A response to the ‘reassessment’ of the survey data from Capo Colonna, Italy This response to the ‘reappraisal’ by Bartoli (2010) of the author’s original paper in this journal (2008) requires only a brief note. The subject of the discussion is the interpretation of stone formations discovered during one of RPM Nautical Foundation’s (RPMNF) surveys in Calabria, …
The Adriatic’s Uncharted Past
Once closed to exploration, the waters off the Albanian coast begin to give up their secrets The R/V Hercules is anchored in the Adriatic Sea near Saranda, Albania, and the crew of the 110-foot-long research vessel is at attention. “Back deck, stand clear of the wind!” RPM Nautical Foundation (RPMNF) founder George Robb bellows into …
The Finale – Rome Against Carthage
This feature in Antike Welt (Ancient World, Journal of Archaeology and Cultural History) focuses on the last battle between Rome and Carthage and the archaeological finds, specifically the ram discovered by RPM Nautical Foundation. Download the Article to Learn More (in German)
In Distress: Rescuing a Roman Merchantmen 1700 Years Later
This article takes a look at the the Levanzo I wreck, discovered by RPM Nautical Foundation in 2006. Described here is the discovery of the wrecksite, its location, its condition and the condition of the artifacts–with a particular focus on the destructive influence of dragnets–as well as the excavation of the site in 2009. Download the Article to …
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At the Transition from Late Medieval to Early Modern
The Archaeology of Three Wrecks from Turkey During surveys in the Rhodian Straits in 2005–06, the staff of the RPM Nautical Foundation discovered three deepwater wrecks which reflect elements of the transition from late medieval to early modern seafaring. The assemblages, and their plotting on site-plans generated from photographic evidence, point to the finding of …
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HMS Volage Discovery
In Albania With the RPM Nautical Foundation This article details RPMNF’s survey work along the Albanian coast in conjunction with the Albanian Institute of Archaeology, the Albanian Ministry of Defense, and INA. The goal of the surveys is search for shipwrecks and other submerged sites–history that would be otherwise lost. Described here is the incident …
Revisiting an Early Naval Incident of the Cold War
Archaeological Identification of the Bow of HMS Volage Sunk During the Corfu Channel Incident of October 22, 1946 Introduction Following the Second World War, Britain asserted that the Corfu Channel, a narrow seaway separating the island of Corfu from the Albanian coast, was an international strait. Albania, at that time a Communist State under the …
Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program The 2009 Campaign
Overview Fieldwork along the eastern Adriatic coast in 2009 marked the initial campaign conducted and coordinated under the research initiative of the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program (ICEP). The goals of the program, introduced in this publication (Royal 2009), are to bring together numerous research institutes in an effort to investigate the eastern Adriatic coast. At the …
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2009 Expeditions in Sicily
Since 2005, RPM Nautical Foundation (RPMNF) and the Superintendent’s Office of Underwater Archaeology in Sicily (Ufficio di Soprintendenza del Mare) have conducted a survey of coastal waters off the NW Sicilian coast. Over these past years, several areas have undergone intensive multibeam survey with ROV verification of anomalies (Figure 1). Efforts around the island of …
Three Renaissance Wrecks from Turkey
Their Implications for Maritime History in the Eastern Mediterranean Abstract: This paper summarises findings from three recently investigated Renaissance wrecks in deepwater discovered in the Straits of Rhodes and interprets them in the context of that fast-changing world. Taken together, these vessels of different type provide insight into the maritime infrastructure of European mercantile trade …
Corinthian Shipwrecks
This article in the July 2009 issue of Archaeology magazine summarized the important research and diving expeditions being conducted by RPM Nautical Foundation in the waters along the Albania’s coastline. Most of the finds consist of Corinthian goods from Greek transport ships which sank in route to their destinations on the Adriatic coast. Download the …
Archaeology and Technology
Exploring History in the Mediterranean Much of the equipment utilized by RPMNF has long been featured in the efforts of ocean-based industries, such as multibeam echo sounders, ROVs, beacon positioning systems, and vessels with dynamic positioning. It is the combination of these technologies that has proved successful. By the end of 2003, after years of …