The "Mardi Gras Shipwreck"
The "Mardi Gras Shipwreck" sank some 200 years ago about 35 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico in 4,000 feet (1220 meters) of water. The shipwreck, whose real identity remains a mystery, lay forgotten at the bottom of the sea until it was discovered in 2002 by an oilfield inspection crew working for the Okeanos Gas Gathering Company (OGGC). The crew was surveying with video cameras mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) the proposed route of the Mardi Gras Gas Transmission System, the highest capacity deepwater pipeline system ever built. Until further research and study hopefully can identify the name and history of the vessel, it remains known simply as "the Mardi Gras Wreck" after the pipeline where it was found.
In May 2007, an expedition, led by Texas A&M University and funded by OGGC under an agreement with the Minerals Management Service, will be launched to undertake the deepest scientific archaeological excavation ever attempted in order to study the site on the seafloor and recover artifacts for eventual display in the Louisiana State Museum for the benefit of all. You are invited to follow the archaeologists, oceanographers, engineers, students, ROV pilots, and ship's crew as they explore this 200-year old time capsule 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
Picture Gallery
Member Profiles
William R. Bryant
Principal Investigator, TAMU
Dr. William Bryant is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University. He Received his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. He has over the past 42 years been engaged in research and the practical applications of geology, geophysics, geotechnology, marine archaeology and oceanography. He has worked in most of the world oceans including the Arctic and Antarctic. He has sailed and performed research on all five of the Russian polar seas. He was Co-Chief Scientist on DSDP Leg 10 and scientist on DSDP. Leg 96, and IDOE Legs 113 and 121. On Legs 96, 113 and 121 he was the head geotechnical expert. He served on the Planning Committee of the JOIDES Advisory Group for over five years. Bryant, while at Texas A&M has completed over 33 research cruises most related to higher-resolution geophysical surveying and marine geotechnical research. During his 42 year tenure at Texas A&M he has chaired the committees of over 110 M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students, most of those dealing with geotechnical and high-resolution geophysical research programs. He has published over 300 research papers. He and his students were the first to determine via transmission-electron-microscopy the microstructure and general micro-fabric of marine clays. He was co-editor of the book “Microfabric Of Marine Sediments”. One of his major contributions was the determination of the permeability of fine-grained marine sediments from many locations around the world. He has consulted for a number of major oil companies, and was the Chief Geophysical Consultant for Racal Decca Inc., Technical Disciplines Inc. and TDI Brooks International Inc. He was Head of the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University from 1997 to 2000.
In 2001 to 2003 he was a consultant for British Petroleum on the “Atlantis” and “Mad Dog” Prospects in the Gulf of Mexico. At present he heads a large research program on the occurrence of mega-furrows on the continental rise of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico funded by BHP, BP, MMS and RPSEA and is the Principal Investigator on the British Petroleum “Mardi Gras Project” a project that deals with the archaeology of a ship wreck in the Deep Gulf of Mexico.
Ayse Devrim Atauz
Co-Principal Investigator/Chief Archaeologist, TAMU
Ayse Devrim Atauz received her B.S. in Industrial Design in 1994 from the Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey). Her interest in Archaeology led her to continue her education and research in this field, and she received her M.A in Archaeology and History of Art from Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey) in 1997, having completed her thesis on the detailed investigation and research of an underwater site in Turkish waters. Specializing further on underwater archeology, Ayse Devrim Atauz has completed her PhD at Texas A&M University, Nautical Archaeology Program in 2004. Fieldwork conducted by Dr. Atauz includes underwater archaeology projects in Turkey, Norway, Portugal and Malta. Her special interest is the adaptation and development of remote sensing technologies and remotely operated vehicles for underwater archaeology and the use of such innovative techniques, technologies, and methods for the exploration and study of archaeological sites in deep water, beyond diving limits.
Donny Hamilton
Co-Principal Investigator, TAMU
Dr. Hamilton is a native Texan, raised in Pecos, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 1967 and a Doctorate in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1975. He has been a faculty member of the Nautical Archaeology Program and the Anthropology Department at Texas A&M University since 1978 and holds the George T. & Gladys H Abell Chair in Nautical Archaeology and the Yamini Family Chair in Liberal Arts. Dr. Hamilton is the director for the Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation and the former head of the Nautical Archaeology Program. He is also the president of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, which is affiliated with Texas A&M University. He specializes in underwater archaeology, artifact conservation and restoration, and North American historic and prehistoric archaeology. As director of the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University, he has pioneered many of the techniques now used in the conservation of artifacts and has gained an international reputation for his work in this field. Dr. Hamilton's past and present research includes the conservation of artifacts recovered from the shipwreck of the 1554 Spanish Fleet, excavated off the coast of Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico; the excavation and conservation of the material from the sunken 17th-century English town of Port Royal in Jamaica; and the excavation and analysis of archaeological materials from Granado Cave in West Texas. He is presently in charge of conserving the extensive collection of material recovered from the excavation of La Salle's ship, the Belle, which sank in 1686 in Matagorda Bay, Texas. Dr. Hamilton teaches courses in historical archaeology and artifact conservation. He is a past editor of the Studies in Nautical Archaeology Series published by Texas A&M University Press.
Peter Hitchcock
Project Manager, TAMU
Peter Hitchcock is the Project Manager for Texas A&M University and is responsible for overseeing many different aspects of the project, including planning, field operations, communications between the participating groups, and report submission. He is also serving as one of the project’s archaeologists.
Hitchcock has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Anthropology with a minor in Classical History and a Masters of Arts in Anthropology from Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. He is currently a PhD candidate in the University’s Department of Oceanography whose research focuses on deepwater shipwrecks located in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past decade he has worked on several nautical archaeology projects throughout the United States and abroad.
Jack Irion
Minerals Management Service
Dr. Irion received his doctorate degree in archaeology from The University of Texas in 1990. He has over 30 years experience in underwater archaeology and has participated in or directed archaeological expeditions in England, Mexico, Belize, Turkey, Italy, Puerto Rico, and throughout the United States. Prior to joining the MMS in 1995, Dr. Irion served as a private consulting marine archaeologist working under contract to both private industry and state and federal agencies. His work has resulted in the discovery and documentation of numerous historic sites and shipwrecks, including the Confederate Harbor Obstructions in Mobile Bay and the wreck of the steamship Columbus in Chesapeake Bay.
Since joining the MMS, Dr. Irion has directed the Seafloor Monitoring Team, comprised of a group of diver/scientists with the MMS, in the documentation of several historic shipwrecks on the Outer Continental Shelf. These have included the Civil War gunboat U.S.S. Hatteras and the 19th century coastal steamers New York and Josephine, the latter of which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Most recently, Dr. Irion has been involved with the investigations of several deep water wrecks discovered in the Gulf of Mexico, including the German submarine U-166 found in 5,000 feet of water and an early 19th century wooden-hulled sailing ship found in 2,650 feet of water.
David Ball
Minerals Management Service
Dave Ball has been employed with the Minerals Management Service in New Orleans for almost 5 years and currently hold the position of Senior Marine Archaeologist and Regional Dive Master. Before coming to work with the MMS, Mr. Ball was employed in the private sector, working for several CRM companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Mr. Ball received his Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from Sonoma State University in 1992 and a Master of Arts degree in anthropology from Florida State University in 1998. He has almost 15 years experience in archaeology and has directed field research on both land and underwater archaeological sites across the country, including an inundated prehistoric site at Little Salt Spring, Florida; a Confederate ironclad in Mobile Bay, Alabama; the 1686 French shipwreck Belle, in Matagorda Bay, Texas; and several deepwater shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico, including U-166.
Chris Horrell
Minerals Management Service
Dr. Chris Horrell is a marine archaeologist with the Minerals Management Service. Dr. Horrell has over 14 years experience in archaeology working throughout the United States and in Central America. He received his BA in anthropology and History in 1995 from Southwest Texas State University. He also completed graduate studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, receiving an MA in Anthropology in 1999. After completion of his MA, he entered the doctoral program at Florida State University to study underwater archaeology. During his studies at FSU, Mr. Horrell took the position as co-field director of the Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, a program designed to locate and catalog submerged cultural resources in Franklin County, Florida. During the survey, a shipwreck was located in the spring of 2000. This centerboard schooner has been the focus of Dr. Horrell's PhD dissertation research for the last four years. He received his PhD in 2004.
During his studies at FSU, Dr. Horrell took a position with the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research as an Archaeological Assistant. His job included working with Florida's submerged cultural resources; conducting site assessments, managing contracts and permits, working with Florida’s underwater preserves, and presenting information and educating the public on the importance of preserving the past. In 2003, Dr. Horrell accepted a position with the Minerals Management Service as a Marine Archaeologist. His position requires him to provide professional knowledge in the inventory, evaluation, protection, use and management of the prehistoric and historic resources of the Gulf Mexico Outer Continental Shelf. He is also a member of the MMS Scientific Dive Team.
Laura Landry
Archaeological Consultant, L.A. Landry & Associates, Inc.
Ms. Landry received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in anthropology and geography from LSU in 1976 and 1990. Her professional management experience includes more than 13 years of owning and operating L. A. Landry & Associates, Inc., a small business that provides marine archeological and geological survey and interpretive services, and coastal anthropological and historical research.
Ms. Landry’s experience spans over 30 years of participation in terrestrial and underwater cultural resources projects in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Since 1983, Ms. Landry has specialized in the interpretation of high resolution geophysical data from echo sounders, side scan sonar, magnetometers, and subbottom profilers and has prepared more than 1,500 historic and prehistoric cultural resources reports for lease block, pipeline and cable rights-of-way surveys on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, including deep and shallow waters, in the state waters of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and the Florida Atlantic coast. She has also overseen ROV deepwater investigations, and conventional high resolution geophysical surveys. Her reports are prepared independently for various marine survey, oil and gas, engineering, and telecommunication companies, and federal agencies.
Ms. Landry also serves on the Board of Directors for the Southwestern Underwater Archaeological Society, an organization of trained divers in Texas dedicated to providing volunteer services for shipwreck mapping projects with the Texas Historical Commission.
Amy Borgens
Archaeological Consultant
Amy Borgens earned a master’s degree from the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University in 2004. Her applied experience in this discipline has ranged from wreck documentation to photography and conservation. She has been associated with shipwreck projects in Turkey, Canada, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. As a student at Texas A&M University, Amy was the photographer and radiographer for the Belle shipwreck project; a 17th century French vessel wrecked on the Texas coast. She also directed a project whose focus was the conservation and identification of firearms and other assorted artifacts recovered from a 19th century shipwreck at Pass Cavallo, TX. Other projects on which she has worked include a 1st century Byzantine wreck, a War of 1812 frigate, and a 19th century steamboat. As a nautical archaeologist with PBS&J, Ms. Borgens has worked on remote sensing projects and hydrographic surveys in both Louisiana and Texas. Her experience with PBS&J has also included involvement with the MMS Seafloor Monitoring Team in investigating several wrecks on the Gulf Outer Continental Shelf.
John Hamilton
Conservator, Conservation Research Laboratory, TAMU
John received his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries from Texas A&M University in 1998. He has over 9 years of experience dealing with the storage, documentation, and conservation of terrestrial and nautical artifacts. At the age of 13 he became a certified diver and began to learn the basics of artifact extraction, documentation and conservation on the Port Royal Project in Jamaica.
Upon joining CRL, John has worked on numerous projects, primarily the La Belle shipwreck. Other projects have included the Red River, Denbigh, Manuela and CSS Alabama, the latter is the only Civil War vessel sank in European waters. Most recently, John is assisting with establishing a conservation lab in San Juan Puerto Rico.
John has been married for 5 years to his wife Alisa Hamilton and has a 2 year old son, Jace.
Della Scott-Ireton
Director and Public Archaeologist of the FPAN Northwest Region
Della Scott-Ireton graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a Master's degree in Historical Archaeology. She also has a Master's in International Relations from Troy University, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Florida State University. Della is certified as a Scuba Instructor with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). She worked with the Pensacola Shipwreck Survey, West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc., Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the government of the Cayman Islands before joining the Florida Public Archaeology Network (www.flpublicarchaeology.org) where she serves as the Northwest Region Director. Della is an officer and elected board member of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology and is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Della's research interests include public interpretation of maritime cultural resources, both on land and under water, and training of avocationals in archaeological methods and practices.
Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project Partners
- Minerals Management Service
- Okeanos Gas Gathering Company
- Texas A&M University Dept. of Oceanography
- Texas A&M University Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation
- Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism
- Veolia Environmental Services
- Perry Slingsby Systems
- Nautilus Productions
- L.A. Landry & Associates
- Florida Public Archaeology Network