{"id":36671,"date":"2022-05-10T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=36671"},"modified":"2025-10-07T10:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:44:13","slug":"monitoring-buoy-supports-nautical-archaeology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/monitoring-buoy-supports-nautical-archaeology.htm","title":{"rendered":"Monitoring Buoy Supports Nautical Archaeology"},"content":{"rendered":"

For as long as humans have inhabited Europe\u2019s Atlantic coast, the ocean has been a great source of wonder and mystery. History is full of fascinating tales of epic endeavors, new discoveries of fearless explorers, fishing communities inextricably linked to the bounties of the sea, cultural interactions both peaceful and not, and voyages that went awry during monumental storms or simply due to bad luck.<\/p>\n

In the south of Spain, at the boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, one such tale involves a long-lost merchant ship that went undiscovered from the 16th century until 1984. Believed to be carrying valuable goods from Italy, it sank just across from Gibraltar in the Algeciras Bay at a point called La Ballenera.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ballenera wreck is probably a merchant ship with a homogeneous cargo of Ligurian origin, with the characteristic ceramic productions from the area around Montelupo, Pisa and Florence, as well as other raw material products,\u201d says marine researcher Pablo L\u00f3pez Osorio from the nearby University of C\u00e1diz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The University is shedding light on this piece of history and other similar underwater artifacts in a unique way – by using monitoring buoys equipped with sensors and subsea cameras to document the nautical archaeology project and share it with the public.<\/p>\n

\"monitoring

Researchers from the University of C\u00e1diz prepare the buoy for deployment (Credit: University of C\u00e1diz)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The TIDE Marine Heritage Project<\/span><\/h3>\n

The efforts of the University of C\u00e1diz are part of a larger multinational initiative to boost marine tourism and preserve cultural heritage. Commonly known as TIDE<\/a>, the official project name is the Atlantic Network for Developing Historical Maritime Tourism<\/em>. The project \u201cfocuses on the sustainable development of onshore and underwater sites of historical interest on the Atlantic Area coastline.\u201d Long-lasting and environmentally ethical development is achieved by assisting organizations with research projects and the development of ecotourism products and experiences. These can be related to anything from trade and emigration to forts, battles and invasions. Diving and shipwrecks, of course, fit right in with this objective. A particular emphasis is placed on certain historical periods such as the Napoleonic era, Spanish Armada, World Wars, and Atlantic Migrations.<\/p>\n

The TIDE partnership consists of members from seven diverse European regions: Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, France, Portugal and Northern and Southern Spain. Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada are also participants in the transcontinental project. Project partners seek to share digital tools and historical assets across regions to create niche maritime tourism packages with an emphasis on sustainability.<\/p>\n

For its part as one of the founding members of TIDE, the University of C\u00e1diz has focused on nautical archaeology at sites like the Ballenera shipwreck. While not a tourist attraction open to the general public, diving trips are organized while the archaeologists are working so that people can better understand the methodology of archaeology and the importance of the discovery. In addition, the University has established a graduate-level program for Nautical and Underwater Archaeology. This UNESCO-recognized program was the first of its kind to be offered in Spanish at its inception in 2016. The program focuses specifically on the research and preservation of underwater cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

The Ballenera Excavation<\/span><\/h3>\n

The initial survey of the Ballenera wreck in 1984 extracted a small amount of ceramic materials. The recovered items were subsequently restored at the end of the 1990s and published in a small exhibition. The University of C\u00e1diz became involved later on to continue the exploration. According to L\u00f3pez, a wide variety of goods have been recovered since. Some of the items found are:<\/p>\n