The DWP course is an intense weeklong program that teaches the basics of underwater archaeology. This program usually consists of two day of dry instruction, and three days of diving data collection, ending with the final drawings of a wreck site. Students learn basic principles of underwater archaeological methods, ship construction, theory, and hands on archaeological drafting. Graduates can then participate in other missions to gain experience.
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Field Mission #1:
On September 18, 2012 thru September 20, 2012, four members of DWP joined National Oceanic Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) cultural resource managers on a mission to map the wreck known as Mike’s Wreck in an effort to discover its identity. The team mapped 60 feet of the stern section of a estimated 300-foot long wreck in water 11 to 27 feet deep. Evidence documented during the mission pointed towards the ship being the Hannah M. Bell. The site dimensions matched very closely to Hannah M. Bell’s as-built specifications and the site’s construction characteristics matched the historically reported characteristics of Hannah M. Bell. No other vessels of similar characteristics to Hannah M. Bell were found during historical research to have wrecked at Elbow Reef.
Participants Matthew Lawrence – NOAA/ONMS Archaeologist, Brenda Altmeier – NOAA/ONMS FKNMS Maritime Heritage Coordinator Jay Haigler, – Lead DWP Instructor NOAA Scientific Diver Paul Washington – DWP Instructor Scientific Diver Ernest Franklin) – DWP Instructor NOAA Scientific Diver Kamau Sadiki – DWP Instructor NOAA Scientific Diver Erik Densen – Lead DWP Instructor NOAA Scientific Diver Dr. A Jose Jones – DWP Instructor Kenneth Stewart – DWP Program Director Kim Walker – DWP Instructor NOAA Scientific Diver Gayle Patrick – DWP Instructor and Lead Draftsperson John Buchannan DWP Instructor Scientific Diver Albert Dobbins DWP Instructor Kramer Wimberley DWP Instructor Andy Lyons DWP Instructor Chris Searles DWP Instructor Melody Garrett UAS Scientific Diver Ken Futch Chris Searles UAS Scientific Diver Lisa Mcloughlin Shirikiana Gerima UAS Scientific Diver Dawn Rose Riane Tyler Rebecca Hunter Walter Mason…
Field Mission #2:
On May 18, 2014, thru May 20, 2014, 22 members of DWP again joined with ONMS staff to continue mapping the Hannah M. Bell. This time the work was done through the DWP Training Program Course, which allowed for a larger team. The objective of the mission was to map the forward half of the ship with a concentration on the larger pieces. The team successfully mapped 210’ of the wreck from the bow toward the stern abutting the section that was mapped in 2012.
