans and coasts for the benefit of current and future generations.”
“America’s oceans are vital to our prosperity, health, security and quality of life,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “This is a historic day — for the first time, we as a nation say loudly and clearly that healthy oceans matter.”
“America’s enduring maritime interests — our reliance on the oceans and Great Lakes for commerce, sustenance, and security — have not changed since our Nation’s founding. What has changed is the complexity of the pressures on these critical ecosystems and the demand for an effective and integrated national strategy to manage their use, protection, and sustainability,” said Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen. “The recommendations of this Interim Report chart a clear course to address the needs for an integrated national policy and governance structure that will better provide for the safety, security, and stewardship of the maritime environment, now and into the future.”
“President Obama’s vision for a sustainable and comprehensive strategy for our oceans is vital to the wise management of these critical resources,” said Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Davis. “With 1.7 billion acres in the Outer Continental Shelf — including management responsibilities for offshore renewable and conventional energy resources, 35,000 miles of coastline, and millions of acres of marine-based parks, refuges and national monuments – the Department of Interior and its agencies are front and center in the effort to build the coordinated national ocean policy that our country needs.”
“The Interim Report provides a clear road map for America’s stewardship of the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Peter Silva. “EPA is proud to have played a key role in the development of this crucial report, which is inextricably linked with EPA’s mission to protect and safeguard human health and the environment.”
The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force was created by Presidential Memorandum on June 12, 2009, to develop a national policy for the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. The Memorandum charged the Task Force with developing recommendations that include a national policy for our oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes, a framework for improved Federal policy coordination, and an implementation strategy to meet the objectives of a national ocean policy within 90 days. Within 180 days, the Task Force is charged with developing a recommended framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning.
The Interim Report provides proposals for a comprehensive national approach to uphold our stewardship responsibilities and ensure accountability for our actions. Additionally, the Interim Report outlines a more balanced, productive and sustainable approach to our ocean resources. Specifically, it highlights three key areas:
A National Policy: The Interim Report proposes a new National Policy that recognizes that America’s stewardship of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes is intrinsically and intimately linked to environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, national prosperity, adaptation to climate and other environmental change, social justice, foreign policy, and national and homeland security.
A Robust Governance Structure: The Interim Report proposes modifications to the existing governance structure, including a stronger mandate and direction, and renewed and sustained high-level engagement. Under the proposal, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy would lead an interagency National Ocean Council to coordinate ocean-related issues across the Federal Government and the implementation of the National Ocean Policy. Such a governance structure, combined with sustained high-level staff involvement, would ensure that these areas are a priority throughout the Federal Government.
Categories for Action: The Interim Report prioritizes nine categories for action, including ecosystem-based management, regional ecosystem protection and restoration, and strengthened and integrated observing systems, that seek to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. These strategies and objectives provide a bridge between the National Policy and action on the ground.
The Task Force is now focusing its efforts on developing a recommended framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning as charged within 180 days. In addition, the Task Force continues its public engagement activities, including holding at least five more regional public meetings scheduled to take place in the following cities: San Francisco, California; Providence, Rhode Island; Cleveland, Ohio; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Honolulu, Hawaii. The initial meeting was held in Anchorage, Alaska on August 21, 2009. Expert briefings will continue while the Interim Report is available for review and public comment. The Interim Report may be found at www.whitehouse.gov/oceans. The Task Force will provide a final report with all of its recommendations later this year.