There will no longer be a need to don a wetsuit yourself, as marine archaeologists provide stunning 3D images of shipwrecks at Lake Huron that might render a personal excursion quite pointless. Considering they might not need to dive into the clear blue waters themselves, this will offer both researchers and the public a better insight to these historical ships.
A team of divers led by Joe Hoyt from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be fully exploring the 4,300 square mile vastness of Lake Huron and the roughly 100 shipwrecks resting on its floor within Michigan state.
The project is meant to capture beautifully accurate images of how time has affected their structure and offer views that the general population might not be able to see for themselves.
Photographs and videos can only do so much when compared to the high-tech imaging technique of photogrammetry, which will record the old and faded surface of shipwrecks that have been long since they crashed on the lake’s floor.
According to Hoyt, viewers will be able to see all sides of at least half a dozen ships they will be running through the scans, with the use of the incredibly accurate tool that will provide flawless and well scaled imagining at great depths.
Their first target is the Defiance, a 110 foot long schooner that sunk to the bottom of Lake Huron in 1854, which is one of the oldest wrecks within its waters. It rests at nearly 200 feet deep, off the coast of Presque Island in Michigan. It would go on record as the team’s first ship to receive a full 3D imaging after a thorough investigation and extensive photographing.
It’s stated to be perfectly preserved, with the most minute details still kept intact. In fact, Hoyt called it “a storybook wreck” due to its excellent condition of how most would imagine a shipwreck looks like, but never actually does due to the impact of time and harsh conditions of deep waters.
The 3D imagining will be recorded by divers who will fully circle around the ship, that will then feed the information into a software to recreate an accurate depiction of this historical treasure that still features excellent structure.
Two more nearby ships, the Windiate, and the Spangler, will also go through the extensive and detailed photoshoot before made available for both the public and archaeologist who want to explore the shipwrecked, but are neither equipped nor experienced enough to delve down to such depths themselves.
The point is to make the population better understand the value of such sites that flawlessly keep a piece of history hidden and just waiting for them to be discovered. According to Ryan Bradley, one of the divers part of the researching team, they are a significant piece of American history, and “it’s still there, it’s preserved and it’s amazing.”.
Image source: amusingplanet.com
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