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While looking over an old hard drive, I found this newspaper article ...
The Times [Trenton]
01/13/02
By JEFF TRENTLY
Staff Writer
They peel off their shoes, strip off their socks, their shirts, their pants.
More: The Good Old Days ...
Steam engines are a common sight on New Jersey shipwrecks. Usually the highest point of relief on the entire wreck, the engine makes a good orientation point and is often used as a tie-in as well. Old steam engines were quite sturdily constructed, and last a long time in the ocean, although because of their value they were salvaged when possible.
Right: The single-expansion steam engine of the Delaware, viewed over the top of one of the four boilers.
More: Engines ...
Iron and steel began to replace wood in ship construction in the middle to late 1800s. Timber-poor Europe ( especially England ) led in the development of iron ships, while America, with its vast reserves of lumber, continued to build wooden ships for some time longer. However, as the economical size of ships grew to surpass what could be built of wood, America too began constructing iron ships. For a few years, composite ships were built with iron frames and wooden skins, as seen at right, but difficulties with corrosion between the wood and metal soon led to hulls built completely of metal, both sailing ships and steamers.
More: Iron & Steel Ship Construction ...
Polymer materials - rubbers, plastics, and silicones - are not really of interest as artifacts. They are, however, among the most important materials to divers: without neoprene, nylon, and a bewildering range of other polymer materials, we would not have most of the equipment that makes diving possible!
More: Polymer Materials ...
Copper, brass, and bronze are all relatively immune to saltwater corrosion. Brass artifacts of all sorts are easily cleaned up into shiny souvenirs for those who value them. Bright green copper sheets and tubes add color to many wrecks, while bronze is the material of choice for the most coveted of all diver's artifacts - a ship's bell.
Copper and some of its alloys have been used by humanity since the Bronze Age. One of the first metals known to humans, free copper was probably mined in the Tigris-Euphrates valley as long ago as the 5th century BC. Cyprus, from which the metal's name originally comes, was the primary source of copper in the ancient world.
More: Copper, Brass & Bronze ...
Another entry from the Way-back machine:
by Dan Berg
Note: George Hoffman passed away January 14, 1997, about a year after this article was written. His death is a great loss to the diving community and he will be missed by us all.
More: Captain George Hoffman ...
How do two ships in the wide ocean collide? It seems unlikely, and yet it happens all the time. Often, the ocean is not all that wide. Many collisions occur in shipping lanes and port approaches, where ships are brought together in close proximity. Here are some videos of actual collisions between ships:
More: Collision at Sea ...
Mussels are easy. they grow almost everywhere - on any hard surface. They are the lawn grass of the sea. All you have to do is pluck them and put them in your bag. Don't waste a lot of time selecting them individually underwater. Just grab big clumps as fast as you can, and stuff them in your bag. Sort them out topside later, when your nitrogen clock isn't running. Take more than you think you'll want because you will end up discarding a lot of what you take this way.
More: Collecting Mussels ...
More: USS Akron ZRS-4 ...
