411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

The SS United States has been scuttled to become an artificial reef off Destin-Fort Walton Beach. According to https://bit.ly/3QWUIp7 , “Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world. The purchase of the SS United States will continue the growth of Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s robust artificial reef program, the most active, and one of the largest vessel artificial reef collections in the United States. United States’ history, visit www.ssusc.org .” According to Ocean Exploration, there are an estimated more than 4000 shipwrecks in the (then) Gulf of Mexico. Speaking of ‘4000’, this cannon was recovered from 4,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico: - According to the Ancient Civilizations and Archaeology Facebook page, archaeologists have been diving on the Mazarrón 2, a preserved Phoenician shipwreck in the murky depths off the coast of Murcia, Spain. The Mazarrón 2 is described as being “a stunningly preserved Phoenician shipwreck that dates back to a jaw dropping 700 BC”. At 2700 years old, it’s said to be “the most pristine Phoenician vessel ever “In partnership with the SS United States Conservancy, a land-based museum and immersive experience is slated to be developed in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. For more on the SS

unearthed in the Mediterranean”. A team from the University of Valencia has been employing cutting edge technology to meticulously unearth the wreck and its artefacts. They also aim to restore the Mazarrón 2, which will then be “a stunning portal into the seafaring genius of the (Phoenician) civilization ….”. Martin Bayerle says that he owns the wreck of the RMS Republic. “We hope to start our recovery of her, as one 1930s treasure book put it, “riches beyond most men’s wildest dreams” this summer with, at least, a photogrammetry survey. To read our current research on her cargoes, to be included in …. my new book “The Greatest of All Treasures” (GOAT), now estimated at $10 billion, visit https://lordsoffortune.com/catalog/index.php. G.O.A.T. is scheduled to be released this fall. Research is always ongoing. We have more than what I’ve indicated above. Hence the need for my new book. Older research can be found in my website https://rms-republic.com , my 2013 book “The Tsar’s Treasure” and our 2016 nine-episode series on History Channel, “Billion Dollar Wreck”.” The Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) had been excavated in the early 1970s. Two weeks of fieldwork was conducted in Western Australia as part of the Search for Evidence of Vergulde Draeck Survivors Project in September 2014. The Dutch Government co-funded the project. The two weeks of fieldwork was led by Alistair Paterson, Bob Sheppard and Wendy van Duivenvoorde. The project encompassed geophysical remote sensing of suspected ‘archaeologic’. Some photos can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/shipwresoftheR40s/pho tos/pcb.683220291751378/683219995084741/?ty pe=1&theater. I have two “Gilt Dragon” books - “Treasures from the Vergulde Draeck” by Jeremy N Green & “The Gilt Dragon Incident” by Harry Turner. These were previously owned by Ron Anchor.

Canon from early 19th C wreck

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DIVE LOG Australasia #411 April 25

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