Step into the dive boots of a maritime archaeologistApr 09, 2015 by Madeline Mcallister
Step into the dive boots of a maritime archaeologist
Henrietta’s anchor on the Batavia shipwreck site. Credit: Madeline McAllister
What lies at the bottom of the ocean is a long-time source of intrigue, however, many of us lack the capabilities to explore it.
What if you could virtually explore and dive on a shipwreck site from the very first archaeological survey, through to the present day?
The 1629 Batavia shipwreck is one of Western Australia's most infamous maritime stories and the shipwreck has been extensively archaeologically studied over the past 40 years.
The excavated hull is one of our most popular tourist attractions, housed in the Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle.
However, the shipwreck site itself is located approximately 60 kilometres from the mainland in the northern Wallabi Group of the Abrolhos, and public access to the site is challenging.
For many practical reasons like this, it is rarely possible for the general public to visit most maritime archaeological sites.
My work is based on developing, testing and refining a method for archaeologically recording an underwater shipwreck site with digital photogrammetry and using these images to create accurate three-dimensional (3D) digital models for archaeological interpretation.
One major aspect of my work is accessing and reinvestigating the wealth of image data held within the Western Australian Museum's Department of Maritime Archaeology, which is also known as 'legacy' data.
Hopefully, the outcome will be an engaging and interactive virtual reconstruction of the underwater shipwreck site from the first archaeological work through to the present day.