Would a field school to learn how to search & recover shipwrecks be a good idea?

[TheMuseumGuy]

We have been searching and recovering shipwrecks in the Caribbean under contract with the government since 1985. We have located 32 shipwrecks so far and recovered over 12,000 artifacts! As part of our contract we have held field schools for students of archaeology with Oxford and NOVA.

We have been thinking about adding a field school for the general diving public to teach how to magnetometer looking for sites, how to grid and excavate a site using dredges and airlifts, how to identify and conserve artifacts that are recovered etc.

This is a lot of ground to cover so like our other field schools it would probably be a two-week course. We may could offer a crash course in one week but two would be better. We could offer certifications for Shipwreck Survey Tech & Shipwreck Salvage Tech.

If the response is good enough we will put it into motion if not...oh well. Check out the attachment to see what wrecks we are working on and tell me what you think of our idea and check out our site: OldShip.org
Jack

 

[Oyster Diver]

I'd be interested, primarily in artifact conservation. Are you concerned the the class might teach looters how to find wrecks? Also how are the number of artifacts counted? For example if you recover a brass valve with a screw, bolt, washer and valve is that one artifact or four? Thanks

 

[TheMuseumGuy]

I'd be interested, primarily in artifact conservation. Are you concerned the the class might teach looters how to find wrecks? Also how are the number of artifacts counted? For example if you recover a brass valve with a screw, bolt, washer and valve is that one artifact or four? Thanks

Artifact identification and conservation is a large part of the whole as we see it however one could concentrate on a particular area especially if we have advance notice of your intent.

We are concerned just as much as a firearm trainer worries someone will go out and shoot someone. We hope to instill in the students our way of doing things in that we have never sold an artifact and we plan to display all our recovered artifacts in a museum and hope to get a return from admission and the gift shop. We do not plan on selling any artifacts. They are for everyone to see.

If they were found as a unit, then one artifact with multiple parts, if found separate, then probably as individual finds because it might be hard to prove those exact things went together more than likely leaving a reasonable doubt and when in doubt, ere on the conservative side.

Good questions. Thank you for your reply.

I have had 60 or so look at this post and you are the only one so far interested so we may not do this if there is not enough demand for it. Subscribe to this thread and I will announce if we are going to do it or not soon. We would need about 10 in a class so the costs won't be prohibitive individually to spread out the hard costs of equipment and personnel.

I'm attaching a rough draft of the possible scheduling...you see in the second week the Tues-Fri mag survey part? You could spend all or part of that in the conservation lab for instance with the instructor.

Let me know what you think,
Jack

 

[SIR VEYOR]

We would need about 10 in a class so the costs won't be prohibitive individually to spread out the hard costs of equipment and personnel.

If a group of 10-20 people wanted to do it, how flexible/far in advance would the schedule have to be to set up? I know due to conflicting schedules and travel opportunities, to get everyone lined up could take some planning (from our perspective). So if we had a group able to do it, how far in advance would you have to know to set the course up (I realize I'm now talking "custom" instruction and not quite what you were suggesting)?
It's an issue of tricky logistics on both ends (at least for the people I know on this end).

Thanks,
Sir Veyor

 

[TheMuseumGuy]

If a group of 10-20 people wanted to do it, how flexible/far in advance would the schedule have to be to set up? I know due to conflicting schedules and travel opportunities, to get everyone lined up could take some planning (from our perspective). So if we had a group able to do it, how far in advance would you have to know to set the course up (I realize I'm now talking "custom" instruction and not quite what you were suggesting)?
It's an issue of tricky logistics on both ends (at least for the people I know on this end).

Thanks,
Sir Veyor

Thank you for your interest! Good questions. Well, first since your group would comprise the entire class, a lot of flexibility could be applied.

The first thing we would need to know would it be closer to 10 or closer to 20? That would mean the difference in number of vessels needed.

Second, in the rough draft I attached above, which parts would the most be interested in? For example, we bring up artifacts, take them to our lab and stabilize them and then about monthly send them to the main lab on the opposite side of the island in Santo Domingo for completion...we would not want you to show up the day after we have just shipped out for example. We would also want to have as many different types of materials as possible from iron to bronze to silver to pottery to wood etc.

But maybe your group is more interested in the survey part or everyone just wants to dig and see what they find or spend a larger block of time in the conservation lab or wants more free time?

Why not take a bit of time and re-work that schedule above according to your group's preferences for the two week period and post it here maybe as an attachment and let us look it over and see exactly what we will need and I will follow up with details and some possible dates for your group to consider.

Talk to you soon!
Jack