Adam Johnson

I came to this field school to get a bit more practical experience working with material from underwater sites also to get experience working underwater recording submerged sites.

Field school students taking notes on the Adelaide Baker artifacts.

Today we went to the Key Largo Office if NOAA to view artifacts believed to be from the Adelaide Baker shipwreck.  There was material from various components of the ship, standing and running rigging and the hull.  The morning was spent familiarizing ourselves with different components of a ship.  Dr. Corbin also talked about various conservation issues, factors affecting the stability of material in an underwater context, generally some treatments that can be done to wood and metal artifacts and definitely understanding what will happen to the material once you bring it up. 

Dr. Annalies Corbin (right) discusses artifact conservation with students.

The afternoon was spent working in our teams recording the various artifacts.  We recorded the type and dimensions of the artifacts.  We also sketched them and wrote descriptions on their preservation condition.  All in all it was a fun day trying to figure out what some of the stuff was.

On the menu Monday evening: Lasagna with ice cream for dessert.