Mission Logs April 30, 2006 Crunching data, wrapping up and heading home. April 29, 2006 Rough seas and small craft advisories make the going tough. April 28, 2006 The team explores the North America, a 19th century masted vessel. April 27, 2006 Today kicked off media day as the team provides an educational tour under water. April 26, 2006 Archaeologists kick off the photo-mosaic mission. Take a look at the newly developed sled technology in action! Mission Home Page

From April 23 to May 1, 2006, archaeologists from the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program will use a newly developed propulsion sled for creating photo-mosaics of shipwrecks during a mission to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Trail.

The team will create high-resolution photo-mosaics of the City of Washington, Benwood, Adelaide Baker Cluster A and B, North America and San Pedro, which was a ship from the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet.

Archaeologists will "fly" over the shipwreck while high-resolution cameras on the propulsion sled capture images of the shipwreck below. These images will later be pieced together on the surface with computer software much like a giant jigsaw puzzle, creating a highly detailed photo-mosaic of the site.

The photo-mosaics will provide archaeological data that will serve as a baseline to gauge the effects of hurricanes and other natural and human impacts on these historic treasures over time. Images taken during the project will also allow researchers and the public to view these shipwrecks in their entirety on the seafloor for the first time. 

The Shipwreck Trail provides the public information on nine different shipwreck sites of many types and historical periods. Presently, the trail relies on sketch maps to portray these fascinating sites.  The new photo-mosaic images will allow the public and divers to view these wrecks in unprecedented detail.