The Team Assembles
Kyle and Terrence left the Boston-Framingham area after a presentation at the Metrowest Dive Club’s Wrecks 2000 Symposium on the morning of the 22nd. We then traveled to Long Island, New York to meet with Carl Saieva of Sartek Industries, Inc., one the Cambrian Foundation’s gracious Sponsors. Carl was also the critical liaison between the Foundation and one of our newest sponsors, Ocean Technology Systems (OTS). Sartek is supplying critically needed HID video lights, redundant supply valves (RSV-1) and a high-tech drop camera. OTS has donated the use of full-face masks with diver-to-diver and diver-to-surface communications equipment. After a wonderful visit with Carl and Mary, we left the next morning and drove to Roanoke, Virginia.
The next day, we finished up our equipment loadout and last minute errands just in time to pick up the first of our far flung team joining us, Grant Graves. Grant is the president of Scuba and Film Enterprises of Malibu, California. He represents the Cambrian Foundation on the west coast of the country. He is also a instructor at Malibu Divers. Later, we returned to the airport to pick up Ken Schneider from Northridge, California. Ken works as a studio lighting technician in Hollywood. Both Cambrian members/divers are donating their time to help the Foundation achieve it’s goals on the USS Monitor project.
Tuesday, April 25, 2000 – After an 0800 departure from Roanoke, the four of us drove 8 hours to Hatteras, North Carolina. Unfortunately, a low pressure system has been effecting conditions on the entire east coast, making the drive a wet one. Once we arrived in Hatteras Village, we unloaded at the Sea Whispers Condominiums, the home base of the expedition, and journeyed to the Coast Guard Stations Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke, Hatteras Inlet. Once again, we have been welcomed by all of the station personnel. Year after year the Coast Guard has assisted with the project making the expeditions logistically easier, and more importantly safer. A hearty thanks from all of us at the Cambrian Foundation! After initial meetings, the team attended to more domestic duties such as food shopping and moving into the condo. Later that evening, Tim Gallagher joined us, and we called it a day!
Wednesday, April 26, 2000 – Today Kyle, Grant, Ken, Tim and Terrence drove to Manteo to purchase hardware and lay in a supply of food for the week. Today, many of the first phase team joined us as well. First to arrive was Doug Kesling from NURC (National Undersea Research Center). Then the East Carolina University Group, Frank Cantelas, Steven Sellers, Gary Byrd and Tane Casserley, as well as the crew of the R/V Cape Fear from UNCW (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), Dan Aspenlighter and ‘J. D. the Mate’. Ken Johns from NURC arrived shortly after the boat, and Dr. John Broadwater, the principal investigator, arrived about 2030. The last to arrive today were Cambrian divers John Barone and Pete Goutmann. Now it’s time for the team to get some rest. Thanks for joining us and following the developments on the web. If you have any Cambrian questions, please direct them to trilobite@cambrianfoundation.org. We’ll post them and get you an answer as soon as we can. Be sure to get mission specific details at the official Monitor National Marine Sancuary web site and new this year, the Mariners’ Museum Monitor web site.