Geophysical survey at the Scottish Association of Marine Science

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As our first visit of the 2014 fieldwork of the SAMPHIRE the team had the chance to call into to the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) at Dunstaffnage, near Oban. There we met Dr John Howe, Senior Lecturer and John Beaton, Senior Oceanographic Technician. They will be partnering up with us in July to help local divers and historians investigate wrecks in the Firth of Lorn. We had the privilege to be given a tour of their facilities, including some state of the art underwater survey equipment they hold. Here John Beaton explains the workings of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) capable of very high resolution 3D data capture.

SAMPHIRE talk at the Scottish Institute of Marine Science

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We are starting our community engagement on the west coast of Scotland tomorrow and can be seen at harbours, coastal towns and heritage centres around the south-western Highlands and Argyll and Bute over the next eight days. As part of this phase we are giving a series of talks in several different locations.

At 2pm on Friday 23rd of May we will give an hour long talk at the Scottish Association of Marine Science, one of Europe’s leading marine science research organisations and one of the oldest oceanographic organisations in the world. The talk will form part of their Spring Seminar Series. If you are in the Oban area please come along to see some of our exciting marine archaeological results from last year and to hear about amazing wrecks and other sites we will be researching and diving at this year. We will be working with SAMS dive team and if you are interested in participating as a volunteer, on foot or underwater get in touch through the website. No booking is required, the talk is free and will be held in the SAMS offices at Dunstaffnage.

Diver training with the Nautical Archaeology Society

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Project SAMPHIRE is all about building bridges between professional maritime archaeologists and the local communities with knowledge about archaeological sites. Although we mainly focus on sharing of information, we also work with groups like the Nautical Archaeology Society (https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/) who offer training to those who want to get even more involved.

Dr Dan Atkinson and John McCarthy (from WA Coastal & Marine and the SAMPHIRE Project), and Steve Liscoe (Fife Council), are also tutors for the NAS and last weekend we ran a one day Nautical Archaeology Society Introduction course for a group of recreational divers. The day included a mix of theory and practical sessions. We spent the morning going over the basics of maritime archaeology, including how to survey a site and then moved to Musselburgh Pool to put the theory into practice. This course was supported by Historic Scotland.

You can see more images from the training course here.

 

Flying boats

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One of the flying boats we will be investigating this summer with our friends at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, the Nautical Archaeology Society (through Lochaline Dive Centre) and local divers. The newly surveyed sites including a Catalina and a Sunderland. See some more details on the SAMS website at https://www.maremap.ac.uk/view/activities/news/20140127_wreck.html

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A side scan sonar image showing one of the flying boats lying on the seabed near Oban. ©SAMS.

If you have any further info on these sites please contact us through the contact page above.

COALIE – a new project for the New Year

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Following the success of the Project SAMPHIREs intertidal survey at Hunterston Sands in September last year we have launched a new, dedicated project, the COALIE (Coastal Archaeological Landscapes: Intertidal & Estuarine) Survey Project in partnership with RCAHMS.

The project focuses on investigating coastal and marine heritage on the North Ayrshire coast between Largs and Ardrossan.

We’re particularly interested in placing the sites we examine in a broad historical and geographical context, sites such as abandoned harbours, beacons,  fishtraps and other structures. Much of this archaeology is underwater for much of the time and difficult to interpret without detailed historical research or local knowledge.

That is why we are working with local individuals and community groups to integrate their knowledge and experience with marine and coastal archaeology specialists at WA Coastal & Marine and RCAHMS.

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved in field surveys or have finds and sites you would like to look into in more detail in this area of the Outer Clyde please get in touch.

We’re particularly interested in shipwrecks, lost harbours, old fishtraps and other sites and finds along this coastline: we want to hear from you.

A panoramic view of the possible harbour site at Hunterston Sands (WA C&M 2013).

Two more years of SAMPHIRE!

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Today the Project SAMPHIRE team has issued an official press release announcing the successful completion of the first season and the award of funding for 2014/2015. The Crown Estate has announced a further seventy-five thousand pounds over two years, allowing the Project SAMPHIRE team to continue their investigations on the west coast until the end of 2015. This takes the total amount to over a hundred thousand pounds.

Over the last year the SAMPHIRE team has been meeting with local people on the west coast – including harbour masters, coastguards and diving enthusiasts – asking them to share their knowledge of anything interesting or curious beneath the water.  This has led to the discovery of more than 40 archaeological sites including wooden shipwrecks, cannons, ancient anchors, fish traps and more recent small fishing vessels.  A digital copy of the report has now been released containing a detailed account of the discoveries.

Some of the most notable sites investigated over 2013 include:

  • A series of metal-hulled shipwrecks near Loch Torridon from the 19th/ early 20th centuries;
  • Wreckage from a large unidentified 19th century wooden ship wreck near Kinlochbervie Harbour and a similar site at Loch Laxford;
  • A ballast mound in the shape of a boat near Lochinver of unknown date;
  • Remains of two early 20th century steam drifters on the beaches of the Isle of Lewis and near Applecross;
  • A large 17th or early 18th century anchor spotted in the garden of a house near Kinlochbervie which we were subsequently able to trace back to its discovery by a trawlerman who was able to give us coordinates for where it was found and which is thought to indicate a wreck site;
  • A Napoleonic cannon on the main street of Shieldaig, well-known to locals but mistakenly thought to be from the Spanish Armada and previously unknown to archaeologists; and,
  • Two World War II flying boats on the seabed near Oban.

This year the team plans to work with communities around Oban and the Inner Hebrides but is also asking the public to report any previously unrecorded marine archaeological sites from other parts of Scotland, particularly on the west coast.

The 90-page report has been distributed to individuals who made significant contributions to the project and also to community archives in Skye and the Highlands to complete the information exchange. The team’s findings will also be made available through the RCAHMS archive.

Project SAMPHIRE is led by WA Coastal & Marine in partnership with RCAHMS and Flinders University, and funded by The Crown Estate.