TSR to Purchase New SAR Vessel

Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery announced that it has entered into an agreement for the purchase of a research and recovery vessel for its operations. 

The company expects to take delivery by August 15 and to begin operations shortly thereafter. The vessel is a significant addition to the company because it is already well outfitted with the necessary base equipment, has a range of 1,500 miles, and the ability to carry out the company’s operations, as planned by its COO, underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence. For its overall size, range, and liveaboard capability, the vessel has a relatively shallow draft, which should allow the company to explore and work a wide range of shipwreck locations including some that would be extremely difficult if not impossible in either a larger or a smaller vessel.

The vessel can comfortably sleep between 12 and 14 people. It has a sizable lift capacity, which should allow us to recover cannons and other heavy objects without undue difficulty. It already has a lab area suitable for the initial examination, photographing, and conservation of recovered artifacts. The company plans on further outfitting the vessel with state-of-the-art magnetometer and side scan sonar equipment, which will be used to scientifically survey the debris fields of the shipwrecks. The resulting data and information will enable the company’s archaeologists and search/salvage team to map the spread of the artifacts and help us to better determine where to focus our salvage efforts.

Right now, Dr. Spence’s plans are to immediately use the vessel to go to some sites where there are shipwreck artifacts, such as cannons and anchors, which he anticipates can be readily salvaged. He expects to man the vessel with a licensed captain, a first-mate, an engineer, two professional underwater archaeologists (including Dr. Spence, who is also an historian and cartographer), one topside photographer, one underwater photographer, one computer tech (who will also serve as the primary magnetometer and sonar operator), and up to six archaeological salvage divers. All of the divers will be expected to share in the general duties aboard the vessel, such as cooking, cleaning, and maintenance of the diving gear and the search and salvage equipment.