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By My Clay Sun



She's a lady with a past, a glorious, glittering, golden past, languishing inconspicuously on the St. Johns River, tethered to a pier at Green Cove Springs' Clay County Port in the Reynolds Industrial Park.

Originally, she was christened the Arctic Ranger and was nearing the end of her worthy and perilous workhorse career as a Canadian fishing vessel in 1987 when her future took a dramatic change.

She was purchased by a group of marine treasure hunters led by the charismatic adventurer Tommy Thompson and became part of American history stretching back over 130 years to the mid-1800s and the thrilling, rip-snorting days of the California gold rush.

It seems that in September 1857, the S.S. Central America, a sidewheel steamer, hauling California passengers and cargo on the nine-day trip from Panama to New York, met up with a hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas.
 

By Jennifer Walsh


Current measures to prevent and reduce marine debris are inadequate, and the problem will likely worsen, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council.

The United States and the international maritime community should adopt a goal of "zero discharge" of waste into the marine environment, and a system to assess the effectiveness of existing and future marine debris prevention and reduction actions should be implemented.

In addition, better leadership, coordination, and integration of mandates and resources are needed, as responsibilities for preventing and mitigating marine debris are scattered across federal organizations and management regimes. 

"The committee found that despite all the regulations and limitations over the last 20 years, there are still large quantities of waste and litter in the oceans," said Keith Criddle, chair of the committee that wrote the report and the Ted Stevens distinguished Professor of Marine Policy at the Juneau Center for Fisheries and Ocean Science, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

"We concluded that the United States must take the lead and coordinate with other coastal countries, as well as with local and state governments, to better manage marine debris and try to achieve zero discharge."

A National Research Council committee was convened at the request of Congress to assess the effectiveness of international and national measures to prevent and reduce marine debris and its impact. Marine debris, man-made materials that intentionally or accidentally enter and pollute the ocean, can cause significant harm.

For instance, birds, fish, and marine mammals ingest debris, especially plastics, which can lead to digestive problems and uptake of toxic compounds. Animals can also suffer injuries or die after becoming entangled in fishing-related debris such as plastic net fragments, rope, and packing straps.

Marine debris also poses a health and safety hazard to beachgoers and divers, and could impact coastal recreation and tourism revenue.

While marine debris comes from sources both on land and at sea, the committee focused on debris discharged at sea for the purposes of this report.


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By Margaret Turton


The sunken wreck of a 17th-century warship - lying undisturbed at the bottom of crystal-clear Swedish waters - has given up a trove of treasures.

Nothing grows in the layer of sand on the seabed and, just below the sand, glacial and moraine clay preserves the Kronan and its contents.

The ship was pride of the fleet in the era when Sweden was a maritime superpower.

It had three, full-width cannon decks, an armament of up to 128 cannons, and it was big - 53m from bow to stern.

By way of comparison, Endeavour was just over 33m in length, so the Kronan was impressive, by anybody's standards.

Its discovery in 1980 provoked a marine archaeological investigation greater even than that of the Vasa, another Swedish warship that heeled in a violent gust of wind, took on water through its open gun ports and sank on a trial run in 1628, half a century before the Kronan was lost in battle. 

The Vasa was raised from the depths of Stockholm Harbor in 1961 and is now a set piece on any tour of Stockholm.


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From The Times

Divers believe that they have found one of Britain’s most romantic shipwrecks, reputedly laden with jewels owned by the wealthiest and most notorious actress and opera singer of her day.

When The Nancy was dashed to pieces off the Isles of Scilly in February 1784 the victims included Ann Cargill, a singer whose many affairs and elopements had scandalised London.

Her body was recovered a week after the sinking off the uninhabited island of Rosevear, with an infant – believed to be her illegitimate child – cradled in her arms.

But neither The Nancy nor Mrs Cargill’s vast fortune in jewels and cash – amounting to at least £200,000, according to newspapers at the time – was ever found.

Two local divers who claim to have identified the wreck believe that this was because until now searchers have been looking in the wrong place.

From Daily Mail Reporter


A legendary British shipwreck shrouded in mystery and tales of treasure and tragedy for over 200 years has been discovered by a couple of divers.

Treasure hunters, tempests and an infamous beauty all surround the story of the Nancy, who was dashed to smithereens one stormy night in February 1784. When the ship crashed into the jagged Western rocks of the Isles of Scilly it took with it British opera diva Ann Cargill.

The silken-voiced maiden's life and death were a sensation in London at the close of the 18th Century her beauty and scandalous behaviour were renowned - she was the Marilyn Monroe of her day.

When the Nancy was wrecked at Scilly, a fortune said to be 'beyond the dreams of avarice' was also sent to the bottom of the sea.

For centuries, the remains of the ship eluded successive expeditions as divers sought to find the sunken treasure.

But thanks to a mixture of shrewd detective work and skilful diving, Scilly residents Todd Stevens and Ed Cumming have finally discovered the wreck of The Nancy.

The ship was destined for London from India and had 49 people on board, but its most famous passenger was the notorious actress and opera singer.


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By Jannette Pippin


George Purifoy of Morehead City spent the last hours of his life on a dive at the site of one of the area's famous shipwrecks - a poignant end for a man known as a pioneer in North Carolina wreck diving.

"He certainly was a leader in the dive world," said Carteret County Tourism Director Carol Lohr, a longtime friend. "I truly believe he was instrumental in making the wreck diving industry in North Carolina what it is today.

He had a real passion about it, not just the diving, but also the history of the wrecks."

Lohr came to know Purifoy more than 20 years ago as the North Carolina Seafood Festival held on the Morehead City waterfront was being organized.

Lohr said Purifoy, owner of Olympus Dive Center located on the waterfront, was always willing to take writers offshore and do what he could to promote wreck diving, but he was also a big supporter of his community.
 

By Jannette Pippin


The raising of a 12th cannon from the shipwreck presumed to be the Queen Anne's Revenge is one of the expected highlights of a dive expedition that gets under way this week off the coast of Carteret County.

But every trip to the site holds the unexpected, as additional artifacts are uncovered and the shipwreck believed to be the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard is explored from every angle.

"It's an unfolding story," said QAR Project Director Mark Wilde-Ramsing.

The next chapter is a two-month dive expedition that begins this week and continues through Nov. 7.

Wilde-Ramsing said a small crew was began setting up Tuesday morning, and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries' research vessel Shell Point should be available for use starting today.

From Orange Beach Community

The last time this mystery ship was visible was after Hurricane Ivan hit the Alabama Gulf Coast on September 16, 2004.

At that time a much smaller portion of the ship was visible above the sand.

Soon after Ivan revealed this historic treasure, the shifting sand covered the relic again.

Hurricane Ike's waves, this past week, pounded the beaches of the northern Gulf Coast and once again the mystery ship was revealed.

This time however, much more of the ship was uncovered.

This is the most visible the ship has ever been. The roughly 150-foot long, 30-foot wide wooden ship appears to have been powered by steam.

One of the artifacts within the perimeter of the ship's hull appears to be an old water pump.

A long pipe runs down the center of the ship, with smaller pipes found near by. While no one knows for sure what ship this is, historians speculate that the ship was a blockade-runner from the civil war.

The Mystery Ship, as it has come to be called, is located at the 6 mile marker on Fort Morgan Road.

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