John Broadwater helps Gary Byrd suit up
The team prepares to dive
Chase boat waits for divers to complete deco
Project Participants and Sponsors
Monitor National Marine Sancuary
Mariners’ Museum Monitor Center
The Mariners’ Museum
National Undersea Research Center
Maritime Studies Program, East Carolina University
R/V Cape Fear
Coast Guard Stations Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke
Sartek Industries
Ocean Technology Systems
Neptune scores
Wednesday, May 3, 2000 – Today’s participants:
- Team 1 – Tim Gallagher
- Team 1 – Conrad Pfeifer
- Team 1 – Grant Graves
- Team 1 – Ken Schneider
- Team 1 – Pete Goutmann
- Team 1 – Mike Armstrong
- Team 1 – Frank Cantelas (ECU)
- Team 1 – Gary Byrd (ECU)
- Support – Tane Casserley (ECU)
- Support – John Barone
- Support – Carl Saieva
- Standby diver – Kyle Creamer
- Chase boat support – Steve Sellers (ECU)
- Chase boat/Chamber operator – Ken Johns (NURC)
- Dive Supervisor/DMT – Doug Kesling (NURC)
- Project Director and chief archeologist – John Broadwater (MNMS)
- Monitor historian – Jeff Johnston (MNMS)
- Captain, R/V Cape Fear – Dan Aspenleiter (UNCW)
- The Mate – J.D. (UNCW)
The weather report was marginal to good, so we decided to give it a try. We left the dock at our usual 0800 departure time. The winds continued to blow at a steady 15 to 20 knots, and as we neared the site, the seas started to increase. Conditions still were acceptable, so we deployed the divers in one large group.
The current was stronger than we anticipated and the visibility was barely marginal. The divers aborted their dive early before reaching the bottom, deployed a lift bag and returned to the surface. The recovery of the divers was difficult in the 4 to 5 foot swells with chop, so the diving was suspended for yet another day, and we returned to the dock. After reaching the dock, we topped our cylinders and readied ourselves for tomorrow . . .