Cape Gelidonya Project Blog

A late update to the blog, but better late than never!

With the departure of the STS Bodrum the remaining crew piled onto the Virazon, and as we were raising anchor and making preparations to leave, the regular routine continued.

The remaining crew prepare to dive as the STS Bodrum raises anchor and sails back to Bodrum. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

STS Bodrum's final view of Virazon and Millawanda at Cape Gelidonya. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Yaşar Yıldız and Dr. Harun Özdaş with the free pithos base. Photograph by Özgün Başıbüyük.

Shortly after the departure of the majority of the crew, the remaining project members concentrated on freeing the pithos base and surrounding pottery fragments from the base of the Boulder. We had been very careful not to damage the pottery itself over the course of the summer by delicately chipping away at the surrounding concretion, and had managed to free the majority of the concretion surrounding the pithos, with the remaining concretion forming a pedestal underneath. Dr. Özdaş therefore determined that by using a long pry-bar, he should be able to pop the pithos base off the rocks below without damaging it. As you can see in the photo, it worked like a charm, and made further work in the area much more accessible, allowing them to remove the rest of the pottery.

Captain Ali, Dr. Harun Özdaş and John Littlefield stack airlifts on the deck of the Millawanda. Photograph by Dr. Furkan Yıldırım.

Following the removal of the pottery from the base of the Boulder, the last dives concentrated on cleaning up the site, and removing all the equipment we had left on the bottom, including the pieces to the ‘telephone booth,’ the airlift pipes and hoses, survey markers, datum stakes, and a few tools scattered about. With the Millawanda moored directly over the site, cleanup was a straightforward endeavour as everything could be easily raised by divers using lift balloons, and then loaded onto the Millawanda. Heavier items were raised onto the boat with the winch.

Living conditions on the Virazon were a bit cramped following the STS Bodrum's departure. Photograph by John Littlefield.

Of course, without the STS there, conditions were a little crowded for the last few days of the project – but it isn’t the first, and certainly won’t be the last time the Virazon was loaded with people and equipment.

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology director Yaşar Yıldız and his daughter Ceren aboard the Millawanda. Photograph by John Littlefield.

The material recovered from the site this summer now resides in Bodrum. But of course, this is not the end of their journey, as in the months and years ahead, conservators with the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology and archaeologists with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology will stabilize, conserve, and study the material. Eventually, the artifacts will be on display in the museum, and a final report on the Cape Gelidonya site will be prepared by Drs. Bass, Hirschfeld, and Özdaş with contributions from many others, to tells the story of the ship that met its demise on the rocky slopes of Turkey’s southern coast 3250 years ago.

In the meantime, look for updates on the project in forthcoming issues of the INA Quarterly and INA Annual.

Lastly, here are some miscellaneous videos from the summer:

Two ships, that is, with the departure of STS Bodrum and more than half of the Cape Gelidonya crew on August 18^th.  In the final week of work, we tried to get as much work done as possible, and made a great deal of progress: perfect timing, considering the season is almost over!

In archaeological news, the area we call the “Platform” was finished first. We had divided the Platform into four quadrants, NE, SE, SW, and NW, excavated primarily by Kim Rash, Emre Savaş, Dr. Nilhan Kaser, and Haley Streuding, respectively. The Platform was a productive area during the 1960 excavation, having yielded a concentration of copper and tin ingots, some pottery, and one weight in the center of the Platform. This season, the Platform again proved an area abundant in artifacts, especially the SE quadrant, closest to the center of the wreck distribution, but also in the SW and NE quadrants.  Due to issues with publication rights, we can not publish artifact photographs,  detailed descriptions, and updated siteplan on the blog, but we can say that copper, tin, ceramic, and stone artifacts were recovered from the Platform area this summer.

Site Plan - Adapted from the original site plan published in the 1967 report to the American Philological Association. In reality, the areas covered by each archaeologist are larger, but could not quite fit on the original site map.

The completion of excavation at the Platform freed the westernmost airlift, and it was thus repositioned at the entrance to the Gully, between the Boulder and the island slope. Previously, the Gully was inaccessible to airlifts, so excavation has been on a halt there since mid-July. While John Littlefield finished the last of his area between the Platform and the Gully, Ryan Lee began excavating the few sandy pockets in the central section of the Gully, with moderate success.   Meanwhile, Ania Kotarba-Morley had finished her area on the opposite side of the Boulder, and began exploring the nooks and crevasses of the Boulder for small artifacts, and Sheila Matthews, Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld, and Dr. Harun Özdaş were wrapping up their own sections further east, in areas we call ‘The Alley’ and ‘The Valley.’

A typical scene aboard Millawanda. Left to right: Dr. Furkan Yıldırım, Emre Savaş, Dr. Harun Özdaş, Emre Okan, Özgün Basıbüyük, Captain Ali, Ania Kotarba-Morley, Orkan Köyağasıoğlu, John Littlefield, Dr. Nilhan Kaser, and Matthew P. Dames. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

At the same time, photographer Susannah H. Snowden kept busy with site and artifact photography. As each day passed, increasingly fewer dives remained for her to get the key shots she has wanted all summer. Despite several tries earlier in the summer, we had only been able to send divers down with powerful underwater electric lights run on long cords from the Millawanda once due to problems with the current. Finally, late in the season, everything came together and Susannah was able to have the lights again and get the shots Gully she had been after all summer.

Susannah H. Snowden prepares to dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Photographer Susannah H. Snowden prepares to dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Marilyn Cassedy and Emre Okan continued their work in the eastern end of the Gully, attempting to chisel free a concentration of ceramic vessels completely concreted over, including the pithos base, a jug discovered next to it, and numerous as-yet-identified sherds. As work progressed and more and more of the vessels were revealed, work became increasingly more difficult, as the remaining concretion was harder to reach with chisels. With time winding down in the summer, it became uncertain whether or not we were going to be able to free the pottery before the end of the summer, so as archaeologists finished their sections, they were reassigned and added to the chiselling team. Soon, Marilyn and Emre were joined by Kim Rash, Haley Streuding, Emre Savaş, Dr. Nilhan Kaser, Matthew P. Dames, and Dr. Nicolle Hirshfeld. Dives were restructured to keep the chiselling to a maximum, and to avoid crowding in the tight area.

Marilyn Cassedy and Sheila Matthews before their final dive together. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Marilyn Cassedy and Sheila Matthews ready to dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

With so many divers working together in a small area, conversation became much more animated between dives aboard the Millawanda. Everyone was very excited to see the pottery come up, with an understanding for the need to be extremely cautious so as to not accidentally damage anything valuable while chiseling. As each chisel team surfaced, they would brief the next team on their progress. Flexibility was key, as the plan of attack had to be constantly changed as new areas to chisel were opened up, and others finished.

Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld and John Littlefield after a dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

A tank sits waiting to be charged in front of the Joy Compressor. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Overall, we were constantly amazed at how much more efficiently we worked as a team compared to a mere month ago at the beginning of the project. With dwindling time, there was a real sense of urgency to work as efficiently as possible. Each dive team knew exactly what they were going to be doing and how long it might take before they jumped in. Meanwhile, everyone by then was fully aware of what duties were to be performed between dives aboard the Millawanda and pitched in, making for a very well-oiled machine.

Ania Kotarba-Morley charges tanks. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Haley Streuding checks her air supply before her dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Haley Streuding and Emre Savaş suit up. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

John Littlefield sends Haley Streuding and Emre Savas down. Photograph from Ryan C. Lee.

Even engine trouble was not enough to slow us down. When one of Millawanda’s engines (and generator) were out of commission one morning, we planned our dives around not having airlifts for several hours, or the ability to charge tanks, and were not hampered in the slightest. Thankfully, the issue was not major and repairs were affected in the field.

Matthew Dames observing the engine repairs. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

John Littlefield and Orkan Köyağasıoğlu rig a new shotline. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Even the weather managed to cooperate for the most part during the final push. While we were forced to cancel a day due to bad current and waves, we were able to put in full days every other day until the departure of the STS. We were surprised to discover our shot line missing one morning, which formerly ran from the Telephone booth to a pulley on the bottom of the trapeze, and back down to 30 lbs of weight suspended above the seabed. Apparently, the swells were so bad one night that the Telephone Booth was dragged a few feet  by the shot line, which subsequently snapped. It caused a small delay the next morning to re-rig the shotline, and was particularly vexing to those who had been using the Phone Booth as a datum to measure from, especially Orkan Köyağasıoğlu , whose excavation area surrounded the Phone Booth.

Orkan Köyağasıoğlu and John Littlefield. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

John Littlefield and Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld aboard Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Virazon sailor Burak Kutur and STS Bodrum captain Umit Akar lounging under the shade canopy aboard STS Bodrum. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Virazon sailor Burak Kutur lounges aboard the Virazon. Photograph by John Littlefield.

While the current stayed acceptable, the temperature soared throughout mid-August, and frequently threatened to hit 40°C. We all took particular care to keep hydrated, and stay in the shade or the air conditioning as much as possible, which was rapidly overtaxed by two many bodies. During the final push to wrap up as much as possible, it became increasingly important for the archaeologists to keep detailed dive logs, take photographs, and write reports detailing the work done in their areas. There was of course still a bit of time left for an after-lunch card game or three, one of our favourite leisure activities this season (be it Uno, Old Maid, Hearts, Spades, Gin Rummy, or an inappropriately named but very fun seven-letter game beginning with ‘A.’)

Marilyn Cassedy, Haley Streuding, Kim Rash, and Matthew P. Dames play gin rummy aboard STS Bodrum. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Apart from the heat, another increasingly annoying nuisance of the past couple weeks has been plague of biting flies that has descended upon our small fleet. While looking innocuous enough, these small black flies take particular delight in biting us painfully on our ankles, even through our dive socks. Luckily, they are somewhat slow, but no matter how many we swatch each day, their numbers seem fully replenished by the next.

Our nemesis - the biting fly! Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Ryan Lee aboard the Millawanda. Photograph by John Littlefield.

Ania Kotarba-Morley timekeeping. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Marilyn Cassedy opens the last package of Kremali dive cookies. A summer of chiseling has taken its toll on Marilyn's hands, perhaps ruining dreams of becoming a hand model. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Cihat Vural assembles his gear. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Cihat Vural and Dr. Nilhan Kaser prepare to dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Cihat Vural and Dr. Nilhan Kaser. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Emre Okan and Dr. Furkan Yıldırım. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Project conservator Kim Rash hosts a show-and-tell of the seaon'ss finds aboard the Virazon. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Finally, with a last-ditch herculean effort to get the pithos out before the STS Bodrum departed with half the team, we ran six dive teams on August 17th, beating our previous record of six. Despite it all, the pithos and jug remained firmly concreted in the Gully by the time we left. However, we are hopeful that the reduced crew left aboard the Virazon will be able to keep making process, and hopefully raise them before the end of the month. So, while eight team members have departed to return to their respective homes and institutions, a select few remain to finish the remaining tasks, and wait for the submersible Carolyn to arrive, which they will use to explore further from the wreck site in an attempt to locate more stone anchors, with the help of Yaşar Yıldız who recently arrived from his position as director of the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

Hopefully we will receive a positive report from the remaining team soon regarding the pithos and other pottery. Good news or bad, the blog will be updated when we know more!

Dr. Harun Özdaş and Yaşar Yıldız plan their dive aboard the Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

STS Bodrum at dawn. Photograph by John Littlefield.

Virazon captain Zafer Gül at his station in the wheelhouse. Photograph by John Littlefield.

Cape Gelidonya. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Cape Gelidonya. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

The fleet is currently moored in Adrasan, following the completion of another full week of diving. Today marks the first real day off for everyone since we arrived at Cape Gelidonya, and so we are all enjoying a much-needed break. This week was particularly busy and varied, but we have really hit our stride as far as organization goes. Everyone now knows what tasks need to be done each day on the Millawanda, and how to get their equipment together quickly and efficiently. While we have been perfecting those elements, we have had some new challenges to deal with.

Living and working on three boats means that we must be constantly shuttled back and forth, but project logistics, especially time and cost, dictate that we must try to do it in as few trips as possible, and everyone must really think about where they will be and what they will need when they are there, each and every day.

Ferrying divers from boat to boat - an inflatable boat leaves the Virazon bringing divers to the Millawanda, passing the STS Bodrum along the way. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Another challenge we faced this week was a water shortage on the STS Bodrum. The crew feels that we are using too much water, and owing to a partially functioning water maker, the STS had to make a run to Karaöz to replenish the water stores. We have all tried to be very conservative in our water usage – showering every other day, and using as little water as possible each time.  It really makes one think of how fortunate we are to have as much fresh water as we do, and to have the ability to “make water.” There are twenty of us living on the STS, and sometimes it seems like quite close quarters; we can only imagine what it would have been like on similarly sized sloop-of-war or brig with a crew of 180 or so.

Our second major issue this week was the variable current at the site. Earlier in the week, we discovered that the current on the surface varies from virtually non-existent, to quite strong often several times during a single day. Typically, when there is a current, it flows west, sometimes making for a difficult swim from the decompression stop to the stern of the Millawanda. We have had to cancel a few individual dives due to the strong current.

Emre Savaş of the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology leaps from the stern of the Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

For the first time this week, we encountered a relatively strong bottom current, in addition to the surface current. It was not unexpected: Dr. Bass had told us frequently of the difficulties faced during the 1960 excavation with the current. Occasionally, they would have to pull themselves hand-over-hand down the shot line, and maintain a firm grip on the bottom to get any work done. Luckily, we haven’t faced a current quite so dramatic, however it has been annoyingly strong at times. We have never dived when the current is dangerously bad, but trying to move the large plastic airlift pipes in any current is quite a challenge!  We have therefore instituted a new policy, whereby the second dive of the morning and afternoon does not descend until the first dive sends a report about the bottom current on the slate. Throughout the day, as each dive comes up, we are kept constantly informed about the bottom currents, and can plan or modify our dives accordingly. Measuring the positions of artifacts in a medium or strong current can be quite difficult, since the current can significantly bend our tape measures, throwing off our measurements.

Dr. Faith Henschel discussing a dive plan with Marilyn Cassedy. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

We try to work around the current as much as possible, as it is extremely important to get important artifacts or artifact clusters measured, mapped, and photographed before they are raised to the surface. This careful recording is one of the key tenets of archaeology, as the specific distribution of artifacts on the sea floor can reveal the original distribution of cargo on the ship, or how cargo spilled during the wrecking event, or even the post-depositional disturbances like currents, human activity, or curious octopi.  To aid in mapping, we have established ten datum points on the site that we can measure from, and Susannah H. Snowden and Sheila Matthews have been working on creating a new high-resolution photo-mosaic of the entire site. This mosaic is almost completed, and has really aided the divers in understanding their underwater notes and sketches.

Each diver is required to fill out a daily log, detailing what they did on each dive of the day, carefully noting where they worked, what artifacts were found, and which have been measured and mapped. These logs are periodically reviewed to ensure the work done is sufficient, with daily discussions between the diving archaeologists as to what is happening in each part of the wreck. From each log, we can piece together the whole picture of what is going on throughout the site, and what might have happened to the ship that wrecked next to this rocky island over three thousand years ago.

Dr. Faith Hentschel writing her daily dive log.

Work continues in much the same way as last week, with each diver continuing in their assigned area each day. These sections are not equally sized, so some are close to finishing, while others are perhaps half completed.   Ryan Lee’s excavation work in the ‘Gully’ was temporarily suspended due the difficulties of moving an airlift into the area while the areas next to the gully are being excavated. And so, for three days, he has been exploring the site with an underwater metal detector, leaving quite a few new flags in several areas on the site.  Metal detectors have been used previously on the site, both in the 1960 excavation, but also during the revisits in the 1980s. In fact, Tufan Turanlı found the pithos base we are currently trying to chisel free from the Boulder using a metal detector during one of those 1980 revisits, so we are hoping the metal detector will prove useful once again.  Judging by the number of new tags that have appeared on the site since mid-week, it should prove fruitful.

We will continue with another full week of diving this week, assuming the currents and weather cooperate sufficiently, and will have more to report next Friday when we are back on dry land. We have reached the middle portion of the season – everyone is still fresh and excited to be here, and we have really established an efficient routine. Each day, it seems we see progressively more progress than the last, a trend we hope will continue.

Laura Gongaware secures wetsuits and BCDs aboard the Millawanda before a lunch break. Photograph by Emre Savaş.

STS Bodrum at night. When the lights come on after dark, we know we won't be in Cape Gelidonya when we wake up. Each white bundle shows someone sleeping on deck. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Well, we evacuated again last night, but the STS Bodrum crew was able to bring us back to Cape Gelidonya by 7:00 am, our usual breakfast time. The Virazon and Millawanda had remained (the long time interval between when our last dive surfaced and when we evacuated was long enough that we did not need the chamber immediately available), so it took very little time to get up and running. The captain of the STS Bodrum was not comfortable mooring in his usual spot east of the island, so after breakfast we all transferred to the Virazon and Millawanda, and the Bodrum left to seek safer waters.

Dawn at Cape Gelidonya: Virazon and Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

It was noticeably windy and choppy throughout most of the day today, but not enough to be an actual problem. Getting in and out of the dinghy was a bit more interesting than usual, and we made sure to have each diver escorted to a bench as soon as they ascended the dive ladder, to prevent anyone from stumbling. The system worked quite well, and we have definitely gotten the diving routine down: each dive team was in the water and started their descent just after the previous team reached the decompression stop, while other team members attended to timekeeping and barge duties aboard the Millawanda.

Ania Kotarba-Morley monitors the decompression stop from the deck of the Millawanda, one of many duties that need attending throughout the day. Photograph by Marilyn Cassedy.

Dr. Cemal Pulak and Kim Rash preparing to dive on the site. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Marilyn continued chiseling at the pithos, which is very heavily concreted and poses a challenge. Dr. Pulak continued working his area this morning, chiseling concretion around some pottery which may belong to the wreck, but is so heavily concreted it is difficult to tell at this point. Other dive teams continued hand fanning and air lifting in their respective areas, and increasingly more objects are turning up. In preparation for finding more, many idle members of the crew spent time creating marker flags, using bright yellow or orange markers that can be driven into the seabed using bicycle spokes, or left on bedrock with a small lead weight.

(Back left) Ryan C. Lee, Ania Kotarba-Morley, Laura Gongaware, (center) Haley Streuding, Marilyn Cassedy, and Kim Rash fashioning artifact markers, while timekeeper Matthew P. Dames stands his post. Photograph by Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld.

Marilyn Cassedy and Kim Rash making survey markers. The more artifacts we find, the more markers we need, so their excitement is evident on their faces. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Many green objects are coming up, some of which are copper or bronze concretions, some artifacts, and many many stained lumps, where copper corrosion has bled into the concretions and rocks. The other major source of green on our dives is from scrapes and cuts when we accidentally brush against the sharp rocks while airlifting. They’re minor scrapes and cuts, but it is quite shocking to watch a scrape bleed green underwater when you’re not expecting it.

(Blood, and many other red-coloured objects appear green under water due to the filtering effect the water column has on sunlight).

Constant use takes a toll on dive equipment, and periodically regulators need servicing, hoses need changing, and o-rings need replacing. Our Dive Safety Officer, John Littlefield, is kept quite busy with all the service requests. Luckily, we have spare parts, and a real-life ‘MacGuyver’ in the form of Zafer Gül, captain of the Virazon.

An always-busy John Littlefield repairing dive equipment aboard the Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

John Littlefield and Zafer Gül replacing a faulty oxygen regulator. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Millawanda at Cape Geldonya. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

We woke up in Karaöz this morning, instead of Adrasan as we had somewhat expected when we turned in last night during the evacuation, but it was not a problem, as now there are photos to go with the name.

Morning view of Karaöz. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Karaöz bay, with the Virazon and Millawanda in the distance.

Close up of Virazon and Millawanda. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

We split the group today, as some had to go into Kemer to pick up their residence permits, while  the rest have to wait a couple more days until theirs are finished. Those who were diving boarded the Virazon and Millawanda, and headed back to Cape Gelidonya after unloading the empty O2 tanks to be refilled.

Haley Streuding braids Marilyn Cassedy’s hair on the ride back to Gelidonya from Karaöz. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

With our reduced crew, we enough had enough divers left for three dive teams, rather than our usual five. It was actually ideal, however, since we had to go all the way back to Cape Gelidonya, re-moor the two ships, and prepare to dive. The first dive team went under at 11:20, and immediately reconnected the shot line and airlift hoses. Marilyn Cassedy continued chiselling the concreted pithos base, while Dr. Pulak worked on another piece of concreted pottery further west, while Emre Savaş and Ania Kotarba-Morley carefully airlifted in their respective sections. The second dive team of John D. Littlefield, Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld, and Haley Streuding also worked on airlifting. John discovered some very exciting-looking concretions in his area that definitely warrant further investigation. The third dive was an acclimatization dive for INA archaeologist Sheila Matthews, who arrived the day before. While she was surveying the site from approximately sixty feet, her partner Ryan Lee was gathering and bagging the old fishing lines tangled about the south end of the slope. The afternoon dives were quite similar, though Xila photographed John’s concretions, to show the other divers, and then helped Ryan sort through a large crate of large rocks and possible concretions that he began clearing from his area.

As the third dive exited the water in the evening, the STS Bodrum arrived, bringing the other half of the team, residence permits in hand.

STS Bodrum passes in front of Virazon on its trip back from Adrasan. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

The reduced crew made for a quieter day, but the concretions in John’s area got the entire team talking excitedly over supper. We are really looking forward to seeing that area develop… but as I write this, another easterly wind has strengthened and we are evacuating again. Hopefully, it will calm down and we will get back to work at a reasonable time tomorrow.

Sunset above the wreck site. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Millawanda moored over the wreck. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Back to work!  We were able to leave Karaöz yesterday morning, and have been busy setting up equipment to get fully up and running. Yesterday we assembled the airlift pipes on the deck of the Millawanda (each of our four airlift pipes is made of two sections of plastic pipe, coupled together). The completed lengths needed lines tied on for both weights and floats, in order to both anchor the airlift to the seabed, and elevate it at the proper angle for it to work. The airlifts were lowered to the seabed using a line, and Emre Savaş of the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology and Mine Bozkurt of the Antalya Archaeology Museum, along with Ryan Lee dove to untie the airlift bundle, and move each one to the designated weights. The dive finished early, so they were able to test out the now fully-assembled ‘phone booth.’ It is remarkably loud in there, and the air pressure significantly raises the pitch of divers’ voices, but it is an invaluable safety feature and communication device, as it allows divers to speak to each other if necessary, rather than relying on hand signals or written notes on dive slates.

Ania Kotarba-Morley prepares to dive. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Today, most divers began working on familiarizing themselves and working on specific areas of the site. Some teams are working at the base of the Boulder, while others are working on a promising-looking area we are calling ‘the Platform,’ and still others are working on a stubbornly-concreted pithos base that defied all attempts at recovery during two brief visits to the site during the Uluburun excavations.

Already some suspicious-looking coppery-green lumps are showing up after hand fanning the sediment away, but nothing we could definitively identify as a specific cultural object. But things look promising!

The other big event of the day was Dr. George Bass’ first dive of the season, and his first at Cape Gelidonya since the late 1980s. Only a few people here on the 2010 project have been privileged to dive with Dr. Bass before, and we all hope to get the opportunity by the end of the season.  When he came to Gelidonya in 1960, Dr. Bass was a newly certified diver, who had only dived once in salt water before the project started. Fifty years later, he has many many more dives under his belt, though the equipment of 2010 is significantly different from what was available in 1960.

John D. Littlefield, Matthew P. Dames, Susannah H. Snowden and Dr. George F. Bass prepare to dive on the site. Photograph by Ania Kotarba-Morley.

The daily routine aboard Millawanda is busy, but well organized. Each day, two people are assigned a task, such as timekeeper, or barge chief. Timekeepers are responsible for keeping an accurate log of each dive, and keeping track of how long each dive team is down. Generally our dives are thirty minutes, morning and afternoon, with ten minutes of decompression at 6 meters (20 feet) for ten minutes in the morning, and fifteen in the afternoon. We breathe pure oxygen during our decompression stop, based on dive tables developed by Dr. Richard Vann of Divers Alert Network (DAN). Each tank of oxygen is fully used up, so we must have someone watch to see when each tank is dry, and to then switch tanks. The divers on the decompression stop pull on a line, which rings a bell tied to the side of the ship when they run out. They then breathe their regular air mixture in the 10 seconds or so it takes to switch the tanks.

Mine Bozkurt monitors the oxygen tanks. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee.

Our airlift pipes are down on the site, but the air hoses that run from the Millawanda down to a manifold on the seabed are still being assembled.  We seem to have temporarily misplaced a few of the connectors, but after a discussion we are fairly confident that we will find them in the morning.

Dr. Cemal Pulak and Onok Bozkurt assembling airlift hoses on the Millawanda’s starboard deck. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee

Millawanda’s captain, Ali, in front of the four low-pressure compressors we will hopefully start using tomorrow for the four airlifts assembled on site. Photograph by Ryan C. Lee