The University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in close cooperation with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as part of the North Atlantic Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, investigated, evaluated, and characterized four shipwrecks and three associated hard bottom habitats in the vicinity of Fishnet Bank, which is approximately 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana. All sites were in the mesophotic zone, i.e. between 40–150 meters of water depth. This is an area where BOEM has identified a significant data gap for its Environmental Studies Program. Field work, analysis, and interpretation were carried out between 2021 and 2024. The report contains the primary deliverables, which include detailed historical investigations and Phase II archaeological characterizations of the four shipwrecks; investigations and characterizations of biological communities of invertebrates and fish on four shipwrecks and three associated hardbottom habitats; and, to the extent possible, high definition orthomosaic maps and 3D models of each shipwreck and hardbottom site. The most important historical shipwrecks examined were C.P. Baker (an early catamaran-style oil drill ship that suffered a disastrous blowout in 1964) and M/V Hamlet (a Norwegian motor tanker sunk by the U-753 in 1942).

USD: $598,744

2021-04-01 → 2024-04-18