Exploring Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary: Putting it All Together
Cameras were protected under the tent, but our human experts got to stand in the rain during the final broadcast. Photo: Anne Smrcina, NOAA
Day 3 of a Sanctuary Exploration Telepresence Project with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Marine Imaging Technologies.
By Anne Smrcina, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and MME
Remotely operated vehicles are built to work underwater. Humans, while most would prefer to stay dry, can function in the rain. But expensive broadcast-quality cameras and studio equipment were designed for a nice, dry studio.
So, Day 3 of our telepresence project saw our ROVs safely tied down on the deck of the dockside Catapult (our mission’s vessel), the cameras tucked under a portable tent, and our experts standing out in the drizzling-to-pouring rain answering questions from our live audience, which included participants from a global audience—we had representatives from Norway, India, Canada, and a large number of U.S. states. Our stations were dictated by the requirements of social distancing and the desire to have the audiences see and hear (clearly) our experts (who, because of the separation, could talk without their masks when alone).
Portland life
Day 3 proved to be a day to bring the different aspects of the project together into one cohesive show. Unfortunately, the weather and sea conditions worsened considerably, so we couldn’t make the trip to the shipwreck sites. But, video footage taken during Day 1 by the mini-ROV (Portland Penetration Explorer or PPE) gave the public a first look inside the wreck of the steamship Portland near the engine room and boilers. While we haven’t yet gained any further insight into the causes of the sinking, principal investigator Dr. Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who specializes in invertebrates, was surprised by the amount of marine life inside the wreck. Normally, sessile invertebrates avoid interior surfaces where food may be scarce. She noted that when she dives on wrecks and visits other sites with ROVs, the internal surfaces are fairly bare. Although we didn’t see the masses of anemones, sponges, and hydroids that we saw on the A-frame and walking beam in previous outer explorations of the site, we did see an interesting community of species. For Kirstin, that’s another area for future study.
The inner areas of the Portland contain more marine life than Dr. Meyer-Kaiser had expected. Photo: NOAA/WHOI/MITech
Marine life, including what looks like a cerianthid anemone, was photographed by Taz inside the Portland. Photo: NOAA/WHOI/MITech
Mystery ship: Modoc?
News clip from the Boston Post about the Modoc rescue. Image courtesy of John Fish
From the Portland video, we turned to footage from the mystery wreck. Dr. Calvin Mires expanded on a new hypothesis for this shipwreck site. Based on the vessel’s length and location (and the history of ship losses in Massachusetts Bay), the wreck may be that of the cargo schooner Modoc, which went down in 1908. He stressed that hypotheses are suggested ideas that still have to be proven by documented facts; however, the Modoc’s tale is an interesting one, and even if this isn’t that wreck, the ship’s story is part of the local maritime cultural landscape.
Modoc, carrying a cargo of anthracite coal (one diagnostic that might be confirmed if a sample of the coal around the wreck can be retrieved), battled “nasty” seas off Cape Cod for more than 12 hours before succumbing to its fate. Accompanying the crew of five was a dog (“partly-beagle”), that for some mariners represented a negative omen. Calvin, however, thinks differently, because the ship’s captain, when all seemed lost, was able to climb the mast, spot a fishing boat nearby, and signal for help. All were saved, including the dog, and brought back to shore. It’s stories like this, gleaned from newspapers, family oral histories, and other sources that make the study of maritime history and archaeology engaging and, at times, deeply personal.
Technology talk
Pixel and PPE, designed and built by Evan Kovacs and Mike Skowronski, have an almost cartoon-like look. Credit: Marine Imaging Technologies
Beyond biology and maritime archaeology, the third day’s shows also featured technology and the expertise of the two ROV pilots. Not only did Evan Kovacs and Mike Skowronski drive the vehicles, but they built them, too. In fact, Pixel and PPE, were designed to have character, an almost cartoon-like look, so different from the blocky nature of other ROVs. Evan and Mike compare driving the two vehicles to dancing, where the partners need to be fully in tune with the other. This mission used the cinema-class cameras of Pixel to collect a steady stream of footage of the outer areas of the Portland, to add to the 3-D virtual model (you can view a partial model on the mission website). PPE (aka Taz, due to its power, speed, and growl) was designed to fit into much smaller spaces and navigate into the wreck, which it did for a short time on Tuesday afternoon before the seas worsened. Driving these vehicles at a depth of 400+ feet is more challenging than the toughest video game (and the penalty for a mistake can be very expensive). Pixel and PPE were retrieved from their wreck exploration with only a few minor bumps and bruises.
Next steps
Now that the mission is over, Kirstin will be heading to her lab to study biological samples and video footage of invertebrate colonization, Calvin will be pursuing more background information on the possible identity of the mystery ship, and Ben will be planning for further work to find and document other shipwrecks in the sanctuary. Meanwhile, digital data from the recordings of the Portland will be added to the virtual model to get a more complete overview of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary’s most iconic shipwreck.
Videos of the three Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants broadcasts to schools are now available on their YouTube channel. (See “Live Shipwreck Exploration at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary”), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s YouTube Channel has a broadcast from each day (See “Exploring Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary“).
You can find educational materials at the sanctuaries’ mission website and at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s mission website. I’ll also be developing additional materials to support education projects based on this year’s mission. Contact me at anne.smrcina@noaa.gov to receive notices about the availability of these products.