NAS News Archive
Sound of Mull Archaeological Project (SOMAP)
The Sound of Mull Archaeological Project (SOMAP) was carried
out between 1994 and 2005 to map and assess the condition of a
wide range of underwater and inter tidal wrecks and coastal
structures in the Sound of Mull, on Scotland's north-west coast.
The study was undertaken by many volunteers under the auspices of
the Nautical Archaeology Society and demonstrates the value of
projects carried out by trained enthusiasts.
This account of the project combines the results of
documentary research into archives and old photographs, high
resolution marine geophysics, and measured surveys both on land
and underwater. A total of 16 wrecks and four sites were examined
and are summarised, with detailed accounts of three sites of
wrecks or shipping-related debris of particular interest. There
are 50 black and white and 53 colour illustrations, including
remote-sensing images. The book is accompanied by an interactive
CD-ROM which includes further remote-sensing images.
More information available in this extract from the NAS Newsletter
(2008.2):
SOMAP Newsletter article
This volume is the first in a series of NAS monographs and is
available to order now from the NAS:
Order form
The SOMAP Project and the SOMAP monograph have been made
possible by grant support from Historic Scotland
HMS Swift: Linking the potteries to Patagonia
The story of the loss and archaeological excavation of an 18th century British warship.
This lecture will bring to life the extraordinary story of HMS Swift, including her loss in 1770 off Patagonia, her discovery and subsequent archaeological research including the recovery of rare Wedgwood style pottery.
Event Date: Monday 7 July 2008
Time: 7.30-9.30pm
Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, Wolverhampton City Campus
Speakers: Dr. Dolores Elkin and Professor Chris Underwood
National Institute of Anthropology, Argentina.
Entry to the public lecture is FREE, but places must be pre-booked with Julie Hayward.
For more information 
Heritage At Risk Project to be launched on July 8th
What causes prehistoric burial mounds gradually to disappear? What makes ruined castles and abbeys crumble? What constitutes a serious threat to a historic park or the site of a 17th century shipwreck?
English Heritage is sharpening its tools for the protection of England’s heritage at risk. It is creating the first all-encompassing register of the country’s neglected or decaying historic treasures and introducing new ways to save them. Its Heritage At Risk project, to be launched on Tuesday 8 July 2008, will make England the only country in Europe to have a comprehensive knowledge of the state of its protected heritage and the analysis to save this precious and finite resource for the future.
Heritage At Risk
Shared Heritage Seminar
8th July 2008, University of Wolverhampton
Organised by English Heritage and the University of Wolverhampton, ‘Shared Heritage’ will focus on joint responsibilities in the management of British Warship wrecks overseas. Case studies will include the management of sites in Argentina, Australia, South Africa and the United States. The seminar will be held on the 8th July 2008, at the University of Wolverhampton. Follow the link for more information.
Please see the seminar’s outline attached and note that entry is free. For registrations, please contact Julie Hayward Wolverhampton University.
Shared Heritage Seminar
Winter Newsletter
The recovery and survey of the carpow logboat or the Cholne iron-age logboat found in Russia are two of the things for you to discover this winter. Also, share the enthusiasm of the NAS international exchange of 2007 in the Netherlands, and remember the Annual NAS Conference highlights.
Member's Area
IKUWA3: Registrations are open!
The 3rd International Congress on Underwater
Archaeology is to be held at University College London from 10-12
July 2008. The Congress will be preceded by a 3-day professional
development field school, and followed by excursions including a
visit to the Mary Rose. Please visit the IKUWA3 website for registrations or
for more information.
IKUWA3 page
NAS Awarded £15k World Congress Grant from the British
Academy
The NAS is proud to announce that it has
recently been awarded a £15,000 World Congress Grant from
the British Academy to part-fund the Third International Congress
on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA3), the most prestigious event of
its kind.
Project managed by the NAS, in collaboration with the IFA,
UCL, and supported by English Heritage, DEGUWA, HWTMA, and an
active steering committee, the event will be held in London from
the Thursday 10th July to Saturday 12th July 2008. This will be
preceded by a Professional Development Field School from Monday
7th to Wednesday 9th July and followed by two days of excursions
(Sunday 13th July and Monday 14th July 2008). A call for papers
will be made in June 2007.
This will be the largest event of its kind to ever be held in
Britain, and one not to be missed. Any questions about the event
should be directed to Sarah Ward at the NAS, or visit the
IKUWA3.
IKUWA 3
NAS supports 'Shared Heritage' Seminar
Organised by English Heritage and the
University of Wolverhampton, ‘Shared
Heritage’ will focus on joint responsibilities in the
management of British Warship wrecks overseas. Case studies will
include the management of sites in Argentina, Australia, South
Africa and the United States. The seminar will be held on the 8th
July 2008, at the University of Wolverhampton. Follow the link
for more information.
Shared Heritage
Seminar
LIDS - The London International Dive Show
Tickets for the London Dive Show can be purchased using Tesco
Club Card points. Excellent value for money, don’t you
think?
Visit the Dive Show website for more information.
London Dive Show
Japanese midget submarine M24: discovery and site management
strategies
This submarine was one of three that took part in a raid on
Sydney Harbour in 1942. Two of the submarines were destroyed in
the harbour but the fate of the third submarine remained a
mystery for many years.
In late 2006 it was discovered by divers off Sydney’s
northern beaches and the New South Wales Heritage Office and the
Federal Department for Environment and Water Resources have been
jointly engaged in subsequent investigation and management.
In addition to State and Federal heritage protection, on-site
sonar buoys detect any possible intrusions within a designated
protection zone around the site. The buoys monitor unauthorised
entries into the area and record photographic images of any such
intrusions.
Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers are assisting with
surveys of the site and have provided invaluable video
documentation. The results will soon be available through a
preliminary Wreck Inspection Report.
Tim Smith and David Nutley
NAS participates in the first Underwater
Archaeology Training Program in Taiwan
The NAS is honoured to have been involved in
the first Underwater Archaeology Training Program conducted in
early March 2007 in Taiwan.
The program was sponsored by the National Center for Research
and Preservation of Cultural Properties, carried out by the
Institute of History & Philology of Academia Sinica, aiming
to train seeds for future underwater archaeological conduct in
Taiwan.
Program coordinator, Ms. WANG Yu (Jackie) of IHP of Academia
Sinica, designed the course covering 100 hours diving training
and another 100 hours underwater archaeological courses,
including basic theories, field techniques, marine environment,
underwater technology, and some regional case studies. Covered
topics as diverse and necessary as the maritime history and
trade, underwater cultural heritage policy and management,
Chinese tradeware, history and structure of the ship, underwater
site survey, positioning and excavation, photogrammetry, first
aid and conservation, marine climatology, working vessel and
barge, application of remote sensing tools, and the integration
of field data using GIS.
Participants also were presented with a number of case studies
including the Batavia (Jeremy Green), the Kublai Khan fleet /
Takashima Island (Kenzo Hayashida), Nanhai 1 (Chang Wei), the San
Diego (Ray Santiago) and the Mary Rose (Sarah Ward).
The training program was followed by a short field season in
the Penghu Archipelago (Pescadores), an infertile but
strategically important place in the midst of the Taiwan Strait.
It has been a colonial frontier since historic times, and was
part of the international maritime route between Southeast Asia
and Northeast Asia during the Age of Exploration.
Jackie will talk more about both the training program and
Penghu when she is here in November.
For more information, visit the Academia Sinica website.
Academia Sinica
Benchmarking Competency in Maritime Archaeology
As part of the ‘benchmarking
competency’ public consultation, the Society has
prepared an electronic survey designed to capture your views on
competency in maritime archaeology. Anyone interested in
archaeology, education, training, standards, and the historic
environment is invited to participate. The survey is downloadable
from the benchmarking pages of the website.
Benchmarking Competency
In Poseidons Reich XIII
The next DEGUWA annual conference IN POSEIDONS REICH XIII will
be held on 16th-17th February 2008 in the emerging International
Maritime Museum in Hamburg. The venue could not conform more to
the occasion, for it is located in the Speicherstadt -
the 19th century dockland area of Hamburg and the world largest
wharf storehouse complex built on oak logs.
A range of international experts will present the results of
the most recent underwater and nautical archaeological research,
ranging from ancient ship models and modern
reconstructions, personal belongings in shipwrecks to - last not
least - the progress of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection
of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Please visit the DEGUWA website for more
details
Autumn Newsletter is out
This fall, the NAS Newsletter will take you to Akko Harbour in
Israel, to Irish National Park and to Uruguay. You may also read
about a newly published ship model or have practical information
about the NAS Annual General Meeting. to discover all NAS news,
visit the member's area.
Member's Area
Stourhead 2007
Stourhead 2007 was held over the late May bank holiday week
and saw a small but committed team of NAS volunteers (both
Stourhead regulars and new faces) investigate features of the
submerged landscape using marine geophysics (sub
bottom profiler and sidescan sonar), diver- and snorkeller-led
ground truthing and underwater excavation.
As ever, outreach was an important part of the project and
included a day long "reverse survey" project to map out a full
size outline of the (long gone) Chinese Bridge.
The project featured in broadcasts and web coverage on
BBC television news and
BBC Wiltshire Radio. Watch a video on
BBC news England and visit the Stourhead pages for more
information.
Stourhead Page
International Exchange Programme
Fancy visiting the Viking Ship Museum, Oslo?
On August 4 and 5, the NAS will visit the home of the Oseberg,
Gokstad and Tune Ships, and the Borre Find. If you are
interested in northwest European shipbuilding and/or in maritime
archaeology, this is the trip for you. It will be followed by a
walking tour of Oslo and will be accredited as Part 2
Conference/Museum day. Contact the NAS Office for more
information.
Contact
Page
NAS 2007 Annual Conference Tickets on sale now!
Featuring presentations from a range of
professional and amateur archaeologists, the NAS 2007
Annual Conference will provide an opportunity to discuss
research, review the archaeological activities of members and
exchange ideas on managing our maritime heritage on both a
national and international level. If you enjoyed last
year’s event, why not book your place now? Follow the link
for more information…
NAS Conference
2007
NAS 2007 Annual Conference
The NAS 2007 Annual Conference will provide
an opportunity to discuss research, review the archaeological
activities of members, exchange ideas on managing our maritime
heritage. Doors open at 8am Saturday 10th November. Follow the
link for the joining instructions, and
don’t forget to bring photographic ID.
Nas Conference 2007
New Ground: 2007 Archaeological conference in Sydney,
Australia
The 2007 conference (21-26 September), is shaping up to be a
bottler! About 150 papers are expected to be presented from
archaeologists specialising in almost every conceivable area of
archaeological investigation in Australia as well as from a
number of other countries.
As anticipated by the organising committee, the papers do
focus on the results of groundbreaking research and making
connections between the diverse array of archaeologies
practiced.They also look towards opportunities for future
studies, promotion and conservation practice. In addition to
sessions relevant to archaeology both on land and underwater,
specific maritime themes include new developments regarding
submerged landscapes.
Watch out for a real ‘eye-opener’, ground-breaking
presentation visualising sea level changes and find out about
other new Australia work in this area as well as in Florida.
See how the Croatian’s are housing and protecting some
of their underwater sites in cages and learn about some
innovative use of technology to provide hi-tech surveillance of
remote, underwater sites... and much, much more!
Online registrations are now open at the web site
(website no longer available, 2008) and details of the program
and abstracts will be available shortly.
Get in early to get the ‘early bird’ rates.
David Nutley
Forton Lake Project - Season 2007 -
Between the 7th-15th July the NAS will be
returning to Forton Lake in Gosport, Hampshire. Investigations
in 2007 will focus on recording of a number of the vessels that
where catalogued during 2006 plus excavation of the remains on
the southern bank of the lake. Join us on site from the 7th July
or come to the open day on the 15th July.
Forton Lake
Page
Membership Renewal
Have you renewed your NAS Membership?
Membership Renewals are now overdue. If you have yet to renew,
please complete a new Membership form (available for download on
the Membership page) and return to the NAS Office as soon as
possible. The ‘Spring 2007’ Newsletter is now
available online to renewed members only. So, why wait?
It’s great reading. Renew your subscription now!
Membership Form (PDF 160kb)
Stourhead 2007
Stourhead 2007 was held over the late May
bank holiday week and saw a small but committed team of NAS
volunteers (both Stourhead regulars and new faces) investigate
features of the submerged landscape using marine geophysics (sub
bottom profiler and sidescan sonar), diver- and snorkeller-led
ground truthing and underwater excavation.
Stourhead
Page
Joan Du Plat Taylor Awards open now!
Members are invited to apply for the annual
award designed to assist with specific costs incurred whilst
undertaking research and can be made in support of either UK or
international projects. On completion, successful candidates must
submit a 500 word report for publication. Application forms are
available from the NAS Office. The Award closes 31st May
2007.
Last Chance to book on the Netherlands Exchange
Fancy visiting the home of the Dutch East India
Company? From the 20-25 May, the NAS will follow the VOC
trail round the Netherlands, diving Texel Roads, visiting Texel
island, Lelystad, Batavia Wharf, RACM, Nieuwland Erfgoed Centrum
Musuem and we will finish the week by sailing on the Ijsselmeer,
the former Zuiderzee, visiting harbours on the west side of the
former inner-sea and enjoying a special VOC dinner. Contact
us!
New courses time table
The new time table for NAS courses was
launched on Saturday 11th of November, during the NAS Annual
Conference.
Please follow the link to discover our whole program.
Course Diary
"Others Just Dive" - photo competition extended -
More time to participate to the photographic
competition, entries will now close on June 30th 2007. The
winners will be announced during the “Member’s
Week-End” in July 2007. In the meantime, remember…
“Others Just Dive”! For more information or an entry
form, please contact us.
Diving into History - a new initiative from the NAS
Sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund
'Diving Into History' is aimed at the non-divers. Concentrating
on foreshore, maritime cultural landscapes and related sites, the
initiative is intended to show that maritime archaeology
is for everyone, not just the diver! Over the next two years, we
will involve everyone from nine to ninety years of age! Contact
the NAS for more information...
Free Software - Site Recorder 4 SE
It’s not often that you get
something for free, but now you can: free survey
processing software. 3H Consulting Ltd. in association with the
Nautical Archaeology Society have made Site Recorder 4 SE
(Student Edition) available at no cost and the program can simply
be downloaded from the Member’s area of the NAS web
site.
Site Recorder 4 SE
Article
NAS Annual Conference – a success!
Wonderful week-end in Portsmouth, thank you
for participating to this very special event and we already hope
to see you next year! So, for another chance to share and discuss
the talks, activities, drinks and events, note in your diary next
year’s dates: 9th, 10th and 11th of November 2007. Please
contact us for more information.
NAS UARAC Crannog Excavation Project: A Success!
Thanks to all of those who participated
- despite much illness and difficult conditions
Jon, Sarah and the team have uncovered a packwerk crannog
significant structural elements and environmental material. You
can read all about the project in the January issue of the
Nautical Archaeology Newsletter..
Forton Lake Gets support from the lottery!
The Nautical Archaeology Society in
collaboration with the Hampshire and Wight Trust for
Maritime Archaeology have been awarded a £25,000 Local
Heritage Initiative grant by the Countryside Agency on behalf of
the Heritage Lottery Fund to promote the archaeology of Forton
Lake in Gosport, Hampshire.
Stourhead 2006
Landscape Archaeology a hit once again!
Stourhead 2006, was held in glorious sunshine over the May-June
half term. 11,5000 visitors saw our ongoing survey of the
Stourhead landscape, and features lying beneath the garden lake,
with divers, ROV and scanning sonar, and a massive outreach
programme run by over 15 heritage organisations and supported by
the both TimeTeam and the Police divers.
Projects
pages
WreckMap Britain 2006
Divers wanted! Launched in April 2006
WreckMap Britain 2006 is asking every diver in the UK to collect
and report archaeological and biological information about a
wreck site that they dive on between 1st April to 2nd October
2006. The project is supported by Seasearch, Crown Estates, PADI
Project Aware and British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust.
WreckMap Britain
Ederline Crannog Excavation, Loch Awe
Fancy excavating a Crannog? The NAS is proud
to support a short field season (2nd to 23rd September 2006)
aimed at identifying whether in-situ occupation deposits exist on
the crannog at Ederline Boathouse in Loch Awe, Argyll, Scotland.
Depending on the results obtained during this season a more
extensive excavation project is planned for 2007. Contact Sarah
at the Office for more information.
Contact page
WreckMap Britain 2006
Following a successful pilot
scheme in 2005 the NAS is running WreckMap Britain 2006 with the
support of Seasearch, Crown Estates, PADI Project Aware and the
British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust.
WreckMap Britain
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