Phase III – August 4

Hatteras Civic Center

Attending members of the Hatteras town council

While on vacation, Jordan demos some of the gear

Jon Altman (NPS) checks on the turtle eggs

The area around the eggs is staked out

Intrepid team challenges weather & golf course

And The Winds Blew

Friday, August 4, 2000 – We got blown out yesterday as well as today. However, that doesn’t mean we sat around twiddling our thumbs! We had arranged to give a presentation for the local residents and vacationers on the evening of the 3rd, and after a relaxing morning on Thursday, we set up two televisions, a VCR, Monitor drawings and models along with tables and chairs for the talk at the Hatteras Civic Center. Terrence and Jeff Johnston spoke about our efforts over the last few years, our diving techniques and showed some video footage from previous years as well as this year.

The gracious hosts for this event were the Hatteras Village town council. They provided some refreshments (tea, coffee and wonderful desserts) as well as the venue, the Civic Center. They advertised on the radio, put up the sign and started talking up the presentation several days before. It was great being able to speak to these people who have such history resting in their own backyards.

The event was well attended – over 80 people came. The attendees were local residents and business owners, vacationers, other divers and our motley crew, of course. It is always very gratifying to pass on information about such an historic topic. The council was impressed enough to invite us back for another presentation next year.

Almost every morning, Terrence and Kyle are up early getting a bit of exercise. They run on the beach (or stumble) and do some light calisthenics. Two days ago, Kyle saw something and said, “Isn’t that strange. Why would someone bury a bunch of ping pong balls?” After he stopped laughing, Terrence informed Kyle that those were turtle eggs. The eggs were exposed at the high tide line. We have had alot of erosion because of the stormy weather. We called the Park Service and let them know about our find when we got back to the house that morning.

Early this morning the Park Service called us and asked us to come locate the nest for them, and we headed back to the beach and helped them stake it out. Jon Altman, from the National Park Service, informed us that they were most likely loggerhead turtle eggs. He said they also told us the incubation period was about 63 days, and that because of the cooler temperatures here in Hatteras, most of the eggs would produce male turtles. Farther south in Florida, they produce mostly females. He said the biologist would look at the site and consider moving the eggs to a safer location. It is nice to be able to fulfill another part of our mission statement – Preservation.

To round out the day, some of the team along with some of our new friends that we have made over the last few days headed up the road to play a little miniature golf. Despite the impending weather, they pressed on. Like a scene from Caddyshack, They played through the rain – suggesting they were having one of the best games of their lives. They shouldn’t give up their day jobs.



Send questions or comments to the trilobite.
Questions and Comments To the Trilobite

Hi all. Great work out there. Is there any thing specific you are looking for in the engine room this week? And, did any one ever get a good look in the fire box? How many hull plates were removed?
Safe Diving
Ken

We are simply mapping and looking for significant artifacts that could get damaged during the lift next year. We have not done any significant investigation of the fireboxes to date. And, the Navy found the hull to be much stronger than they had anticipated and has decided to bring up the lower hull with the engine rather than remove the plates.


Hi Tammy – We hope you get this email….
Laura and I are looking at your picture on the website… now I know what the parents of our campers do all night!!!! Just wanted to say hello and hope you have a great time!!!!!
Love and misses,
Lawrence & Laura

Maybe we can bring the campers down here to dive next year. Thanks for checking in – pass the word.


Dear Cambrian,
Your Web site is great, and it’s a pleasure to have you on the Monitor team again this year!
Regards,
John Broadwater

Thanks for your support and for giving us the oportunity to assist you with your efforts on such an historic archeological project. Hope all is well with your family. Let your mother know we are thinking of her.

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