Bronze sculpture from 16th century found in Mexico

FoxNews: Bronze sculpture from 16th century found in Mexico
Mexico City – A bronze sculpture more than 430 years old was found on the Pacific coast in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said.

The discovery was made by INAH members and researchers from the United States two weeks ago and is a unique piece within the collection of goods recovered over a 12-year period by the Manila Galleon Project in Baja California.

The sculpture, 12 centimeters (4 3/4 inches) tall and of an equal width, represents a Chinese "Dog of Fo," and the first analyses have determined that it is either the lid of a censer or a candlestick.

The find comes from one of the first galleons of the 16th century to set sail from Manila in the Philippines en route to Acapulco in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, INAH marine archaeology unit member Roberto Junco said.

The route "was the longest on the high seas...in this case the ship could have been carried off by the various currents along the coast of the Californias, with no survivors to continue the crossing," Junco said.

The remains of the goods found probably belonged to the San Felipe galleon, which sailed carrying a large cargo of Chinese porcelain from the Ming Dynasty and which disappeared without a trace in 1576, maritime historian Edward Von der Porten said.

The Asian sculpture, located underwater by means of signals from a metal detector, coincides with descriptions noted in the 18th century by Jesuit missionaries such as Fr. Fernando Consag at an earlier moment and later by Fr. Miguel del Barco, Junco said.

"The goods we are studying coincide with the notes of Fr. Miguel del Barco, who in his chronicles says that some Indians brought to one of the missions a bronze candlestick in the shape of a dog," the archaeologist said.

"The object we found is probably similar to the one described by the priest, or it could be the lid of a censer," Junco said.

The so-called "Dogs of Fo" - the Chinese word for Buddha is Fo - actually represent lions and were considered protectors of sacred sanctuaries, usually Buddhist temples.

The Manila Galleon Project is led by U.S. researchers Jack Hunter and Edward Von der Porten with archaeologists from the INAH's marine archaeology unit.

The project is also receiving support from other institutions.

The team carries out archaeological prospecting in an area stretching approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) along the coast where the greatest variety of cargo has been found.

Hindu temple yields billions in long-lost treasure

Montreal Gazette: Hindu temple yields billions in long-lost treasure
Armed commandos cordoned off a medieval Hindu temple in south India on Monday after gold coins and precious stones worth billions of dollars were found in its vaults.

The chief minister of southern Kerala state, Oommen Chandy, said local authorities needed to take precautions and had set up a three-tier security ring involving 100 armed police.

Surveillance will be in place around the clock, and security forces are setting up a special control centre and looking at bringing in cameras.

"The treasure will be kept in the temple itself and Kerala police are taking over its security from temple staff," said Chandy, who valued the discovery at 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion U.S.) on Saturday.

Five vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the Keralan capital Thiruvananthapuram were opened last week, yielding enormous quantities of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones.

A sixth was set to be explored on Monday.

Retired Kerala High Court judge C.S. Rajan, who is part of a seven-member team named by India's Supreme Court to monitor the treasure hunt, estimated Sunday that the valuables could be worth up to a trillion rupees ($22 billion U.S.).

"Its antique and archeological value has not yet been taken into account," he stressed.

A seventh vault reinforced with iron walls would be opened only after fresh instructions from India's top court, he said.

K.N. Panikkar, an eminent India historian, said the treasure was most likely a combination of gifts donated by devotees to the shrine and the wealth of the erstwhile Hindu royal family from the local kingdom of Travancore.

"The king ruled in the name of the temple and so one can say it is the accumulated wealth of the temple and the maharajah's own collection," Panikker told AFP in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Times of India said one tonne of gold coins - some dating back to the era of French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte - as well as sacks full of diamonds and golden statues were among the artifacts discovered in the temple.

The national conservation agency, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), said it was stunned by the findings.

"Right now we are working in absolute darkness and we only know that fabulous treasure is pouring out," ASI Director-General Gautam Sengupta told AFP.

"No archaeologist has ever experienced vault after vault being opened and treasures being discovered like this," Sengupta said in New Delhi, adding that many of the Hindu shrines across India were "very rich."

The discoveries have catapulted the Hindu shrine, renowned for its intricate sculptures, into the league of India's richest temples.

It was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple's seven vaults.

Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.

Shashi Bhushan, a Keralabased historian, told the Mint business newspaper that the treasure was likely to be "the proceeds of trade" from the state in southern India, which was a centre for spice trading.

The Supreme Court recently ordered that the temple be managed by the state of Kerala to ensure the security of its valuables.

Until now, the Thirupathy temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state was believed to be India's richest temple, with offerings from devotees worth 320 billion rupees (about $7.18 billion U.S.).

Blackbeard artifacts meet sounds of the N.C. Symphony

The Apex Herald: Blackbeard artifacts meet sounds of the N.C. Symphony

RALEIGH -- In honor of the “Pirate’s!” musical program planned by the North Carolina Symphony at Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary on Saturday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m., the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources will have artifacts on display from Blackbeard’s shipwreck, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary of Cultural Resources, along with State Archaeologist Steve Claggett, and Maritime Heritage officer – and experienced diver – Lauren Hermley will be on hand to talk about the artifacts and conservation process starting after 5:30 p.m. The small case will include cast iron cannon balls or shot, glass from bottles that might have held Blackbeard’s libations, and pewter utensils he could have used, along with gun flints and other items.



The Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck lies offshore in the Atlantic waters near Beaufort. Recovery in May of a nearly-3,000-pound anchor caused an international sensation, and a QAR exhibit at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort has seen more than 30,000 visitors since it opened on June 11. Blackbeard fans from Britain , Canada , the Netherlands and 26 states in the U.S. have swept through the Museum’s doors to experience the “Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge 1718.″

In June 1718, Blackbeard ran the vessel aground after a successful blockade of the harbor at Charleston , S.C. The shipwreck was located in 1996 by Intersal, Inc. of Florida by Operations Director Mike Daniel through research provided by Intersal President Phil Masters.

The Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project, the Underwater Archaeology Branch and the N.C. Symphony are all part of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Magnetometer is a Hit with Archaeologists and Divers

The Maritime Executive: Magnetometer is a Hit with Archaeologists and Divers

diverse group of people from marine archaeologists to commercial divers are using a new compact, hand-held magnetometer designed to locate iron and steel objects underwater. One company having great success with this instrument is Cosmos Agencia Maritima based in Peru. They provide a broad range of services to their clients including ship husbandry, cargo transportation and storage, machinery and equipment rental, supply of fuel and parts, and diving services. A common request they receive is for underwater inspections of hulls, propellers, and bow thrusters. While performing repair work, a diver may drop a part or tool, which quickly disappears into the silty bottom. When this happens, an underwater metal locator is required to find the missing item.

Cosmos recently procured a JW Fishers PT-1 pipe tracking magnetometer for their search and recovery projects. Francisco Paolillo Tapia, manager of special operations, reports the PT-1 is excellent for finding anchors, chains and other objects buried in the seabed. “This instrument helps us find the missing part quickly. Our divers used to spend a lot of time probing the muddy bottom searching for a lost tool or anchor. Now they find it fast using the mag, which saves us time and money.”

North Carolina’s Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) was established in the early 1970s with a varied mission that includes preserving the state’s historical and cultural resources. A high profile project being undertaken by NCDCR’s Underwater Archaeology Branch is the recovery of artifacts from the wreck site of Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge. One of the instruments the team is employing is the PT-1. A key advantage of this magnetometer is its ability to pinpoint artifacts in areas that may be strewn with many iron and steel targets. Other mags can have trouble differentiating between the multiple pieces of ferrous metal on a wreck, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint individual targets. This hand-held magnetometer is the ideal tool to locate all of the ferrous objects at the site including anchors and chains, cannons, cannon balls, ship’s stoves, and the iron hardware used in construction of the vessel. The first anchor from the Queen Anne’s Revenge was recently raised from the muddy bottom where it had by lying for the last 300 years.


Based in The Netherlands, DUC Diving has more than 25 years experience in commercial diving operations and an established reputation for successful and timely completion of projects. The company offers a range of services in underwater work including technical support, engineering, and inspections. Last year DUC added a Fisher side scan sonar to their extensive line of equipment in order to perform a survey operation. “We were very pleased with the sonar’s performance and the support of Fishers team”, says DUC Diving’s owner Henk Kapitein. “When another job came up that required a magnetometer, we chose the PT-1 knowing it would be rugged and reliable.” Using the hand-held mag DUC’s team of underwater specialists was able to locate and mark the position of a pipeline running under the seafloor to prevent it from being damaged during a dredging operation. Divers not only tracked the route of the pipe, but also found and removed a number of junk objects from the ocean bottom that could have damaged the dredge.

For more information on the PT-1 or any of Fishers underwater search systems go to www.jwfishers.com. For more information on Cosmos Agencia Maritima go to www.cosmos.com.pe. For more information on NCDCR go to www.ncdcr.gov. For more information on Duc Diving go to www.ducdiving.com.

Civil War and World War II shipwrecks are being analysed with sonar technology to provide never-before-seen detailed images

Daily Mail Online: Civil War and World War II shipwrecks are being analysed with sonar technology to provide never-before-seen detailed images

Historic shipwrecks are being analysed with incredible sonar technology to create images described as almost photographic.
The shipwrecks will appear vivid and three-dimensional, showing even more detail than diving at some of the sites off North Carolina and Virginia, could provide.
Federal researchers are using sonars to gather data that will result in images - and one day video - of the shipwrecks. These will likely end up on-line and in museums.

Not everybody dives, and so that's why we embrace technologies like this that are cutting edge, cost effective and give you a three-dimensional sense of that ship on the bottom,’ said James Delgado of the government's Maritime Heritage Program.

‘The kinds of imagery — it's almost photographic.’
The sites are World War II shipwrecks off North Carolina and Civil War shipwrecks in Virginia.

Some of the major shipwrecks:
Battle of Hampton Roads - March 8, 1862: The USS Cumberland (part of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron) was sunk after being rammed by the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) killing 120 men.
CSS Florida - November 19, 1864: a Confederate commerce raider, the ship sunk after it collided with a U.S. Navy troop ferry
The Battle of Atlantic - July 14 1942: a merchant convoy of 19 ships and five military escorts left the Hampton Roads area of Virginia en route to Key West, Florida., to deliver cargo to aid the war effort. A German U-boat submarine attacked the convoy the next day off Cape Hatteras. The German boat was then sunk, along with an American merchant boat and a Panamanian tanker depth charges dropped by U.S. Navy aircraft. The ships are situated in North Carolina's Outer Banks.

- This was a decisive battle turning the tides for the Allied Forces on the American coastline.

These are sites that are miles out into the sea and so unless you're a diver you're likely not to going to be aware of them even,' said Alexis Catsambis, an underwater archaeologist for the U.S. Navy.
'Many people may not know that there were (German) U-boats off the coast of North Carolina during World War II that created a number of casualties,’ she added.


On Tuesday, researchers headed to North Carolina's Outer Banks to begin creating images of ships sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic.
They have identified potential shipwrecks from the battle and the 3-D mapping will help them determine exactly what they're looking at.
One of the escorts for the World War II KS-520 convoy was the Coast Guard cutter, Triton (pictured)
‘There's 400 years of ships sunken off the coast here, so it could be anything. You never know what you're going to get,’ said Joseph Hoyt, maritime archaeologist for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

Eventually, researchers hope to develop 3-D video of individual Battle of the Atlantic shipwrecks.
The researchers used the sonar to map Civil War shipwrecks in the murky waters of the James River near Newport News, Virginia on Monday.
The research will hopefully find new ways to protect the wrecks, of growing interest as the nation prepares to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War

‘In terms of the guys who died in the Cumberland that day, not only are they heroes, but they're sons and fathers and grandsons and nephews and they left families who are still with us today and their stories resonate,’ Delgado said.
The ships are protected by federal law, but resources are limited.

Researchers hope that by being able to better tell the ships' stories with new visualizations that they won't be looted or damaged by divers or unknowing fishermen.

If people don't have a personal connection to it, they don't care about it,’ said David Alberg of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

‘By doing these types of projects, getting that information out there, that's helping to educate the public, which is ultimately the most important tool to protecting the site.’
Often popular as dive sites, the new images will mean less damage to the wrecks and will aid scientists to preserve them better.

The technology also allows the public to view shipwrecks in waters that aren't very clear.

Cannon Pulled From Mystery Shipwreck

(this story is from June 28, 2011)
News 4 Jax: Cannon Pulled From Mystery Shipwreck
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Artifacts from a mystery shipwreck about 200 years old pulled from underwater off the coast of St. Augustine are revealing details about the nation's past.

Archaeologists reeling in the artifacts said they possibly date back to the American Revolution. Now, they're working to solve the puzzle.

"It's just an exciting shipwreck. I mean, this is an exciting day," said Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program.

For Meide, a cannon raised from the second-oldest shipwreck was quite the catch. The artifact came from the vessel buried about 30 feet below the surface.

"It's a totally different world when you go from that silent dark world underwater, and you're just vaguely seeing these ghost-like outlines of these features, then all of a sudden we see it really clearly for the very first time," Meide said.

To lift the cannon, which weighs nearly 2,000 pounds, off the seafloor and out of the ocean, the team utilized a 36-foot former shrimp boat to pull the weight.

"It's very different than treasure hunting," said Kathy Fleming, executive director of the First Light Maritime Society. "We're after information, and it's also fun to look at cannons and to imagine life."

Fleming believes the story behind the ship the group found in 2009 can help guide historians and entertain tourists traveling to the nation's oldest port region.

"You really get a chance to look at how people lived, and I think people enjoy that," Fleming said.

While it's believed the ship may be British, American or Spanish, the true origin of objects found on board, including a second cannon, pewter spoons and copper cookware, remain a mystery, making it anyone's guess.

"I have a feeling that maybe this is a British loyalist vessel, so kind of a refugee vessel that was taking British loyalists during the American Revolution from other colonies down here to Florida, which was still a loyal British colony," Meide said.

Archaeologists hope the cannon with distinguishing markings will be the key to the secrets of the ship.

Although two of the cannons are back on land, there are still four more underwater, which means the discovery process is not over yet.

170-Yr-Old Shipwrecked Beer Reveals No Live Yeast Cells, Seawater Contamination

Underwater Times: 170-Yr-Old Shipwrecked Beer Reveals No Live Yeast Cells, Seawater Contamination
OTANIEMI, Finland -- The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has examined one of five bottles of beer salvaged last summer by divers from the wreck of a ship that sank an estimated 170 years ago in the Åland Islands. The examination yielded a wealth of detail about the beer, even indications of how it was brewed. The research will continue by examining another bottle.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland was commissioned by the Government of Åland to study the composition of the shipwreck beer and identify the type of yeast used to brew it. The aim of this project was to study what early 19th-century beer was like and whether its production process could be reverse-engineered and the beer replicated.

The study involved an analysis of the physico-chemical properties of the beer and microbiological and DNA analyses of the beer, bottle and cork. In particular, the aim was to isolate any living microbes found.

The bottle contained a liquid that was a beautiful pale golden colour, identified as beer because of the presence of malt sugars, aromatic compounds and hops typical of the beverage.

The beer in the bottle examined has not stood the test of time well, and it was contaminated by salt from sea water.

Dead yeast cells were discovered in the beer, indicating fermentation that took place long ago. Live lactic acid bacteria were found in the beer. Especially in earlier times, lactic acid bacteria were often present in beer fermentation alongside brewing yeast.

It would appear that the contents of the bottle examined by VTT were in a worse condition than those of the bottle that broke during the course of the dive.

The examination will continue with the opening of a second bottle retrieved from the wreck. This may yield new findings. The goal remains the discovery of living yeast cells.