Areas and Aims

The geophysical surveys were divided into two groups; an area survey of a 2km square, and surveys of three wrecks in deeper water. Click on areas in the map to see the survey results.

2km x 2km Area Survey

The 2km x 2km survey area was south of the Hastings Shingle Bank off the Sussex coast in the English Channel. It was chosen because it was thought to contain the wreck of the Thomas Lawrence and it is adjacent to a dredging area. The Thomas Lawrence was an 18th Century Danish schooner which is thought to have been lost in 1862 and was discovered by divers in 1983.

The aim of surveys was to address objectives 1-4 by testing variations in standard survey methodologies. These variations included; line spacing, range setting, and the height of the magnetometer towfish above the seafloor.

The conclusions show how area surveys undertaken by the aggregate industry can best produce data that are suitable the location and identification of ephemeral wreck sites within potential aggregate licence areas using archaeological techniques.

Side Scan Survey Mosaic

Deep Wrecks Surveys

The three wrecks in deeper water were selected from United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) wreck data for the south coast for the same area studied in Round 1 of the Wrecks on the Seabed Project. The choice was narrowed to wrecks that were unidentified and lying in approximately 50m of water.

The chosen wrecks were:

Standard surveys were conducted over each wreck using a sidescan sonar, magnetometer and multibeam echosounder similar to the surveys conducted in Round 1 of the project.