On 8 and 9 February 2018, the dive team returned to complete the archaeological survey of the M-24 Japanese Midget Submarine as part of their Explorers Club Flag Expedition. At 56 metres, this was a challenging dive and the deepest survey undertaken by a diving maritime archaeologist in Australasian history. Over two successful dives, the team was able to gather high-resolution video and still photographs showing the current state of the wreck and also complete the scanning of the wreck for the creation of a 3D model.
Figure 1 (Click to play video)
This Expedition worked closely with the maritime archaeologists at the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage (OEH) (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/) firstly to gain the required permit for entry into the protected zone and secondly to ensure the research questions OEH had would be answered by our survey. All data from the team’s surveys of the wreck has been given to OEH including a copy of the 3D model which made a sneak preview on Channel 7 news.
Figure 2: (Click to play video)
The success of this Expedition was based on the vast experience of the dive team working towards the common goal of archaeologically surveying this significant site. Project co-leaders Matt Carter and Steve Trewavas would like to thank their team of Jonathan Di Cecco (underwater video), Edd Stockdale (dive safety officer), Gideon Liew (dive support) and Karl Graddy (dive support).
Figure 3: The Expedition dive team with Explorers Club Flag #192
This project has shown that with the right team and the right equipment anything is possible. The Expedition team would like to thank the following sponsors and supporters ProDive Manly, Halcyon Dive Systems, Fourth Element, Suex, Hugyfot, KISS Rebreathers, Shearwater Research and Pandora-lab
