Wilderness Battleship - Public Lecture - September 30th

Anyone interested in the naval history of Lake Ontario should pencil in September 30th at 7 pm to attend a public lecture in Kingston's Memorial Hall (inside City Hall). The lecture, celebrating the '25th Anniversary Archaeology Public Lecture' series will be given by Timothy J. Abel, Director of the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown , New York. The title 'Wildnerness Battleship' will tell the story of Lake Ontario's Forgotten Naval Shipyard.

Admission is FREE...

Survey Work Advances Apace...

After a good start yesterday, work to place the datum points and prepare for measurements continued today. By early afternoon 8 points had been set and their inter-relationships recorded. Tonight, these points will be entered into survey software and validated. This will prepare the way for recording of the many wreck elements tomorrow, enabling a 3-D picture of the wreck to be captured.

Bringing the Past to Life...

Last night's talk by Jonathan Moore, a marine archaeologist with Parks Canada, drew more than 20 people, who were fascinated for about 90 minutes by his remarkable knowledge of Kingston's maritime history, particularly the period surrounding the War of 1812. Jonathan concentrated attention on the area around Fort Henry and Point Frederick. Opening with a fascinating review of the work of Canada's underwater survey team, he stressed the importance of regarding sites of historical and archaeological significance as elements of an overall 'landscape'. Parks Canada was actively engaged in research and conservation work with many other departments, notably in Kingston with the St Lawrence Parks body and the Department of National Defence.

The liberally illustrated presentation featured images that many of us had never seen before and brought history to life quite vividly. During the talk, Jonathan encouraged us, as divers, to participate in the work of recording and preserving the sites that lie in local waters. This, he explained, can be done as simply as casting an eye, periodically, over key wrecks to record change. He also hoped that the Club would be prepared to undertake dives in support of Parks Canada research in the months and years ahead. There was immediate evidence of enthusiasm for this work. Opportunities will also arise this Summer to assist a researcher who is going to be investigating a wreck in Navy Bay.

Jonathan was good enough to bring along copies of the Report he published in 2006 on three War of 1812 wrecks. These were made available for sale at cost - $30. If any Club member who was unable to attend the presentation wishes to buy one, they should contact me.



On a lighter note, I am seriously considering having someone else select the dates for future presentations. This is the third time this Winter that one of our talks has coincided with the arrival of a major storm...!

Somefin to think about...

Many of our members went to see Sharkwater, the movie that publicised the plight of the World's sharks earlier in 2007. Browsing their website today I came across a great report from a group called Wildaid. It sets out most of the critical information about the amazing family of marine creatures that are the sharks.

If your holiday break gives you some time to read the Report, I guarantee that it will interest and inform you.