Michael C. Barnette

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Michael C. Barnette is an accomplished diver, author, photographer and founder of the Association of Underwater Explorers. [1]

Contents

Background and personal life

Barnette was born on September 1971 in Fredericksburg, VA. [2] In 1989, he graduated from Stafford Senior High School. Then, he attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1995 with a degree in Marine Biology. Barnette is married and currently resides in Saint Petersburg, FL.

Career

Barnette works for the NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service as a marine biologist. [3] [4] His current duties include protecting sea turtles by making sure fishing fleets worldwide are utilizing turtle excluder devices. [5] Barnette was made a fellow of The Explorers Club in March 2009.

Association of Underwater Explorers

Barnette has been actively diving and researching shipwrecks since 1990, resulting in the identification of over 30 wreck sites. [1] In 1996, Barnette founded the Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE), an organization dedicated to expanding understanding of submerged cultural resources. [6] [7]

Expeditions and projects

In 2005 Barnette participated in the recovery of a B-25c Mitchell bomber from Lake Murray (South Carolina), working with divers from AUE, the Rubicon Foundation, and Woodville Karst Plain Project [8] [9] under Explorers Club flag number 103. [10] This bomber had been ditched in the lake on April 4, 1943, and remained 45 meters (148 ft) below the surface for 60 years. The recovery effort was headed by Dr. Robert Seigler and supervised by Gary Larkins of the Air Pirates. [8] [11] The project was documented by the History Channel and televised on their show Mega Movers. [8] The plane is now being preserved by the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. [9]

A year later, in 2006, Barnette was part of the History Channel's expedition to the HMHS Britannic led by explorers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. [12] Titanic's Achilles Heel was the first documentary to be released from this expedition, on June 17, 2007. [13] The documentary Titanic's Tragic Sister also featured details from this expedition, and first aired on October 14, 2007. [14]

Barnette's recovery of Oculina varicosa from the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 allowed researchers to confirm its existence as a species of concern in abundance in the Gulf. [15] In 2009, Barnette returned to collect coral samples for testing that identified the species as genetically identical to Oculina varicosa found off the eastern coast of Florida. [16] [17]

When the Eagle's Nest cave system needed new guidelines in 2007, Barnette and AUE took on the task of replacing the old line as well as removing unnecessary lines. [18]

In January 2020, Barnette, along with fellow explorers, discovered what they believed to be a 95-year-old ship, the SS Cotopaxi, which had disappeared near the Bermuda Triangle in 1925. [19] The boat had departed from Charleston, South Carolina, carrying 32 passengers and never made it to its final destination, Havana, Cuba. Barnette sought help from historians and researchers to ensure that it was the SS Cotopaxi. In doing so, he learned that the ship had sent a distress signal two days into its voyage from a location that aligns with where the wreckage was found. The discovery was featured on a February episode of Shipwreck Secrets, a Science Channel series. In 2020, he identified the wreck of the Sandra, which was reported lost in the Bermuda Triangle in April 1950; the discovery was featured in the History Channel documentary "History's Greatest Mysteries: Expedition Bermuda Triangle." Barnette has been featured in multiple television documentaries on shipwrecks associated with the Bermuda Triangle that have aired on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, and The Learning Channel. [20] [21]

Shipwreck identification

Barnette has been active in the identification of numerous shipwrecks that include:

Publications

Books

Articles

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda Triangle</span> Region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The idea of the area as uniquely prone to disappearances arose in the mid-20th century, but most reputable sources dismiss the idea that there is any mystery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreck diving</span> Recreational diving on wrecks

Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally refer to the specific task, such as salvage work, accident investigation or archaeological survey. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites. Diving to crashed aircraft can also be considered wreck diving. The recreation of wreck diving makes no distinction as to how the vessel ended up on the bottom.

USS <i>S-16</i> Submarine of the United States

The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. Oculina varicosa is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service species of concern. Species of concern are those species about which the U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

SS Copenhagen is a shipwreck off the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, United States. The single screw steamer was built in Sunderland, England in 1898, sinking in 1900. Located on the Pompano Dropoff reef south of Hillsboro Inlet, it became the fifth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve when it was dedicated in 1994. There is a plaque noting this distinction south of the wreck. This was followed on 31 May 2001 with its addition to the US National Register of Historic Places.

<i>Maple Leaf</i> (shipwreck) United States historic place

Maple Leaf is a United States National Historic Landmark in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Maple Leaf, a side paddlewheel steamship, was first launched as a freight and passenger vessel from the Marine Railway Yard in Kingston, Upper Canada in 1851. The 181-foot (55 m) sidewheel paddle steamer measured 24.7-foot (7.5 m) at the beam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. Lee Spence</span> Underwater archaeologist

Edward Lee Spence is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor, and magazine publisher ; and a published photographer. Spence was twelve years old when he found his first five shipwrecks.

City of Washington was an American merchant steamship that aided in rescuing the crew of USS Maine when it exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, in 1898.

USS Curb (ARS-21) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivory bush coral</span> Species of cnidarian

Oculina varicosa, or the ivory bush coral, is a scleractinian deep-water coral primarily found at depths of 70-100m, and ranges from Bermuda and Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Oculina varicosa flourishes at the Oculina Bank off the east coast of Florida, where coral thickets house a variety of marine organisms. The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service considers Oculina a genus of concern, due to the threat of rapid ocean warming. Species of concern are those species about which the U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). While Oculina is considered a more robust genus in comparison to tropical corals, rising ocean temperatures continue to threaten coral health across the planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinking ships for wreck diving sites</span> Scuttling old ships to produce artificial reefs

Sinking ships for wreck diving sites is the practice of scuttling old ships to produce artificial reefs suitable for wreck diving, to benefit from commercial revenues from recreational diving of the shipwreck, or to produce a diver training site.

SS <i>Benwood</i> Steam cargo ship of the early twentieth century

SS Benwood was a steam cargo ship of the early twentieth century. Built by Craig, Taylor & Co Ltd., Stockton on Tees, she entered service with Joseph Hoult & Co. Ltd, Liverpool. She passed through several owners, before being lost in a collision off the coast of Key Largo, Florida in 1942. Her wreck is now a popular dive site.

Florida's Shipwrecks is a 2008 history book by Michael C. Barnette about shipwrecks in the coastal waters of Florida. Barnette has been actively diving and researching shipwrecks for close to twenty years, and this has resulted in the identification of seventeen wreck sites. He applies this knowledge and passion for wrecks to this overview of shipwrecks around Florida. Barnette's "diligent research" details famous ship owners and those who used the ships. The photographs are a "truly amazing" collection of yachts and tankers in "their full glory" and before they sank below the surface.

SS <i>Vienna</i> (1873) Steamship sunk after a collision in Lake Superior

The SS Vienna was built in 1873 during the era when steamers were built with sail rigging. She had a 19 year career marked with maritime incidents including sinking when she was just 3 years old. She sank for her final time in fair weather in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior after she received a mortal blow when she was inexplicably rammed by the steamer Nipigon. Although there were no deaths when the Vienna sank for the last time, more than 100 years later her wreck claimed the lives of 4 scuba divers, the most of all the wrecks in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve that now protects her as part of an underwater museum. Her wreck was stripped of artifacts that resulted in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources seizing her artifacts in a raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in 1992. Her artifacts are now on display in this museum as loan from the State of Michigan.

<i>Sagamore</i> (barge) Whaleback barge wrecked in Lake Superior

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Middle Grounds</span>

The Florida Middle Grounds are a reefs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, approximately 128 kilometres west northwest of the West coast of Florida.

Save Ontario Shipwrecks (SOS) is a Provincial Heritage Organization in Ontario, Canada. SOS is a public charitable organization which operates through Local Chapter Committees supported by a Provincial Board of Directors and Provincial Executive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Newman, Sandi (September 2008). "BOOK REVIEW Images of America: Florida's Shipwrecks By Michael Barnette". Scuba News. 25 (9): 10. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  2. ↑ Hobbs, Gene (2014). "DAN Member Profile: Michael Barnette". Alert Diver. Divers Alert Network . Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ National Marine Fisheries Service (January 12, 2006). "Status report on the continental United States distinct population segment of the goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara)" (PDF): 49. Retrieved June 5, 2009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ↑ Barnette, Michael C. (November 24, 2005). "Authorized use of restricted tow times for shrimp trawlers in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and certain parts of Texas" (PDF). Southeast Fishery Bulletin. FB05-064. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  5. ↑ "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 50 CFR Part 223; Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements" (PDF). Federal Register. 72 (52): 12749. March 19, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  6. ↑ "AUE: about us". Association of Underwater Explorers. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Cocking, Susan (August 8, 2002). "For shipwreck-hunting crew, a diving passion runs deep". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 Vartorella, Bill. "B-25 WWII plane retrieved from depths of Lake Murray". The Columbia Star. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  9. 1 2 "Rubicon Foundation: B-25c Project". Rubicon Foundation, Inc. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ "Into the Field: Approved Flag Expeditions". Explorers Club. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  11. ↑ Air Pirates (May 4, 2006). "Lake Murray B-25C Recovery". Archived from the original on March 16, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  12. ↑ Kohler, Carrie. "The 2006 History Channel H.M.S Britannic Expedition". Silent Diving Systems LLC. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Titanic's Achilles Heel (2007) (TV)". The Internet Movie Database . Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Titanic's Tragic Sister (2007) (TV)". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  15. 1 2 Barnette, Michael C. (2006). "Observations of the deep-water coral Oculina varicosa in the Gulf of Mexico" (PDF). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-535: 12. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  16. ↑ Armstrong, Brian (September 5, 2009). "Oculina Coral Collection" . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ staff. "Gulf of Mexico Oculina varicosa Project". Rubicon Foundation. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ↑ Barny00 (Michael C. Barnette). "Eagle's Nest status". Cave Diver's Forum. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  19. 1 2 "Wreck found believed to be 95-year-old ship that vanished near Bermuda Triangle". www.kake.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Return To The Bermuda Triangle". The Learning Channel. October 24, 2010.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  21. ↑ Armstrong, Brian. "the Bermuda Triangle" . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  22. ↑ Morgan, Curtis (July 10, 2005). "Underwater trail highlights shipwrecks off Miami". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  23. ↑ Cocking, Susan (August 25, 2002). "Shipwrecked Esmeralda found off Key Biscayne". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  24. ↑ Tomalin, Terry (June 18, 2004). "Mystery solved". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  25. ↑ Barnette, Michael C. "Identity Crisis - Finding a Name for the Middlegrounds Wreck". Advanced Diver Magazine (17). Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  26. 1 2 "AUE (Association of Underwater Explorers) IDENTIFY the MUNGER T BALL and the JOSEPH M CUDHAY in the Gulf of Mexico". Electric Blue Fishing. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  27. ↑ Hicks, Brian (October 20, 2007). "Anchor Wreck: A century after the Leif Eriksson was lost to the sea, divers think they have solved a shipwreck mystery". The Post and Courier. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  28. ↑ Tomalin, Terry (September 5, 2008). "The mystery of the South Jack Wreck". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  29. 1 2 3 Barnette, Michael C. (2006). "Scrambled History: A Tale of Four Misidentified Tankers" (PDF). Wreck Diving Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  30. ↑ Barnette, Michael C. (2005). "But For a Single Wave: The tragic loss and recent identification of the steamship Peconic". Wreck Diving Magazine. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  31. ↑ Barnette, Michael C. "Trip report May 9–10, 2009: Point Chicot". Association of Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  32. ↑ Barnette, Michael C. "THE QUEEN OF NASSAU: HOW ONE OF CANADA'S FIRST WARSHIPS ENDED UP OFF THE FLORIDA KEYS". Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  33. ↑ Casserley, T (2003). "A Ram Bow in the Keys: Latest findings from the Investigation of the Steamer Queen of Nassau". In: SF Norton (Ed). 2003. Diving for Science...2003. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Scientific Diving Symposium. Greenville, North Carolina: American Academy of Underwater Sciences. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2009.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  34. ↑ Tomalin, Terry (March 5, 2007). "Underwater discovery unravels mystery: A Coast Guard plane was lost in 1967 answering a distress call". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  35. ↑ Sondra-Kay, Kneen (2007). "Albatross Discovered" (PDF). Coast Guard Magazine (4). Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  36. ↑ "AUE identifies the VALLEY CITY (Formerly the USS VALLEY CITY)". Association of Underwater Explorers. September 9, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  37. ↑ Tomalin, Terry (January 11, 2005). "History is hiding beneath gulf sands". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
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