Documentary Production and Distribution News
Project Shiphunt Young Explorers Discover Two Lake Huron Shipwrecks and Document the Journey In 3D
By StudentFilmmakers.com Staff
posted Jul 14, 2011, 10:42
Sony and Intel's Project Shiphunt team of young explorers, scientists and historians has returned to shore with news of its underwater discovery: shipwrecks of the schooner M.F. Merrick and the steel freighter Etruria, in deep water off of Presque Isle in Lake Huron. The project was completed with "much thanks to pings, processing and 3D," according to one of the world's leading marine archaeologists. Current Media, the Peabody-and Emmy Award-winning independent television and online network founded in 2005, will air their adventure as the hour-long special "Project Shiphunt" on August 30th at 10 p.m. ET.
(ALPENA, MI) Sony and Intel's Project Shiphunt team of young explorers, scientists
and historians has returned to shore with news of its underwater discovery:
shipwrecks of the schooner M.F. Merrick and the steel freighter Etruria, in
deep water off of Presque Isle in Lake Huron. The project was completed with
"much thanks to pings, processing and 3D," according to one of the
world's leading marine archaeologists. Current Media, the Peabody-and Emmy Award-winning
independent television and online network founded in 2005, will air their adventure
as the hour-long special "Project Shiphunt" on August 30th at 10 p.m.
ET.
"Ship hunting was once a long, arduous process – more of a hobby
than a science," explained expedition leader Dr. James Delgado of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "With today's compact, powerful
technology, we have the ability to collect data by pinging the ocean floor,
processing the data set, and creating a three dimensional image. Watching that,
I was excited to see how the students, like the technology, are up to the task
of being the next generation of explorers, oceanographers and maritime archaeologists."
"All of us involved from Sony and Intel are inspired by the efforts of
the crew on this discovery," said Steven Nickel, vice president of Networked
Technology and Services Division at Sony Electronics. "It is exciting to
see Sony VAIO's remarkable computing power and innovative technologies applied
to this shipwreck hunting expedition and ultimately contribute to a poignant
story of personal discovery for the talented student crew."
"Even just a few years ago mapping the sea floor in real time with this
level of detail would have been impossible," said Jonathan Falker from
Intel. "The 2nd gen Intel Core processors enable some very exciting applications."
Project Shiphunt, developed by Sony and Intel Corp., began in May when five
ambitious high school students from Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Mich.
embarked on the adventure of a lifetime in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary*.
Their mission: hunt for a historically meaningful sunken ship, investigate its
identity, and document the journey in 3D video for future generations. Sony
and Intel outfitted these students with the latest Sony VAIO computers powered
by 2nd gen Intel® Core™ processors.
In addition to Dr. Delgado, the student team worked side by side with scientists
and historians from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)*,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute* and NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research
Laboratory*.
"The technology used in ship hunting is akin to using your eyes,"
said Dr. Delgado, Maritime Heritage Program director for NOAA's Office of National
Marine Sanctuaries. "How much of what you see is dependent on your field
of view. Historically, ship hunting was like looking through a microscope. Your
perspective was limited to what you could physically see. However, today's technology,
advances in computing and SONAR allow us to step away from the microscope, widening
our field of view while also preserving the detail."
The schooner M.F. Merrick was lost when a passing steamer struck her in a dense
fog off Presque Isle in May 1889. Laden with a heavy cargo of iron ore, the
230-foot Rufus P. Ranney hit the M.F. Merrick on her starboard (right) side
and opened a hole 12-feet wide in the old schooner, causing her to sink immediately.
Five crewmen went down with her.
The M.F. Merrick was built in 1863 in Clayton, N.Y., by well-known shipbuilder
John Oades. At 139 x 26 feet, she was a typical "canaller," designed
to pass through the locks of the Welland Ship Canal, bypassing Niagara Falls
and connecting Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River with the Upper Great
Lakes.
On February 8, 1902, the Etruria was launched at West Bay City, Mich., by West
Bay City Ship Building Co. She was built for the Hawgood Transit Company of
Cleveland, but only lasted three years. She sank in 1905, after colliding with
a steamer in the fog off Presque Isle Light, in Lake Huron.
Project to be Offered as Online Science Curriculum
Now that the mission of Project Shiphunt is complete, Sony and Intel Corp.
will partner with NOAA on a comprehensive educational curriculum for high school
science and history teachers. Students will be able to experience Thunder Bay
National Marine Sanctuary through the Project Shiphunt adventure directly from
their classrooms.
Sanctuary Home to Historically Significant Shipwrecks
The search took place in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, located
in the waters off Alpena, Mich. The sanctuary protects one of the nation's most
significant collections of shipwrecks, dating back to the late 1800s when the
Great Lakes were an engine driving America's early economy. Hundreds of ships
used those waterways and, unfortunately, a number of them never made it across
to deliver their cargo.
"Project Shiphunt was an extraordinary opportunity to bring the excitement
and science of shipwreck exploration to students and classrooms across the nation,"
said Jeff Gray, sanctuary superintendent. "We look forward to continuing
our work with Sony to enrich the lives of young people so they will understand
and appreciate the value in protecting our nation's underwater treasures."
Project Shiphunt is just as ambitious as last year's initiative when Sony and
Intel worked with students from the California Academy of Mathematics &
Science, pairing them with a rocket scientist to design, build and launch a
high powered rocket.
Resources:
http://www.sony.com/shiphunt
http://youtu.be/LeJhinjF16U?hd=1
http://youtu.be/Q-o2qvoIoTE?hd=1
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