Archaeology
S.S. COMMODORE PROJECT
The engine and shaft of the S.S. Commodore lying in 75' of water.
Nautilus Productions has been working with maritime archaeologist Kimberly Eslinger, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Association (PILHA), the Cambrian Foundation and the Volusia County Reef Team to document their work on the site believed to be the S.S. Commodore. For two weeks in May 2002, Eslinger, a crew of technical divers from the Cambrian Foundation, representatives of PILHA and videographer Rick Allen from Nautilus Productions completed the first archaeological survey of the wreck site. In keeping with the Light House’s mission of protecting the wreck site and better interpreting its importance to the people of Ponce Inlet and Daytona Beach, Florida project parameters were laid out for a professional archaeological survey of the site. Nautilus Productions provided video mosaic services, site documentation and recorded activities on site.
History
The site believed to be the S.S. Commodore has been known to the local sport diving and fishing industries in Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet, Florida for almost four decades. Local diver Don Serbousek seized the site and today it is protected under an Admiralty Claim jointly held by Don Serbousek and PILHA. Monitoring and protection of the site is under the auspices of the Volusia County Reef Team.
The S.S. Commodore sank in a January gale off the northeast Florida coast in 1897. An ocean going steam tug built for the harbor tug work, the S.S. Commodore finished her career attempting to run guns to Cuba. The storm that sank S.S. Commodore also killed or injured every member of the crew. After three days adrift in a small boat New York Times reporter (and later novelist) Stephen Crane landed on the Florida coast. His tale of survival resulted in the short story, The Open Boat, which immortalized the sinking of an otherwise unknown vessel.
The site believed to be the S.S. Commodore is key to understanding a pivotal time in American History, World History, and Maritime History. Currently Kimberly Eslinger, Don Serbousek, PILHA, the Cambrian Foundation, the Volusia County Reef Team and Nautilus Productions are working together to identify and preserve this unique maritime treasure. Continued work at the site and in the archives will be necessary to fully identify, map, and preserve the site, but PILHA is well on the way.
(Eslinger, "Preliminary Commodore Site Report," December 2002)
Steamer Queen of Nassau/CGS Canada
Nautilus Productions has been working with nautical archaeologist Tane Casserley of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to document work on the site believed to be the Queen of Nassau/CGS Canada. For one week in March 2003, Casserley, a crew of research divers from the National Undersea Research Center - NURC at UNC-Wilmington and videographer Rick Allen and Kimberly Eslinger from Nautilus Productions documented the archaeological survey of the wreck site. Nautilus Productions provided site documentation and recorded activities during the event.
|
 |
Videographer Rick Allen of Nautilus Productions cruising the deck of the Queen of Nassau/CGS Canada. Photo by Doug Kesling, NURC/UNCW
|
The unique ram bow of the Queen of Nassau/CGS Canada at 230'. Photo by Doug Kesling, NURC/UNCW
|
 |
The windlass of the steamer Queen of Nassau/CGS Canada. Photo by Doug Kesling, NURC/UNCW
|
History
The steamer CGS Canada was built in 1904 for the Canadian Fisheries Protection Service, and became the first armed, steel-hulled cruiser owned and operated by the Canadian government. The Canada's ram bow, 10-to-1 length-to-beam ratio, and steel hull were a departure from the previous style of Canadian armed vessels. Consequently, the Canada marked the transition from traditional wooden schooners to modern steel cruisers, playing a crucial role as Canada formulated its young navy. The Canada was the fastest ship in the Fisheries Protection fleet; it was Canada's first successful naval training vessel, and the first Canadian naval vessel to train with the Royal Navy.
In 1924, the Canada was sold to the Florida Inter-Island Steamship Company. The vessel was renamed Queen of Nassau and used as an inter-island cruise ship for the lucrative Nassau-Miami route. Failing financially in its new role, the vessel sank under mysterious circumstances on July 2, 1926.
Recreational divers discovered the wreck in 2001, approximately seven miles south of Lower Matecumbe Key within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and reported their find to Sanctuary officials. The site is now the focus of an ongoing archaeological investigation by a NOAA team consisting of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, East Carolina University, and the National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. The vessel is in remarkably good condition, lying intact on top of the sand in 230 feet of water.
Team members measuring and mapping the midship portion of the wreck. Photo by Doug Kesling, NURC/UNCW
(Casserley, "Queen of Nassau Site Report," 2002)
"Queen Anne's Revenge"
Blackbeard Shipwreck Project
Since 1998 the Nautilus staff has been the official video crew for the study and recovery of the infamous pirate Blackbeard's ship the Queen Anne's Revenge (Concorde). Our staff is working hand in hand with North Carolina's Underwater Archaeology Unit and WUNC-TV documenting this incredible underwater find. Nautilus' duties include the documentation of the archaeological survey and recovery of artifacts from the wreck site. In the fall of 2000 Nautilus coproduced with Bill Lovin of Marine Grafics a groundbreaking, weeklong live internet broadcast known as QAR LiveDive from the Blackbeard wrecksite. For the first time ever, live video and audio was broadcast from an underwater archaeological site to the World Wide Web. The twice-daily live distance learning programs reached an estimated 1600 students from as far away as Canada during the five days of broadcasting. In October of 2001 Allen and Lovin again co produced DiveLive 2001. This time the interactive webcasts from the seafloor and conservation laboratories of the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project reached over 3600 students and another 2700 remote viewers from fifteen states and 2 countries during the five days of broadcasts.
Nautical Archeaologist Kim Eslinger examining the North anchor on the Queen Anne's Revenge wrecksite.
Visit www.qaronline.org or http://ali.apple.com/events/qar/ to learn more.
“Mystery Mardi Gras Shipwreck”
One hour HD Documentary (In Production)
A mysterious sinking, a group of dedicated scientists and technicians and a 200 year old shipwreck have all collided in the Gulf of Mexico. Four thousand feet below the choppy seas the remains of a 19th century shipwreck lie in wait and a month long expedition has been mounted to uncover her secrets. This is the deepest underwater archaeological project ever attempted and Nautilus Productions will spend 18 months working with archaeologists, conservators and scientists from Texas A&M and the Minerals Management Service to create a one hour, high definition, educational documentary about the project.
The Mardi Gras Shipwreck site is located just off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico in nearly 4000 feet of sea water. The team will use a state of the art Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to survey the wreck and recover artifacts from the site. Information indicates the shipwreck may date between 1810 and 1820 time period and could possibly be a War of 1812 gun runner or British trader. After recovery Texas A&M's Center for Marine Conservation will conserve the historical treasures removed from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico for public display at the Louisiana State Museum.
Available for HD broadcast licensing in July ’08.
www.nautilusproductions.com/mardigrasshipwreck.html
This site is owned and operated by Nautilus Productions. All of the content on this site, including, but not limited to photos, video, images and text are the exclusive intellectual property of Nautilus Productions. This content is protected by US and International copyrights. No content may be copied, reproduced, republished, altered, transmitted or distributed in any way without the express written permission and/or payment of a fee or other arrangement. The content of this site is NOT ROYALTY FREE and is NOT WITHIN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. You may only view the content for your personal, non-commercial use. Use of the content for any other purpose including but not limited to the use of the content as a basis for another concept or story concept is a violation of Nautilus copyrights. Infringement of these user agreement terms will constitute a copyright violation and result in a notification of payment due at the industry standard triple fee for unauthorized usage and/or criminal prosecution.
Production
