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Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
The London calling
It ’ s been a busy summer on the wreck of the London , one of England ’ s most important 17th Century shipwrecks , which blew up in 1665 in the Thames Estuary near Southend Pier in Essex . The diving project is funded by Historic England , working with MSDS Marine and Licensee Steve Ellis from the London Shipwreck Trust . It aims to accurately map the layout of the wreck , which lies in two parts on the seabed .
Using a state-of-the art underwater diver tracking system developed by marine technology company Sonardyne , the ship ’ s features can be accurately located and parts of the ship that have been picked up by previous surveys can be recorded . This tech is important because diving conditions are so bad that 50cm visibility is considered good by the diving team .
The data that has been collected will be used to create a comprehensive digital site plan , which will be fundamental to informing the ongoing management of this protected wreck site . Last year , Historic England funded a multibeam geophysical survey of the wreck site . The survey allowed for the detailed comparison of the state of the wreck compared to previous surveys and revealed significant loss of sediment in some locations , further endangering the wreck .
PHOTO : DAVE MCBRIDE
Cromarty stranding
Volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue ( BDMLR ) were alerted to a mass stranding of more than 50 bottlenose dolphins in the Cromarty Firth in mid- August .
The dolphins had stranded in shallow water at low tide , but all refloated within a couple of hours by the rising water , with no human intervention . However , they headed further into the Firth , prompting
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