Tag Archives: marine

Phase 2 – complete!

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Phase 2 of the 2013 season of the SAMPHIRE project is now complete. The team is now back in Edinburgh and looking forward to starting analysis of all the data that we have been given.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the community members who have taken the time to talk to us. We have been invited into people’s homes, offices and boats and given a warm reception everywhere we went. With the help of Scotland’s west coast maritime community we have been able to collate a huge amount of new information on Scotland’s marine heritage. In the coming weeks and months we will be going through all the data and making sense of it and then picking locations to investigate and dive on during Phase 3.

As part of this we will be meeting up with and hopefully working with the people who first reported these selected sites. By the end of this year we will feed our work into the online national databases of archaeological sites and will also pass the enhanced information back to the communities who gave it to us in the first place.

Dunvegan – 14th May 2013

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We made a quick dash over to Dunvegan to catch Willy Murdo, a local fisherman said by locals in Portree to have a comprehensive knowledge of the west coast of Skye. We caught him just as he returned to Dunvegan harbour and he kindly invited us up to his house above the town. He showed us fragments of two wrecks which had come up in his fishing gear and then we sat down over the charts and added a few more points to our map. We have a long drive to Oban ahead of us tonight but have had another great day with plenty of results.

Willy Murdo shares his knowledge of the west coast of Skye.

Portree – 14th May 2013

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We started the day in Portree by calling in to the harbour master Ron Henderson and coastguard Davie Urquhart. Davie and Ron went over the charts with us and highlighted a number of wreck sites which were not charted. We then had a chat with local prawn fisherman James Corrigall. James brought us on to his boat and was able to give us exact coordinates for most of the sites from his GPS plus a few extra.

Investigating maritime heritage in Portree, Skye.

Applecross to Dornie – 13th May 2013

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The SAMPHIRE team made several stops this morning. Starting from Applecross we crossed over the spectacular snowy mountain pass at Bealach.

Crossing the pass at Bealach.

We descended to Lochcarron and spoke with a local commercial diver. We then moved on to Plockton where we met up with John, a creel fisherman from Torridon who knew of several wrecks further north which we marked on our charts. After dropping in to chat with the good folk at Calum’s Plockton Seal Trips we drove on to Dornie, beside the amazing Eilean Donan Castle, to meet Matt Baron, an instructor at Dornie Divers.

The in-depth knowledge of local maritime communities.

Dornie Divers are a relatively new sub-aqua club and are focused on discovering new wreck dive sites in the area. We had a great chat with Matt and will be following up on the sites he has reported to us, including a possible lead on a submerged flying boat. We are now heading on to Skye where we will stay for the night at Portree.

Applecross – 12th May 2013

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After finishing recording of the cannons in Shieldaig we made for Applecross. The weather took a turn for the worse but we pressed on. Our first stop was the Applecross Heritage Centre which was unfortunately closed although we spotted an interesting anchor outside in the grounds.

Investigating the maritime history of Applecross.

We then met up with local archaeologist Nick Goldthorpe who is a font of knowledge and has a number of possible leads on unrecorded local underwater archaeological sites. Nick also introduced us to several local fishermen who had accurate locations for several recorded losses. The fishermen also gave us some local knowledge on an old double-ended boat lying near the Applecross Inn. By the time we were finished the sun had come back out to reveal stunning views across to Raasay. We will head on for Dornie in the morning to meet some of the local divers.

North Kessock – 10th May 2013

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On the 10th of May the SAMPHIRE team gave an hour-long talk on marine archaeology, the SAMPHIRE project and recent work we have done in Scotland to the Inverness branch of the British Sub-Aqua club. The venue was the beautifully-situated Kessock Lifeboat Station under Kessock Bridge.

The SAMPHIRE team talking with the Inverness BSAC at North Kessock.

Dr. Simon Davidson spoke about the background to the project and John McCarthy gave a presentation on work done last year at Drumbeg. The Inverness club is the largest in the Highlands and over 30 divers attended the talk. We also gave out flyers from the SAMPHIRE project and also from related projects by our colleagues at the Nautical Archaeology Society and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Many of the divers expressed an interest in joining up with the SAMPHIRE team later in the year.

Scourie-Elphin-Ullapool – 9th May 2013

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The SAMPHIRE team spent a busy day meeting with divers and boat skippers in Scourie, Elphin and Ullapool.

'The SAMPHIRE team visiting a scallop diver at his home near the village of Scourie to go over the details of a previously unreported historic wreck site.

The team were kindly invited to Elphin by friends Russel & Bridie to discuss the maritime heritage of the area.

Going over the nautical charts in Elphin and enjoying the stunning landscape.

After discovering some leads for future surveys the team then made their way to Ullapool for even more meetings through the beautiful landscape of northwest Scotland.

Lochinver to Ullapool.

The in-depth knowledge of the marine environment and local maritime history held by divers, boat skippers and other members of the marine community is already producing fascinating stories and leads for the project; with the local community at the heart of the next stages of SAMPHIRE.

People like Andy Venters and his sons running a dive charter boat in Ullapool, and local divers provide detailed knowledge of the local maritime environment that can’t be gleaned from paper charts and archives, helping to bring maritime history to life.

Investigating the maritime history around Ullapool with local dive skipper Andy Venters and family, and local divers.

Drumbeg – Lochinver 9th May 2013

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Last nights talk in Drumbeg Village Hall was a full house; around 50 people and standing room only. Thanks to all of you who came along.

Standing room only in the Drumbeg Village Hall for the Project SAMPHIRE talk.

Today the team have been in Lochinver meeting with the local maritime community. The first few days have already produced new leads on historic shipwrecks in the area and some new sites to investigate.

Project SAMPHIRE in Lochinver, investigating the maritime history of the area with the local community.

The team spent some time talking to the Highland Council dive team working in Lochinver harbour about their experiences and extensive maritime knowledge of the region.

The Highland Council Dive team discuss the maritime history of the region with the SAMPHIRE team.

Kinlochbervie – 8th May 2013

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The SAMPHIRE team have been out and about in Kinlochbervie today meeting members of the local maritime community who have a deep knowledge of the area.

Kinlochbervie: the Project SAMPHIRE team, investigating the local maritime heritage of northwest Scotland with local community experts.

After 40 years working at sea, boat skipper Jimmy, is hugely knowledgable about the maritime environment of northwest Scotland. He has been sharing this wealth of information with John, Simon and Jonathan, the Project SAMPHIRE team leading to some new leads on previously unknown maritime heritage.

There are plenty of stories to be told on the the maritime heritage of the area.

Tonight the team are in Drumbeg giving a talk on the recent wreck survey. It’s free to attend – all are welcome.

 

About SAMPHIRE

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This summer WA Coastal & Marine begins a new project called SAMPHIRE (Scottish Atlantic Maritime Past: Heritage, Investigation, Research & Education) which will be based in our Edinburgh office and undertaken in collaboration with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). Project SAMPHIRE is supported by The Crown Estate’s Marine Stewardship Fund.

SAMPHIRE

SAMPHIRE will enable professional underwater archaeologists to engage with local maritime communities on the west coast of Scotland and aims to support the identification, investigation, conservation and appreciation of Scotland’s marine heritage. By working collaboratively we hope to reinforce a shared sense of stewardship of those underwater archaeological sites. This will enhance the record and support future management of the underwater cultural heritage in Scotland.

Diver survey, Copyright Historic Scotland, (J. Benjamin 2012)

The Drumbeg wreck site: a community find has led to a fantastic discovery: copyright Historic Scotland (J.Benjamin 2012)

Previous Work

Outer Hebrides Coastal Community Marine Archaeology Pilot ran from 2011-2012

The project has been informed by our experience on the recently completed pilot study in the Outer Hebrides; the OHCCMAPP produced records for previously unrecorded archaeology. This was done through successful partnership working between heritage professionals and local communities.

Some of our other Scottish diving work has also been in the news; download some of the reports here: