WreckMap Britain 2006 update
Following a successful pilot scheme in 2005 the NAS ran
WreckMap Britain 2006 with the support of Seasearch, Crown
Estate, PADI Project Aware and the British Sub-Aqua Jubilee
Trust.
The project aimed to get UK divers to collect and report basic
archaeological and biological information about a wreck site that
they dived on during the period from 1st April to 2nd October
2006.
Who participated?
We hoped to encourage as many of the 100,000 active divers in
the UK as possible to participate as a part of their normal
diving activities - just take a recording slate with you when you
do a planned dive on a wreck site, record what you see and then
report it back to us.
Above right: Photograph of a diver conducting an underwater
survey, by Alison Fuller-Shapcott, one of this years winning survey entries.
What was recorded?
We were not expecting divers to attempt a detailed and
accurate survey during your dive. Rather, to record some basic,
but specific, information about what you see and to make a
simple, "swim-over" or profile sketch of the dive site. A special
Wreckmap Britain recording form was prepared to assist in
recording the desired information.
Divers were also encouraged to use whatever photographic or
video equipment they had available to make additional records to
accompany your observations.
How was the data reported?
After the dive, participants simply posted their completed
form (or a transcribed copy) together with any accompanying
photographs or video to the NAS offices. Alternatively, if your
dive record does not contain any sketches or photographic or
video data, you can submit your data through an online reporting
form.
In return for contributing to WreckMap Britain 2006, every
participant will receive a certificate to say that they helped
record Britain's underwater heritage.
What will happen to the data now?
For each dive site recorded, the submitted data is now the
process of being collated and placed on the NAS website where it
will soon be available for anybody to see and use for dive
planning and site interpretation. In addition, for each site:
· biological data will be submitted to the MCS for
inclusion in its SeaSearch project · archaeological data
will be submitted to the appropriate National Archive or local
Historic Environment Record Archive (eg. the local Sites and
Monuments Record).
Project Supporters
Wreckmap Britain 2006 has been supported by the following
organisations:
Were the efforts rewarded?
Thanks to the support of Dive Master Insurance and The Dive
Connection, we were able to offer prizes to the best three
submissions to Wreckmap Britain 2006.
The winner of the first prize was Alison Fuller-Shapcott who
along with buddies from the Kelso and Berwickshire SCOTSAC clubs
recorded the wreck of the President which sank off the
Berwickshire coast near Eyemouth, Scotland (55° 52.185N;
2° 08.400W).
The President was on route to Methil in Fife from Hamburg when
she ran aground in thick fog on 29th June 1928. The wreck is well
broken up with only a few of the deck structures and her two
boilers still visible on the seabed (Shapcott 2006).
Alison and buddies receiving their SeaLife DC500 Pro
underwater digital camera from Bob Archell (Divemaster Insurance)
and Cher Platt (Project Aware) - see photograph above.
The camera was donated by Dive Master Insurance.
Divers that took part in the survey were: Alison and David
Fuller-Shapcott, Dave Bell, Mark Seed, Mike Tuson, John Pringle,
Michelle Imrie, Claire Tuck, James O'Rourke and Iain
Somervail.
WMB2006 1st prize
Second prize went to Sid Payne from Mid Herts Dive Club who
recorded the stern section of the wreck of the P12, off Culver
Cliff on the Isle of Wight 50° 39.40N; 01° 05.00W. The
P12 was a 613 tonne Royal Navy patrol boat which sank in the
eastern Solent in 1918. The broken up wreck lies in about 20-22m
of water and presents a diverse habitat for marine life including
Wrass, Bass, anemones and crabs
Their prize, a Typhoon Elevator BCD was donated by the Dive
Connection in Portsmouth. See photograph right.
Nick Poling from the Dive Connection said “it is
important that we continue to map the wrecks of the Portsmouth
area and continue to monitor their condition for future
generations”
WMB2006 2nd prize
The third prize, consisting of a collection of Larn's
Shipwreck Index of the British Isles was won by Katherine Burns,
from Leicester Underwater Explorers BSAC, who mapped the wreck of
the Glanmire 55° 55.16N; 02° 08.08W
Katherine's detailed, yet simple swim over sketch shows
not only the extent of the physical wreckage of the Glanmire but
also very clearly indicates the presence and location of marine
life.
Above right: Katherine Burns at the Birmingham Dive
Show receiving 3rd prize from Chris Wood, National Seasearch
Coordinator and supporter of WreckMap Britain 2006.
WMB2006 3rd prize
Can I still contibute?
WreckMap Britain will continue! Now that the WreckMap Britain
recording form has been created and information has started to be
added to the database that everybody will be soon be able to see
and use we hope that divers will continue to see the merit in
adding their dives to the database.
WMB Form
The result could potentially be a very useful resource that is
not only a record of what is on the seabed around the UK, but
also as a useful tool in dive planning. You might even find that
you enjoy it.
The database
Edited site reports are now available to the general public
through our online database. The public display is designed to
allow more forms to be added to sites, allowing us to see how
sites change over time and with the seasons:
List of wreck
sites
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