LIGHTHOUSE AT ALEXANDRIA

5 July 2025: Happy Independence Day (belated) to our U.S. readers and happy 249th birthday to the United States of America! Next year's the biggie at 250 with some amazing international celebrations planned including a convocation of "tall ships" from all over the world. Should be exciting. And speaking of exciting, Maritime Maunder has now passed 250,000 readers worldwide! We would never have imagined it 11 years ago when we started this blog. Thanks to all of you who read our posts! Today, an interesting restoration project (virtually) which, when completed, will give modern day viewers a look at one of the original wonders of the ancient world: the Lighthouse at Alexandria. Sadly, it will only be virtual, not physical. From the Greek Reporter:

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~

 

After centuries beneath the waves, 22 massive stone blocks from the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria have been recovered from the seafloor, marking a major step in efforts to digitally reconstruct one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

 

Rare pieces lifted from the seabed

Led by archaeologist and architect Isabelle Hairy of France’s CNRS, the operation is part of the PHAROS project.

Conducted under the authority of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the mission brought up some of the lighthouse’s most iconic elements, including the lintels and uprights of a monumental doorway, each weighing between 70 and 80 tons.

 

The recovered blocks also include a threshold, large foundation slabs, and parts of a previously unknown pylon featuring a doorway that blends Egyptian design with Greek construction methods.

Now THAT'S a doorway!

 

Digital tools help reimagine the lighthouse

The findings expand a growing digital archive of the site. Over the past decade, more than 100 submerged architectural pieces have already been scanned. The newly recovered blocks will undergo photogrammetric processing before being handed over to engineers from La Fondation Dassault Systèmes.

The blocks will be virtually repositioned to help create a digital reconstruction of the lighthouse of Alexandria, revealing how it once stood and possibly how it fell.

Discovery builds on earlier underwater research

This work builds on the 1995 discovery of the lighthouse’s underwater remains by archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur, founder of the Centre d’Études Alexandrines (CEAlex). His earlier efforts helped establish a clearer picture of the monument’s original footprint and launched long-term preservation studies.

Standing over 100 meters tall, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the early third century BCE (Hellenistic era) under the rule of Greek general and successor of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I. It served as a beacon for sailors navigating the city’s rocky coastline and symbolized Alexandria’s strategic and cultural importance in the Mediterranean.

 

According to Strabo, Greek architect and engineer Sostratus of Cnidus, a friend of Ptolemy, designed and constructed the lighthouse and presumably funded the works.

Widely considered the world’s first skyscraper, the lighthouse remained standing for more than 1,600 years before being damaged by earthquakes and eventually dismantled for building materials.

The PHAROS project brings together archaeologists, architects, historians, and coin experts to gather ancient descriptions, depictions, and evidence dating from the late fourth century BCE to the 15th century CE.

These historical records help fill gaps left by the physical remains, which were further reduced when stones from the lighthouse were used to construct the Qaitbay Fortress in 1477.

A digital rebirth for a lost monument

In 2025, GEDEON filmed the current mission for a new 90-minute documentary, directed by Laurence Thiriat. The film is set to premiere in prime time on France Télévisions, offering viewers a front-row seat to the rebirth of a monument lost to time.

As these ancient stones rise from the sea, the Lighthouse of Alexandria begins to reappear—virtually rebuilt, piece by piece, through science, history, and imagination.

                                              ~~~~~~~~~~

Recovering those blocks must be an amazing undertaking.... We wonder if they will be put on display somewhere for tourists to see and touch an important part of history. 

Until next time,

                                    Fair Winds,

                                    Old Salt 

 

BAYESIAN RAISED

 22 June 2025: Can you believe that June 2025 is almost over?! Yikes! Where does the time go? Seems like not that long ago we were whining about how cold it was ... oh wait! That was the beginning of June! So actually NOT that long ago. And speaking of "so long ago," remember when that super sailing yacht with the world' tallest mast capsized and sank in a sudden early morning storm off Sicily not quite a year ago? All kinds of opinions and stories surrounded the mystery and people died. Business scandal, money hiding, poor seamanship and criminal negligence topped the list of errors espoused by "authorities" but no investigation could be carried out as the vessel lay about 160' below the surface... now, it's been raised. From Yachting World.

                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Bayesian superyacht hull raised from seabed during investigation into fatal sinking

The hull of the 183ft Perini Navi superyacht Bayesian, which sank after capsizing off Sicily:The lifting of the intact hull of the superyacht is a major milestone in what has been an exceptionally complex and challenging salvage operation to recover the yacht from approximately 50m depth in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Bayesian was knocked down during a sudden violent storm whilst at anchor off the Northern coast of Sicily, and sank rapidly, resulting in the deaths of seven people in the early hours of 19 August 2024.

TMC Marine, the specialist British company is leading the salvage operation, reported that – after weeks of preparation – the vessel has been slowly brought to the surface over the past three days.

In a statement released this afternoon, TMC reported: “Over the past three days the hull has been eased, or parbuckled, into an upright position, which gave access to the previously inaccessible starboard side that had been laying directly on the seabed, 50 metres below the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Mediterranean.

 

 

“During this time the vessel has been gradually lifted off the seabed so that additional lifting straps could be placed under the keel.

“The hull has been continually supported by eight steel lifting straps – four under each of the bow and stern sections – and which are part of a specially designed steel wire lifting arrangement.”

This lifting structure is attached to the enormous 5,695-grose-tonne floating heavy lifting crane, the Hebo Lift 10 – one of the biggest and most powerful marine cranes in Europe, which held the yacht securely on the seabed, before raising it.

The lifting of the superyacht has attracted considerable attention, with local and specialist channels live-streaming the salvage operation from Italy, such as superyacht channel The Yacht Report.

The hull is expected to remain in its current position until tomorrow, when it will be lifted clear of the water. Sea water will be pumped out of the hull as it is raised. It will then be held in a raised position over the weekend before – weather allowing – the Hebo Lift 10 will transport it to the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese, some 10 miles away,

Once in port, the Bayesian will be lifted onto a specially manufactured steel cradle that has been constructed on the quayside. That is scheduled to take place on Monday 23 June.

 

Bayesian salvage operation

The salvage operation has been complex and highly technical, with the specialist teams of around 70 people involved including the Dutch crane company HEBO, SMIT Salvage, and support from Italian specialists.. Besides Hebo Lift 10, a second giant vessel, the Hebo Lift 2 has also been deployed. This multi-purpose barge has 700sq m of deck space as well as an integrated crane.

 

The operation has increasingly been using remote-controlled tools following the tragic death of a salvage diver working for the Dutch SMIT Salvage team on May 9. Operations were halted for a period after the fatal incident.

Since May the yacht’s boom, mainsail and furling gear were recovered. A remote-controlled submersible was also deployed to cut one of Bayesian’s anchor chains, enabling the recovery of both the anchor and chain from the seabed.

On Tuesday, June 17 the yacht’s 72-metre mast was cut free using a remote-controlled diamond wire cutting tool and recovered onto the floating crane platform The mast was then lowered to the seabed to be recovered at a later stage. Removing the rig allowed the process of rotating the hull to begin, until the yacht was in a near-vertical position ready for lifting.

Throughout this salvage operation, the recovery team has been monitoring for pollution, and a precautionary oil boom is currently in place.

Marcus Cave, Head of Naval Architecture and a Director of TMC Marine, said: “The salvage team has made very substantive progress in the last 10 days. They are now preparing for the final, complex and delicate lifting operation, to bring Bayesian to the surface and ultimately into port.

“This is a challenging programme of activity, that will be progressed in a measured and systematic way. While there is enormous interest in this project, we continue to ask that media and other spectators adhere to the security perimeter, which is in place to help protect the safety of everyone on site.”

The fatal sinking of the Bayesian is subject to a criminal investigation in Italy, while the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its interim report into the tragedy, which resulted in seven deaths, including that of the yacht’s owner Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

A strict security cordon is in place around the yacht, of 1 nautical mile by air and 650m by sea around the working site.

                                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's quite a major undertaking and a brilliant bit of engineering. Maritime Maunder will monitor the situation and bring you news as the investigation looks for answers into this tragedy.

Until next time,

                                    Fair Winds, 

                                           Old Salt 

 

18TH CENTURY BONES FROM WRECK

 8 June 2025: 

Even though the calendar hasn't got there yet, summer appears to be here, though I was surprised at the number of boats still on the hard and many still under their winter covers. Time to splash, folks! The season is short enough in the Northeast; don't make it even shorter. And speaking of the Northeast, here's a bit of quite local news, from Fox News.

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mysterious bones that washed up on Jersey Shore finally identified 180 years after tragedy

Bones that mysteriously washed up on the Jersey Shore over the past three decades were recently identified, thanks to cutting-edge technology and diligent students.

Ramapo College announced the discovery in a May 21 press release. The remains were identified as belonging to Henry Goodsell, a captain who died in an 1844 shipwreck off the coast of South Jersey's Brigantine Shoal.

The ship was carrying 60 tons of marble for Girard College, a preparatory school, when it sprung a leak and sank.

Goodsell's bones didn't wash up until over a century later, when they were found on various beaches in the Garden State.

"A skull washed ashore in Longport in 1995, and more bones were found in Margate in 1999, both in Atlantic County," Ramapo College's statement noted. "In 2013, additional remains were found in Ocean City, Cape May County."

 

 

"Scattered Man John Doe went without a name for 30 years since traditional methods of investigation could not deliver an identification."

Cairenn Binder, assistant director of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center, told Fox News Digital that her team conducted traditional DNA testing to find a matching profile in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA profile database.

"While there was no missing person sample on file that matched with the profiles from the bones, the bones all matched one another, so that’s how [the New Jersey State Police] learned they were all connected before we began working on the case," she said. 

 

Over the past several months, Ramapo students have gleaned various details about Goodsell's life from old newspapers. 

He was 29 years old when he died, and his ancestors were among the earliest settlers in Connecticut.

"Capt. Goodsell’s ancestors lived in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties in Connecticut and had all been there since the 1600s – some of the earliest European Americans," Binder said. 

"He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but lived in Boston from at least the late 1830s."

Goodsell also left behind a wife and two children when he perished; his family was financially devastated by the shipwreck.

"The news reported that his family was left in ‘very embarrassed’ circumstances after the captain’s death," Binder said. 

"There was a fundraiser held for Capt. Goodsell’s widow a year after his death," she also said. Reports were that "she was destitute."

Five or six other crew members were on the vessel, Binder noted, and all of them are believed to have died. 

 

One was found and buried while the others were lost at sea.

Binder described the discovery as "extremely rare," noting that Ramapo researchers have not been able to find an older case where IGG was used to successfully identify remains.

"There are a handful of cases where remains more than 100 years old have been identified with IGG, but this is the oldest we have been able to find," she said. 

"We believe that more identifications like these will be made now that we have the advances in technology to make them happen," she added. 

Authorities from various New Jersey law enforcement offices were also involved in the research. 

In a statement, Cape May County prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said the same technology is used to "bring offenders to justice."

"The hard work of Ramapo College’s IGG Center and working with the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit has demonstrated the power and accuracy of this new technology combined with classic detective work in solving complex cold cases that will bring offenders to justice and provide closure to victims' families," he noted.

                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little forensic work - kind of complements our last post on some even older "bones." Have a good week, friends, and to those of you who observe, happy Fathers Day next week!

Until next time,

                                         Fair winds, 

                                                 Old Salt