From Mars to marine archaeology: a report on the Jeremy Project

In August 1998, Santa Clara University (SCU) conducted a marine archeological expedition off the coast of Alaska with the use of a modified Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom XTL underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Conducted jointly with NASA, NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Interior, and the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Research Lab, the mission goals were to locate a lost whaling fleet that sank near Barrow, Alaska in 1871 and to test NASA´s underwater 3D mapping technology. Using the stereo image capture and processing system adopted from the Mars Pathfinder mission, the expedition team found positive evidence of a sunken ship near the last known location of the whaling fleet. This accomplishment set a precedence in being the first successful state permitted shipwreck search in the history of Alaska. Named “The Jeremy Project” after the name of the principal student investigator, this project showcases many of the positive aspects of hands-on underwater science and engineering education. Benefits include science driven engineering, simple designs allowing complete understanding of the system, rapid schedule permitting full exposure to the mission lifecycle from conception to field operation, integration of science and engineering students and departments, involvement with multiple external organizations, and the excitement of executing a novel and compelling student mission. This paper reports on the mission and accomplishments of The Jeremy Project as well as the technical systems used in its execution. Finally, the future plans of applying the technology to marine archaeology will be discussed as part of an ongoing program in student-driven underwater research