previously, and then I go to my files
to draft a list of potential suspects.
Over the years I have collected
thousands of archival news articles,
historical ship images and other
records that can help aid in the
identification of a wreck. Sometimes
I have a fairly good idea of what a
wreck may be before I even dive the
site. In other instances, such as when
I dive a totally unknown mystery
wreck, I try to acquire as much
useful information as possible during
the dive. This includes estimating
the vessel’s dimensions, assessing the
type of powerplant and recognizing
other notable diagnostic features. If I
can do this while shooting photos or
video, all the better.
AD: Have you ever been
surprised by what you found in
either your research or while
diving on a wreck?
Barnette:
I have definitely had
my share of surprises in both
settings. Sometimes the moment
of success in identifying a wreck
has come while combing through
the archives, such as when we
found evidence that a mystery
shipwreck off Islamorada was the
steamer Queen of Nassau (formerly
the CGS Canada). I was in the
Miami Public Library following
a trail of evidence a colleague
discovered when I came across a
1926 newspaper article that made
the connection. I still remember
the moment — I was ecstatic,
and I ran outside to make a call
to my collaborator on the project
to let him know what was found.
There have been many other
moments similar to that, such as
my first dive on a mystery wreck
that turned out to be the historic
whaleback steamer City of Everett.
We were led to the unidentified
wreck 150 miles offshore in the
Gulf of Mexico by a couple of
fishermen. They swore it was a
massive wreck, and I thought it
might be the missing freighter
Norlindo, which was the first
World War II casualty in the Gulf.
Apparently my disappointment
was obvious as we marked the
wreck on their sonar: it was a low-
lying wreck and extremely unlikely
to be the Norlindo. We dived
it anyway, and were astounded
to stumble on the much more
historic City of Everett.
Similarly, I was on a trip with a
commercial fisherman looking for a
wreck in approximately 300 feet of
water in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.
The search was a bust, but a couple
days later we were over a ledge when
the captain asked if I wanted to do a
dive to cool off. I rolled over to do a
quick, relaxing dive in about 240 feet
of water. I was dumbfounded when
I saw significant colonies of Oculina
varicosa coral — a deep-water coral
known to occur in abundance only
on the east coast of Florida. So
sometimes discoveries result from a
systematic approach, and sometimes
it is just blind, dumb luck.
AD: How significant was finding
Oculina varicosa in the Gulf?
Barnette:
Fairly significant I
suppose, as it expanded the overall
knowledge of the species and filled
in important data gaps regarding
species connectivity. We think the
deep-water habitat we identified
in the gulf is producing the larvae
that colonize “downstream”
habitats such as those off the
east coast. We discovered that
the coral in the gulf is genetically
identical to the coral on the east
coast, which helps support that
theory. The identification may also
assist with management efforts
to conserve and reduce potential
impacts on the species.
— Gene Hobbs
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