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In early 2009, the Waitt Institute for Discovery conducted a deep-sea search for Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra aircraft in the area of the South Pacific where many researchers believe she crashed and perished on July 2, 1937. On that day, she and navigator Fred Noonan vanished without a trace during Earhart’s attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world at the equator.

The Institute’s mission, known as CATALYST 2, involved assembling a diverse group of experts from multiple backgrounds and institutions to identify the most likely search areas for Earhart’s plane. Then, using a pair of REMUS 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles equipped with side scan sonar, an experienced research team surveyed over 2,000 square miles of ocean floor at an average depth of 5,200 meters.

Sadly, locating the Electra was not to be. But, the good news is we’re confident we know where she isn’t.

Therefore, for the benefit of future researchers, the Waitt Institute is sharing all scientific results, as well as a provocative, first-hand account of life aboard ship, at a specially designed new Web portal known as Search for Amelia. One of the most comprehensive digital records on the life and legacy of Amelia Earhart available today, Search for Amelia is a collaborative site where comments and ideas about Earhart and her final flight are invited and encouraged.

Waitt Institute partners during CATALYST 2 included Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Brennan Phillips and Robin Littlefield of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution prepare to load Ginger into the Launch and Recovery System (LARS). / Photograph by Brian Cousin / © Harbor Branch Oceanographic Insitute

The inaugural CATALYST expedition launched on December 4, 2008 and utilized the Waitt Institute’s autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to create the first-ever high definition side-scan sonar maps of deep-water Lophelia and Oculina coral reefs off the coast of eastern Florida. This charter mapping effort will provide the data necessary to enable lawmakers to protect these unique, diverse and incredibly fragile reefs from bottom trawling, fossil fuel exploration and other destructive activities. CATALYST ONE is a collaboration between the Waitt Institute for Discovery, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

Side scan sonar mosaic of the 'Triceratops' pinnacles. The pinnacle to the right was located earlier using the ship's fathometer. The pinnacle to the left was discovered during the Waitt Institute’s CATALYST ONE expedition using their Hydroid-built REMUS 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.

CATALYST ONE Results
The Waitt Institute for Discovery’s CATALYST ONE expedition resulted in the discovery of three never-before identified Lophelia coral reefs. 
The three Lophelia coral reefs range in size from 40-60 meters (150-200 feet) tall and sit in water about 400m (1300 feet) deep. Individual Lophelia can grow to several meters in diameter and one to three meters high. Based on radiocarbon dating, live Lophelia coral off the coast of Florida is estimated to be 700 years old and is home to thousands of species of fish and invertebrates.

Principle Investigator, Dr. John Reed, has studied these fragile ecosystems off Florida’s coast for more than 30 years and will use the mapping data from CATALYST ONE to support his policy efforts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to delineate the region as a Deep Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC). The CATALYST ONE results will also assist Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in determining exact locations to revisit and explore in person with their Johnson Sea Link submersibles on future HBOI expeditions.

Multi-beam sonar mosaic of the 3 pinnacles, nicknamed Triceratops. Multi-beam sonar is more downward looking than side-scan sonar and gives finer detail about the bottom. For example, the height of a feature can be more accurately determined using multi-beam data.

CAT 1.1 AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER LOPHELIA CORAL HABITAT AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN, Part I
Map areas within and adjacent to the proposed Deep-Water Lophelia Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern, where low-resolution NOAA bathymetric charts indicate the possibility of undiscovered deep-water reefs. 

CAT 1.2 AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER LOPHELIA CORAL HABITAT AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN, Part II
Map the western edge of the primary Lophelia reef zone within the proposedLophelia Habitat Area of Particular Concern, where commercial fishery interests (royal red shrimp) overlap known and possible deep-water reefs.

CAT 1.3 AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER OCULINA CORAL HABITAT OF PARTICULAR CONCERN
Map a portion of the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern where nearly 100 concrete reef balls have been placed for restoration experiments in areas of damaged corals.
Investigate the effectiveness of deploying these concrete structures as reef-starters for Oculina coral larvae.

The R/V Seward Johnson underway / © Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

From Principle Investigator, John Reed
“In the past 10 years scientists from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in collaboration with NOAA and many others have discovered hundreds of deep-water coral reefs, some up to 200 ft tall, off the coast of the southeastern U.S. These are irreplaceable resources that are thousands of years old, ecologically diverse and vulnerable to physical destruction.

“Activities involving fish trawls, oil and gas production, pipe laying, mining, or harvest of reef resources could negatively impact these reefs. Unfortunately, deep reefs worldwide are being impacted by destructive fishing methods, such as bottom trawling for shrimp and fish, which destroys the delicate corals. These reefs are deserving of the highest level of protection as they are a national treasure, equivalent to old growth red wood forests, but at 2000 feet deep. Based on this research, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recently has proposed a 23,000 nm2 region from North Carolina to South Florida as a marine protected area for deep-water coral reefs. In addition, President Bush is considering designating this same region as a marine national monument.

“Our project, made possible by the Waitt Institute for Discovery, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, will provide detailed bathymetric maps for a portion of these reefs where data is critical due to possible overlap of fishing interests and an especially high concentration of healthy reefs. Deep-sea coral ecosystems are at a disadvantage in gaining public empathy because most people will never see them. It is the responsibility of scientists to educate the public about these valuable resources. This project therefore also includes an element of education/outreach toward teachers, students and the public.”
– John Reed

CATALYST ONE Team

Science
John Reed (HBOI) - Principle Investigator
Lance Horn - Expedition Scientist
Dr. Tamara Frank (HBOI) - Expedition Scientist
Thiago Correa (University of Miami) - Expedition Scientist
Dr. Chris Koenig (HBOI) - Expedition Scientist
Glenn Taylor - Expedition Scientist

Logistics
Mike Dessner (WID) - Field Operations Manager
Lee Frey (HBOI) - Project Manager
Bill Baxley (HBOI) - Project Manager
Joe Lepore (WID) - Deck Safety Officer

AUV Operations
Mike Purcell (WHOI) - AUV Operations Lead/Vehicle Engineer
Greg Packard (WHOI) - AUV Operations Lead/Vehicle Engineer
Brennan Phillips (WHOI) - AUV Mechanical Engineer/Vehicle Operator 

Fred Jaffre - AUV Electrical Engineer/Vehicle Operator
NeilMcPhee (WHOI) - Vehicle Operator

Stephen D. Murphy (WHOI) - Vehicle Operator
Mark Dennett (WHOI) - Vehicle Operator 

Frank Lombardo (HBOI) – Vehicle Operator
Robin Littlefield (WHOI) - Vehicle Operator
Don Liberatore (HBOI) - Vehicle Operator
Jim “Sully” Sullivan (HBOI) - Vehicle Operator
Phil Santos (HBOI) - Vehicle Operator

Sonar Analysis
Andy Sherrell (WID) - Lead Sonar Analyst
Don Koningsor (WID) - Sonar Analyst
Steve Dabagian (WID) - Sonar Analyst 


Media Team
Stephani Gordon (WID) - Producer/Videographer 

Brian Cousin (HBOI) - Media Specialist/Videographe

Survey Location: near Butrint, Albania
Dates: August 15-25, 2008

Principle Investigator
Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld
Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, Trinity University

In Collaboration With
RPM Nautical Foundation
Albanian Institute of Archaeology (AIA)

Expedition blog: http://underwateralbania.blogspot.com 

Expedition Background
Sometime early in the third century BCE, a ship carrying a cargo of amphoras wrecked on a promontory just south of the bay of Butrint.  These ancient ceramic vases will break upon impact, but do not disintegrate once they have come to rest on the sea floor. This durability has left them as the sole witnesses to many ancient shipwrecks, and the stories they have to tell have transformed our understanding of history.

During an underwater survey in July of 2007, conducted by the RPM Nautical Foundation, researchers discovered a grouping of these amphoras resting on the seabed. About forty of them remain visible above the accumulating sand and are waiting to be studied more closely.

Photograph by Georgios Pazios

Expedition Summary
The Waitt Institute for Discovery and RPM Nautical Foundation teamed up for this reconnaissance mission and have invited Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld to lead the research team. The goal of this 10-day expedition was to evaluate the potential of this shipwreck for archaeological excavation. The research team dived the wreck site in order to examine the seabed topography, to identify the area of scatter, and to confirm or revise the initial report of the types, quantity, and preservation of the finds.

The accomplished recon will provide insight for planning an excavation project for the site, including a determination of the equipment, funds, and personnel that will be needed to excavate, record, and conserve the finds properly.  At the same time, Dr. Hirschfeld acted as an ambassador for the proposed project to various Albanian officials, educators, and students, with the hope of exciting interest in a collaborative enterprise and to learn of available facilities and expertise.

The Waitt Institute’s long-term goal of this project is to participate as a catalyst in the development of a sustainable program of cultural resource management of the maritime heritage of Albania, conducted by and for the Albanians. A secondary goal is to broaden the American student perspective of the people and history of the Balkans.

From the Expedition Leader
“When I was in high school, one of the reasons I decided to become an archaeologist was that I wanted to travel and explore the world, especially the parts of it that are very different from the places I know.  My career so far has offered me more than I ever would have imagined: years of living in Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, participating in excavations throughout the Aegean, the Levant and Egypt, and exploring museum storerooms all over Europe.  And now, just when I have gotten comfortable in those orbits, chance has opened the door to Albania.  Once again, a new and strange and exotic land lies ahead.  Last night I learned that the official currency of Albania is the lek, which is subdivided into 100 quindarka.  What could be more unfamiliar?  I feel like Dorothy about to step into Oz.  I expect to encounter every bit as much of magic, different ways of doing things, and new-yet-familiar friends.” 
– Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld 

Expedition Team Members

Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld, Principle Investigator
Nautical Archaeologist/Trinity University

Joe Lepore, Dive Safety Officer/Director of Dive Operations
Dive Safety Officer/Waitt Institute for Discovery

Derek Smith, Scientific Diver and Hyperbaric Chamber Technician
Marine Safety Officer and PhD Candidate in Zoology/University of Hawaii

Liz Smith, Diver/Videographer
Multimedia Producer/Waitt Institute for Discovery

Survey Location: Campeche Bank and Chinchorro Bank, Mexico
Dates: March 3-22, 2008

Principle Investigator
Pilar Luna Erreguerena
Director of Underwater Archaeology, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

In Collaboration With                                                
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) 

Expedition Background
The reefs and islands of the Campeche Bank were a notorious navigation hazard for Spanish ships traveling between Havana and the Mexican port of Veracruz, the latter of which was established by Cortés in preparation for his assault on the Aztec capital. It was in these waters that some of the 13 ships of the New Spain Fleet, under the command of Admiral Manuel Serrano, sank during a storm in 1631. Due to the threat posed by the reefs and islands of the Campeche Bank, the amount of shipwrecks found here makes this area one of the richest regarding underwater cultural heritage.

Over the past several years, Archaeologist Pilar Luna Erreguerena and her team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have recorded more than 150 sites along the Campeche Bank. INAH’s underwater archaeology team has carried out an intense archival research in Mexico, Spain, and Cuba regarding the New Spain Fleet. The flagship Nuestra Señora del Juncal remains elusive.

Helena Barba (L) and Mike Dessner (R) survey the sea floor at Chinchorro Bank

Expedition Summary
The Waitt Institute for Discovery partnered with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) for this exploratory survey of Campeche and Chinchorro Banks. Leading the expedition as Principle Investigator was Archaeologist Pilar Luna, head of the Underwater Archaeology Area at INAH in Mexico City.

The first focus of the 18-day expedition was survey efforts on the search for the lost New Spain Fleet of 1630-1631 and its flagship, the Nuestra Señora del Juncal. The secondary phase of the expedition was to investigate shipwrecks and suspected shipwreck sites along the reefs of Chinchorro Bank. These locations are remote and many of the reef areas are unspoiled.

The WID expedition team prepares the side-scan sonar for launch

From the Expedition Leader
“The fact that Mr. Ted Waitt created the Waitt Institute for Discovery is extraordinary due to the potential of service this can signify to many scientific projects around the world. So was the invitation he made me to be part of the Executive Board.

“It was a privilege that the Waitt Institute decided to support us in the 1630-1631 New Spain Fleet Research Project and Inventory and Diagnosis of Submerged Cultural Resources in the Gulf of Mexico, especially in the search for Nuestra Señora del Juncal, one of the two flagships of the fleet.

“The proposal was to survey one potential area in the Gulf of Mexico in which we think there are more possibilities to find Nuestra Señora del Juncal.  This area is one of several selected through archival research made during many years in Mexico, Spain and Cuba, and comparative studies of 17^th century charts and modern maps.  Manuscripts referring to this shipwreck do not mention exactly the site of the tragedy.  A deep analysis of diverse aspects of life in Spain—social, political, economical, artistic, etc.—has been made since 1995, in order to comprehend the context in which the fleet was built and sent to America, as well as the facts that surrounded the trip back to Spain, which was interrupted when the convoy was hit by a storm in 1631 and lost some of their ships in the Gulf of Mexico.

“In February 2008 a group of researchers from the Underwater Archaeology Vice-Directorate (SAS) of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) set sail with the technical assistance of Jeffrey Morris and Stephen Bilicki, as well as the support of Mike Dessner and the rest of the Waitt team.  The assistance of all of them, and the support of Dr. Dominique Rissolo at the Waitt Institute’s La Jolla headquarters, was crucial during the expedition, since there were many meteorological obstacles to overcome.  In spite of this, the result of the field season was absolutely positive.”
– Pilar Luna Erreguerena

Expedition Team Members
Pilar Luna Erreguerena/Principle Investigator
Director of Underwater Archaeology, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

Dominique Rissolo, PhD/ Expedition Coordinator
Executive Director, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Joe Lepore/Dive Safety Officer, Surveyor
Dive Safety Officer, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Mike Dessner/Logistics Coordinator, Surveyor
Director of Logistics, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Jeff Morris/Director of Survey Operations
Director, Azulmar Research, LLC

Steve Bilicki/Surveyor
Maritime Archaeologist, Azulmar Research, LLC

Helena Barba Meinecke/Surveyor
Underwater Archaeologist, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

Roberto Junco Sánchez/Surveyor
Underwater Archaeologist, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

Edgar Merino Gallegos/Surveyor
Underwater Archaeologist, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

Admiral Alberto Mariano Vázquez De la Cerda/Physical Oceanographer
Professor, University of Veracruz

Michael Jablonowski/Surveyor
Sonoma State University

Lance Milbrand/Videographer
Director, Milbrand Cinema

Survey Location: Rio Chagres and the Pearl Islands, Panama
Dates: January 22 – February 9, 2008

Principle Investigators
Dr. James P. Delgado 
Nautical Archaeologist/President/Institute of Nautical Archaeology

Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann
Research Associate/Nautical Archaeologist
Office of Underwater Science at Indiana University

In Collaboration With
Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Panama (INAC) 

Expedition Background
Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, for five hundred years the Rio Chagres carried people and cargo from the Caribbean deep into the jungle, where overland trails would then deliver them to waiting ships in Panama City. The pirate Captain Henry Morgan used this very same route in 1671 when he sacked and burned Panama City – the second most important city in the Spanish New World at the time. Four of Morgan’s ships sank off the mouth of the Chagres as he made his escape. Dozens of ships went down near the mouth of the Chagres, yet many have not been located and none have been formally mapped or recorded.

Nearly 200 years later, the Isthmus of Panama became a major highway for gold seekers enroute to California. The passageway supported ships on their way to take part in the Gold Rush.  Steamers made fast journeys from New York and New Orleans to Panama, where the small settlement of Chagres expanded across the river to “Yankee Chagres,” a temporary settlement of hotels, restaurants, bars and brothels.  One of the ships that participated in the “Panama Route” was the steamship Lafayette (1851), which sank near the mouth of the Chagres River.  At least five other shipwrecks from the Gold Rush also lie off the entrance to the Chagres.

On the Pacific side, the Pearl Islands are home to one of only four known submarines from the Civil War era. The Sub Marine Explorer (1865) lies half-submerged on a beach on Isla San Telmo. These islands harbored pirates and buccaneers lying in wait for treasure-laden galleon en route from Peru to Panama City. They also supported the pearling industry of the mid-1800s, which brought Explorer to Panama.

Photograph by Dominique Risollo

Expedition Summary
The Waitt Institute for Discovery partnered with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) and the Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Panama (INAC) for this exploratory survey on the Rio Chagres and Isle San Telmo in Panama. Leading the expedition as Principle Investigators were Dr. James P. “Jim” Delgado and Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann.

The 18-day expedition had several goals in multiple locations in Panama. The WID expedition team first conducted a survey in the mouth of the Chagres River at the site of the fabled Castillo de San Lorenzo in a search for the steamship Lafayette and other wrecks from the Gold Rush era. The team then transited the canal to the Pearl Islands and to complete an investigation of the sub started by Dr. James Delgado in 2001. Additionally, a first-ever sonar survey of the waters around Isle San Telmo was conducted.

Photograph by Lance Milbrand

Expedition Team Members
Dr. James P. Delgado/Co-Principal Investigator
President and CEO/Nautical Archaeologist Nautical Archaeologist, Institute of Nautical Archaeology

Fritz Hanselman/Co-Principal Investigator
Research Associate/Nautical Archaeologist, Indiana University

Dominique Rissolo, PhD/Expedition Coordinator
Executive Director, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Joe Lepore/Director of Dive Operations, Surveyor
Dive Safety Officer, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Mike Dessner/Logistics Coordinator, Surveyor
Director of Logistics, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Steve Bilicki/Chief Surveyor
Maritime Archaeologist, Azulmar Research, LLC

Donald G. Geddes, III/Historian
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Institute of Nautical Archaeology

Clyde Smith/Historian
Board of Directors, Institute of Nautical Archaeology

John McKay/Sub Marine Explorer Architectural Reconstruction and Documentation
Architectural Draftsman and Historian

Erich Horgan/Expedition Biologist
Biology Research Associate, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Mike Purcell/AUV Lead Technician
Senior Engineer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Greg Packard/AUV Technician
Senior Engineering Assistant, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Lance Milbrand/Videographer
Director, Milbrand Cinema

Survey Location: Endymion Rock, Turks & Caicos
Dates: November 28 - December 13, 2007

Principle Investigator
Dr. Donald Keith
Lead Archaeologist, Ships of Discovery

In Collaboration With
Ships of Discovery
Turks & Caicos Museum
Turks & Caicos Dept. of Environment and Coastal Resources 

Expedition Background
The Turks Island Passage has been well-traveled since Columbus and is one of the main avenues for ships of all nationalities moving between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. At the southern end of the passage lies Endymion Rock, a shallow reef named for HMS Endymion, a British Fifth Rate that wrecked there in 1790. It has long been rumored that other shipwrecks lie in the vicinity, perhaps in the deep-water passage only a few hundred meters to the West.

Photograph by Dominique Rissolo

Expedition Summary
The Waitt Institute for Discovery partnered with Ships of Discovery and the Turks and Caicos National Museum for this exploratory survey of the Endymion Rock area.  Leading the expedition as Principle Investigator was Dr. Donald H. Keith, a nautical archaeologist and trustee of the Turks and Caicos National Museum.

The goal of this two-week expedition was to document the current state of the H.M.S Endymion, as well as search the site for other shipwrecks. The WID team performed a side-scan sonar and magnetometer survey of a 12 square kilometer area around and beyond the reef in an effort to locate any lost ships from the 1700’s or any other time period. The research team also dived the site to survey and closely document the Endymion, as well as any other shipwrecks discovered at the site.

A further goal of this expedition was to create documentation of the current state of the site for future comparison, while also providing deeper insight into the history of the region. The possibility for discovery of unknown wrecks was also high.

WID expedition team studies an engine from the mystery wreck at Endymion Rock

Expedition Team Members
Donald Keith/Principle Investigator
Lead Archaeologist, Ships of Discovery

Dominique Rissolo/Expedition Coordinator
Executive Director, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Joe Lepore/Dive Safety Officer, Surveyor
Dive Safety Officer, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Mike Dessner/Logistics Coordinator, Surveyor
Director of Logistics, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Jeff Morris/Director of Survey Operations
Director, Azulmar Research, LLC

Mike Cameron/Sonar Technician, Surveyor
Director and Chief Pilot, Dark Matter, LLC

Steve Bilicki/Surveyor
Maritime Archaeologist, Azulmar Research, LLC

Lance Milbrand/Videographer
Director, Milbrand Cinema