1998 SS America Mapping Trip

This year's project team was greeted with fair weather and 60 degree water at the wreck site. The trip was from 6-9 August, and the team members were GLSPS President, Ken Merryman, and GLSPS members, Steve Daniel, Malinda Miller, Al Brown, John Nori, Chris Olson and Laurie Janikowski. They worked off of the venerable boat Heyboy.

The project goals included detail drawings of the engine room and measurements of the main deck and aft boat deck. During the coarse of ten dives, the dining room and social salon, engine room and number two cargo hold were measured and recorded on a master print back on board the Hey Boy. Measurements were also taken of the cabin deck and fantail section for the September construction project. Most times, members were paired off for different dive tasks.

In addition to the mapping activity, Steve Daniel did underwater sketching to record details of the passenger cabins, rear skylight on the boat deck and the grand staircase in the social salon.  Details of the engine as well as the pumps, blower and several other pieces of equipment were also sketched.  The rough drawings were then redrawn proportionately on graph paper.

Like last year, videographer, Al Brown, recorded the action underwater.  According to Malinda Miller, "The mapping project went better than I anticipated. I was not sure how much we were going to get accomplished from our wish list of jobs, because some people backed out in the last week before the trip."

  "Steve Daniel picked up the slack and all the project tasks were accomplished," she added.

To map a shipwreck underwater a waterproof measuring tape is used with two divers to measure a vessel stem-to-stern and abeam at numerous points along the keel line.  This establishes locating points for walls and rooms and other details within the ship.  Notes and sketches are made using a pencil tied to a plastic slate.  Waterproof matte polyester sheets are taped or clamped to the slates for use underwater.

All the team members volunteered their time, and the trip was a great opportunity for them to practice what they learned in past GLSPS mapping classes.  All drawings are now available in the book written by Steve Daniel and published by GLSPS - SS America: A Diver's Vision of the Past.