In April 2008 Buzz led a team to search for the wreck of The Harkness, a Maine tugboat that sank off of the coast of Matinicus Island. Here he talks about the details of the expedition.
The Equipment
The gear we used aboard the boat were the basics. We used the plot charter, the compass, and of course the skipper's expertise!
The ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) we used was a Teledyne Benthos Stingray. This ROV is capable of diving to a depth of 1000 feet. It has one camera on board and several lights. The ROV was also equipped with a BlueView Sonar. The lights and camera gave us about 25 or 30 feet of direct visibility and the sonar gave us the additional cability of scanning the sea floor for about 100 feet or more from the ROV. This, of course, was extremely helpful in searching for the wreck.
Even though we didn't find the "Harkness" it was an excellent opportunity for successfully testing that we had not used before.
The other piece of equipment that we used was a pole mounted side scan sonar. It too is a Teledyne Benthos product called a C-3D side scan sonar. It is attached to the gunnels of the boat on a pole that is lowered past the keel of the support vessel. The boat then runs a track, a process we call "mowing the lawn", which is done by running back and forth and offsetting each time by about 100 feet. Each pass collects a beam path about 300 feet wide and a software creates a 3D image of the sea floor. This technology provides us with a very detailed image of the sea floor upon which you can pick out objects such as lobster traps and even smaller.
The Location
The location of the wreck is on the east side of Matinicus between three to five miles off. This summer we will be running another expedition that will last two weeks. This first trip was only three days which didn't give us much of a chance to search, but as I said it did give us an opportunity to test the gear and crew. That was a huge success. I am very confident that during our summer cruise we will be successful in finding the wreck of the "Harkness" which will give us the opportunity to take students from Matinicus and elsewhere out to explore the wreck with the ROV for years to come... but then again there has been talk that the owners of the tug would like to salvage the wreck which would be another adventure for another time. More on that at a later date!
Why Look for the Harkness?
As you know I have created OceansWide as an adventure in education through ocean exploration. A large part of the mystique of the deep sea is the fact that she takes ships from time to time. Any Maine student or camper who hasn't dreamt of the adventures of diving to the bottom of the sea to find sunken treasure hasn't had a chance to live! Whether it's diving to document the story of a wreck that happened on a dark and stormy night in frigid conditions (The "Harkness" or the "Titanic") or trying to find a swashbuckling pirate galleon full of shiny gold pieces of eight, an adventure is an adventure and it makes the mind race! The reason OceansWide has chosen to go after the "Harkness" is because it's a phenomenal story. The fact that the three men on board the tug would have surely perished had it not been for the bravery, character and strength of the men from Matinicus is in itself quite a story. But the fact that they were rescued by Vance, Paul and Ricky (Matinicus lobstermen) is amazing... what were the odds in that kind of weather? Then there is the fact that the wreck isn't a grave site. That makes the adventure one that can gladly be told. To tell of men who risked their lives on the sea, who have the integrity to save others who do the same, is a lesson for our kids and if it's told right it may give one or two students or campers the inspiration and belief that it's good to have these qualities and will think about that as they move through life.
More about OceansWide
OceansWide is an educational program designed to give students and campers an educational opportunity that doesn't exist anywhere in the world. There are other very wonderful ocean exploration programs out there, but OceansWide is the only one in the world using a robotic submarine to show our children and community the fragile world beneath the surface of the sea. OceansWide is also dedicated to helping enhance other educational programs using environmental outreach as a catalyst to get people interested in education. We recognize the beauty of this wonderful state of Maine, and coastal water beyond, and only wish to give people (primarily our youth) the chance to see with their own eyes the importance of working collaboratively and cooperatively to do what we can to keep our planet healthy and sustainable for us and the generations to follow.
