21st - 22nd May - Coracle Construction Part III

This weekend saw another trip down South for me, this time to the Ancient Technology Centre (ATC) in Cranborne, Dorset which provided the visitors from NAS a great setting to learn the skills and techniques used in Coracle construction. The site is a wonderful location with a number of replica historic buildings including a Viking longhouse, an Iron age round house and a Saxon workshop.

Our tutors for the weekend were Reg and Anthony, both brought vast expertise and knowledge to the subject though for Anthony it'd be the first time he'd actually built a coracle though the skills were familiar.

For those like me, who prior to a bit of pre-course research, had never head of a coracle it's a lightweight fishing boat built of natural materials and not a bit of metal in sight.

Our aim for the weekend was for the 14 course trainees to build three of these boats and test them out!

Our boats were to be made of hazel with a calico skin and covered with a waterproof sealant.

The first lesson was in the safe and effective use of the bill hook, a seemingly simple tool that we would have a great deal of impact on how sea worthy our vessels were. Selection and smoothing of the hazel ribs were reliant on making sure there were no sharp points that could puncture the thin skin we'd be applying later on.

After that began the process of planting the structural ribs into the ground and weaving and interweaving the side with more willow - a deceptively simple sounding task that took far longer for us unskilled trainees than I'm sure it ever took an for one of the original users of such craft.

While doing this other members of each building team got started on the paddle making, splitting chestnut for the blade and shaping the shaft. We also got a crash course in rope making, it'd be difficult to build without any cordage.

We also needed to make sure that once afloat (hopefully!) we didn't step through the hull so willow woven mats were required as feet rests.

To ensure we'd be ready to float on Sunday our last task of the day was to bend and tie the ribs over to gain our desired shape and weigh it down overnight to help it set in position.

For the hardy among us it was then a trip down the local pub for dinner before bedding down in the Viking Longhouse for the night.


The next morning we uprooted the coracle frames and prepared our calico skin, my group's vessel being slightly larger then the others was helped along with a little mechanical aid by stitching two sheets of calico together using a sewing machine to save time.

Seats were prepared and carved while the skin was sewn on and then covered in sealant.

Once dry of course we had to take the down to the pond and try them out.

Success was had by all in that each group's coracle floated, although the seamanship of a few (along with the inherent instability of a flat bottomed craft) cause more than one dunking!


Dreadnought as our coracle was dubbed was certainly the largest and most stable, indeed it fitted two crew without problem and would have probabaly been too large for everyday use but the Black Pig was certainly the most entertaining.







As well as learning some great new skills and gaining a much greater understanding of how such boats were built the weekend was terrific occasion to meet with up with fellow trainees from other courses. One thing that has been very apparent from my training so far is how many people keep coming back for more.

14th-15th May 2011 - Dendrochronology Part III

Dendro.....what? Lets face it, it's not a word in most peoples everyday vocabulary but it was one of the Part III courses being run this year so I thought, lets give it a try....

Looking into the subject matter further it still sounds a little unusual. The dating of artifacts by counting the number of tree rings on particular types of wood and matching the patterns with some painstakingly constructed databases.

How could we possibly take a weekend to learn about this? But I have to say this was probably the best of all the great courses I've done so far under the scholarship.

Located in Plymouth - it was back to the scene of my first course and again with Peter Holt hosting but with Nigel Nayling of the University of Wales taking on the role of tutor for the weekend.

We opened up with lecture on the underlying principles - as a concept it's easy enough but the details are what matter - the type of wood, the number of samples even the number of rings on the wood; all are vital if you want to get a good date match.

Then it was off to Hooe Lake to try it out in practice. This nice little intertidal site gave us a great opportunity to see how it would work in practice to identify, select and sample our site. It was also as a chance for Peter to dredge up his maritime law knowledge when the local neighbourhood watch came calling!

Following this it was back to the classroom to see about the applications for Dendrochronology specifically in nautical archaeology and a look at its limitations.

Sunday was looking at some of Nigel's many case studies and a chance for us to see how it was done. Although computers are used nowadays we got a chance to try out the paper based methodologies to make sure we really understood the principles underlying the discipline. After some careful measuring, recording and chart plotting we came up with a very good match - all based on a real life example.

Then Nigel got out his samples - everything from an 8,000 year old timber sample to sections of a rib from the Normans Bay wrecks to core samples from iron age boats it was a great chance to see what worked and what didn't as well as an example on how to organise, pack, transport and label samples.

Overall a great weekend where I learnt far more than I could ever have imagined helped along by a amazingly knowledgeable and enthusiastic tutor.

Photos

Check out the NAS training flickr site for more photos of the Part 1 at Vobster and other courses at:

www.flickr.com/groups/nas2011

7th - 8th May - Part 1 Certificate in Foreshore & Underwater Archaeology

After a couple of months without any courses the start of May was a chance to get back into the NAS training programme with a trip down to Vobster Quay in Somerset.

The weekend was for a select group of just six trainees which included several familiar faces from the Intro course in January as well as a opportunity for some of the trainee tutors we met at the same event event to try out their skills with support from some of the more experienced tutors. We were in Dave Johnston, Matt Cass and Richard Rowley's hands for the next two days. It was also a chance to meet the new NAS training officer, Rachel Quirk and renew acquaintances with Mary.

An early planned start had a us battling the queues to get in for 8:30am but at least the sun was out.

The Saturday morning gave us a chance to learn about project logistics and safety as well as search methods - you can't survey a site if you can't find it! We also got the chance to consider a case study.

The afternoon was back into survey methods, revising the techniques for 2 dimensional survey and seeing what would need to be changed for conversion into a 3D survey. Luckily the sun was still shining so we got to practice outside.

After the obligatory dive brief it was on with our scuba gear and into the water to get our first look at our wreck site to be surveyed. In order to help us prepare our detailed survey plan for the Sunday we all were tasked to sketch the site, no easy task underwater with neoprene gloves on, especially if your graphic skills are on a par with mine!


Then came the difficult bit, planning for the next day - fortunately we could do that down the pub in the congenial setting of the bar of George Hotel in Frome. After a lot of discussion and scaling back of our overly ambitious initial plans after input from the tutors we had what appeared to be a workable proposition to try out the next day.

The Sunday was equally sunny though a little colder and it was back in classroom for a session on what to do with archaeological finds and then a chance to refine our plans from the night before and present them to our tutors.

Following a few more amendments to take account of new observations we were ready to get wet.

With six trainees we went in three waves Dave and Phaz to set the control points, Denise and Terry to measure them and Brian and myself to determine the detail point measurements. Dave and Phaz were also our back up for any second dive that was needed.

Due to good planning, quick execution and luck we managed to get all the necessary data ready to plot it in the afternoon.

The afternoon saw us saw trying out Site Recorder the preferred computer based survey recording tool of the NAS and here we saw just how important accurate measurements were with just one incorrect distance throwing off our painstakingly constructed picture of the site. Once the problem was identified however it started to fit together.

The final session of the day was on post fieldwork activity and publishing our findings to the wider world. Then back home through the newly arrived driving rain.

Again a great course and highly recommended to all.

29th January 2011 - Introduction to Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology

The end of January was the first step of the NAS official training programme with the Introduction to Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology down at NAS Headquarters at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth.

Hosted by Mary Harvey and Mark Beattie Edwards, we also had the advantage of a number of trainee tutors who had spent the last couple of days going through the NAS tutor programme. The gave us the benefit of a ratio of one to one in trainees and tutors.

I was struck by the range of backgrounds for the trainees on the course with backgrounds ranging from interested but archaeologically novice sports divers to Phd students looking to expand their experience and knowledge.

We started off with a class room session to give us background on what exactly Nautical Archaeology is, the type of sites where it is undertaken and and and introduction to possible methods of investigation. In addition we also covered the myriad of law that applies to the sites nautical archaeologists visit - the basics were familiar to me, and I suspect to most UK recreational divers, but well worth covering again considering the number of rules that apply.

Then it was time to pair up outside for our first real try at surveying a simple site using the methodology we'd just learnt, offset and trilateral measurement with control and detail points.

It all seems straightforward enough and when it came to plotting our data back in the class room it worked out well except for one artifact that we managed to plot in two different locations!

The real challenge was up next with the location moving to the Pyramid pool in Southsea and a chance to put into practice the survey methods underwater. Some of the group were none divers so used to opportunity to refine their above water skills and try out planning frames.

Meanwhile my dive buddy Brian and I kitted up in our scuba gear and got wet. Going through the survey exercises underwater were, as expected , far more difficult, than on land with communication and good a plan being the key to a successful survey. We also discovered that drawing a planning frame underwater was actually easier for us the those on land as we had the option to hover over the grid to make our drawings allowing a good plan view and saving our backs.

Following a quick post dive de-brief we were finished and given our new, and very nifty, USB card course completion cards.

I can't recomened this day enough to anyone with an even peripheral interest in diving or archaeology as it has plenty of appeal to either.

22nd & 23rd January - Ordnance and Gun Recording.

The end of January saw my first exposure to the NAS training programme with a trip down to Plymouth for a Part III organised by Peter Holt and Kevin Camidge. The course was tutored by Alex Hildred of the Mary Rose Trust and Nick Hall of the Royal Armouries two of the best in this subject matter and both of whom coincidentally I’d seen on television documentary just a few week prior building a replica gun from scratch!

Although it was a freezing weekend large volumes of tea kept us warm along with a fascinating series of presentations and lots of practical work out in the fresh air. As someone who has dived a number of cannon sites (including Kevin’s Colossus in the Isles of Scilly) I was keen to learn all I could about the guns I’d already seen and those I hope to see in the future.

The first day was made up of some detailed talks on guns of the different eras we would be likely to encounter along with basic identification, recognition underwater (not the easiest task for the more concreted samples) and the anatomy of the gun itself – it being essential to know the difference between a cast iron and a wrought iron gun and their constituent parts from the cascabel to the chase of a cannon. Accurate recording when they are identified and surveyed being vital.

Day two was field trip time with a visit out to a local Plymouth landmark to try our hand at recording two known guns in place. Obviously this was easier than any circumstances we’d encounter underwater but it gave a great idea of how much information could be gleaned from a gun as well as how much time it could take up on dive.

It was then back to the classroom and a chance to see a piece in less than stellar condition to compare the ease of recording. This was also a chance to see how accurate our recording was as the next step was to use our data to see what site recorder would make of it. Luckily it all worked out ok and our measurements fitted together.

The take home information included some brilliant sources of data for any enthusiasts out there of whom I include myself now.

All in all a great course and one I’d highly recommend to anyone involved in nautical archaeology whether it’s an obvious area of interest for you or not.

Apologies

Sorry to those of you who have been awaiting updates, I've had a few IT issues I've had trouble overcoming. They appear to be sorted now so over the course of this week I'll be re-posting my updates for the year so far. You can look forward to updates from the Naval Ordnanace and Gun recording Part III, my NAS Into course, the Part I at Vobster Quay a fortnight ago and the Denrochronology Part III from the weekend just gone.