Skip to main content

 Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society

Dedicated to Preserving our Shipwrecks and Maritime History
"From Prevention to Preservation"



HomeMadeira and Hesper Monitoring Project 2011

Madeira and Hesper Monitoring Project

July 16 - 17, 2011


 

Madeira Pilot House

Photo by Tamera Tompsen

 

 

 

Madeira Stern

Photo by Tamera Tompson
 

 

 

With this project we will be Monitoring the conditions of each shipwreck through visual observation drawings and also using both still and video photography. 

We will be cruising, sleeping, eating and diving from the R/V Preservation for this Project.


NOTE:  The $20.00 charge for the project is for the split costs of food for the project.  The main project is FREE!  

 

SPECIAL NOTE:  The Visibility has changed substantially since the flooding occurred at the end of June.  Please stay tuned to the GLSPS website and or watch for any additional emails if you registered for this project.

 

 

The Madeira and Hesper have been underwater for a very long time.  Mother nature has done a great job preserving them but she has also taken a toll on them as well.  As divers we dive on these shipwrecks and will eventually cause wear from divers diving them year after year.

This is were the GLSPS comes into play.  With the joint effort of the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the GLSPS tries to help stabilize and preserve these shipwrecks from further deterioration.  We work closely with the MHS, DNR and sometimes the Cities that are near these shipwrecks, to gain access through special permitting to perform the underwater work we do to preserve the shipwrecks. 

Before we can do any of this, we need to document and Monitor each shipwrecks deterioration characteristics.  We then will write a proposal / plan as to how we are going to do this.  We present it to the GLSPS Board of Directors.  If the Board approves the plan, we go to work and implement the plan to the DNR MHS to obtain a permit to work on the shipwreck to help preserve it for years to come and for future divers to be able to see close to what we saw when we first dived the shipwreck. 

 

 

Here is your chance to dive the Madeira and Hesper aboard the R/V Preservation and have fun with a little research as well!

I will see you on the Project.

Corey Daniel
Project Leader
 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________


 

 

 

Madeira and Hesper Monitoring Project

 

July 16 - 17, 2011


Closing Report

 

Madeira/Hesper Monitoring Project 2011 photos

 

 

 

July 20, 2011

Sent out a final email to inform the crew what we are required to do to monitor both the Hesper and the Madeira.



Thursday, July 14, 2011


Bob Olson started Cruising the R/V Preservation up to Silver Bay Marina with Helen Wright as crew.  This was done to provide the attendees of the project a better transportation option either of choosing to cruise up theshore aboard the boat or connect with the boat and crew in Silver Bay Marina.   The Cruise can take up to 8 hours to transport  /cruise the vessel to Silver Bay.  This way all the divers would be fresh the next morning to dive all day.


Friday, July 15, 2011


The R/V Preservation arrived at 5:00 PM at Silver Bay.  Attendees of the project started to arrive at 6:30 PM and loaded their equipment.  The last two, Corey and Steve Daniel , arrived late after a great cruise aboard the"Sundew". I will post again if opportunity arises.


Saturday, July 16. 2011


First day of Project.  We woke up at 7:00 AM and prepared breakfast,performed a boat briefing and cruised south to the Madeira to perform the Monitoring duties of the project.  Diving started about 10:00 AM. The predive briefing was given then the plan and dive profile.  Bail out bottles were prepared and surface supplied O2 was dropped down to 15 feet for safety stop.  The first team of divers duties were to scout out damaged areas that might be hazardous to divers and took pictures.

We dove three great dives, surveying different areas of the wreck.  A bath tub was located(with the reference from Randy Flacksbarth dive with Todd Olson), intact porthole spotted and details/sketches configured of mid section along hillside.   One interesting detail noticed is the fact that the stern section is literally coming apart.  Two different areas were observed-steel plates are shifting, rust is pushing, and storms are helping,rivets are popping out.  I found a few of them on the fantail side towards the bottom.
The sun was shining, lake was flat and a great time was had by all.  We then cruised the boat by the lighthouse for pics and we motored back to Silver Bay Marina. We then had dinner at local restaurant in Silver Bay.


Sunday, July 17, 2011


Woke up to very thick fog, had another great breakfast, and cruise the boat to the Hesper buoy.  Now keep in mind that you couldn't see past the bow of the boat and there was a fishing contest going on, so lots of boat traffic you couldn't see!  We dove two long dives and scanned the wreck.  She's still there and not much has changed, but still great dives.  We had watched Ken Merryman's video on how wooden ships were built before the dive so it was fun to see how the wreck exposed this first hand.


I want to thank everyone who helped on this project.  Bob Olson for Operating the boat, Helen Wright for deciphering the diver sketches and meals,Steve Daniel for sketches, pics, and good dive buddy, Randy Flacksbarth for  pictures above and below the water line, and Jack Decker, who traveled all the way from Iowa to help us out.  Personally I think Jack will be joining us on a lot more future projects.


Great Project!  A good time was had by all attendees


See you next time.



Corey Daniel

Project Leader