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What is Nautical Archaeology?
Humankind has always had a
fascination with world's seas
and waterways. Shipbuilding
represents one of the earliest
of our complex endeavors; even
before there were farmers, there
were sailors who dared to build
watercraft and venture out to
conquer the wind and waves.
Today, we can look back on a
long history of this
relationship between ourselves
and the waters around us.
Through the study of Nautical
Archaeology, we work towards a
better understanding of it.All too often people think of
shipwrecks and underwater sites
as nothing more than a curiosity
or a place to find neat
souvenirs, but in fact they are
much more than that. These
irreplaceable relics of an age
past are veritable time capsules
telling us more about who we as
a race are, where we came from
and what it was like there.
Aside from the nostalgia, there
is also valuable scientific
information to be gained from
the field.When the Titanic was discovered,
pieces of it's hull were brought
up for analysis. When compared
to original artifacts (rivets,
etc) kept by workers and
nautical enthusiasts after the
ship's launching, we were
surprised at the findings.
Decades of thought on the
subject of extended water
pressure and salt immersion were
proved to be irrefutably false.
This fact may have never been
known without the Titanic, and
now can be used to build better
submersibles, exploratory craft
and rescue vehicles. With this
ship lay over fifty years of
extended exposure to elements
that only recently have become
reachable by mankind. And this
is not the only viable
application the field has
produced. For example, several
of the life support systems
onboard the U.S. and Soviet
Space shuttles were based upon
the designs produced and
incorporated into the Woods Hole
Institute's ALVIN submersible.The first and foremost goal of
Nautical Archaeology has not
been, and is still not,
technological advancement. The
dedicated men and women of this
profession seek out the facts
about the past. The human race
has a fascinating and diverse
background. Unfortunately, we
know very little about it. On
land, we are able to excavate
finds that lay under the earth
for untold centuries, but all
too often, these sites have been
disturbed, looted, or destroyed
beyond any real use. Under the
sea, however, sites have
remained out of reach of
humankind, and therefore
virtually undisturbed since they
were laid to rest. By examining
these visions into the past, we
can further expand our knowledge
of ourselves.So does this mean that only a
few should have access to the
seafloor and it's contents? Of
course not. There are dozens of
programs that exist world wide
to train individuals to work on
sites both above and below the
water line. Most sites actually
welcome volunteers to help out
with site mapping, cataloguing
and other work that is vital to
make sure a site is completely
utilized. You don't need to be a
full time archaeologist, or even
be pursuing a degree to become
one. All you need is SCUBA
certification and a curiosity
about history.If you're interested in learning
more
about these groups,
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