CITIZEN SCIENTIST SPOTLIGHT

Adventuresome ‘citizen scientists’ help reveal shipwreck secrets

Gordon Rock and Wayne Loeber are not archaeologists or famed underwater explorers. In fact, neither had even heard of the famous AJ Goddard shipwreck. Yet, this entrepreneur from Seattle and pilot from St. George, Utah both played key roles on the international expedition that revealed new details about this Gold Rush shipwreck.

Gordon and Wayne’s archaeology adventure is an example of a new type of scientific research occurring around the world. They are “citizen scientists” – average citizens who volunteer their time or other resources so they can join in the excitement and rewards of scientific research. Citizen scientists play an important role on many OceanGate expeditions, allowing individuals to gain new knowledge and experience while giving much-needed support to the researchers.

It is probably not surprising that these two would find themselves on a shipwreck expedition since both share a passion for flying, technology, and diving. Gordon has spent much of his professional career working on rural communication systems in the western US and Alaska. Wayne is a retired commercial airline pilot who has a few part-time piloting gigs, including flying Gordon’s business jet. While the pair has had their share of personal adventures, neither had ever participated in an organized scientific expedition before.

Gordon was the first to get involved when a friend at OceanGate asked if he would consider using his jet to provide air transportation for some of the expedition. “I have been camping and enjoying remote areas in Canada and Alaska for the past 45 years,” Gordon explained, “but this was one area that I had not visited before, so the opportunity to see this region was an easy sell.” Gordon told Wayne, his Chief Pilot, about the expedition and Wayne quickly volunteered his services to the team.

“Our primary contribution was to use my jet and Wayne’s piloting skills to transport two team members and the high-tech sonar equipment provided by OceanGate and BlueView,” Gordon continued. They picked up the personnel and equipment in Seattle, and then flew to Ketchikan and on to Whitehorse, a trip of about 1,000 miles.

Once they reached the expedition campsite, Gordon and Wayne quickly pitched in on a variety of tasks to support the expedition. One of their primary jobs was to shuttle personnel and equipment back and forth between the camp and dive site using a small inflatable boat. They also helped the divers with their equipment, and performed a variety of kitchen and camp chores to reduce the workload on the researchers.

Gordon and Wayne both felt they contributed to the expedition’s success and also learned a lot in the process. “It was a thrill to be part of a discovery process,” Gordon said enthusiastically. “Much of the time we were right there on the wreck with the expedition team, listening as the divers discussed how they were going to position the sonar equipment and collect the data. Once the first sonar pictures started showing up on the computer, everyone was ecstatic. Being there to see those initial images was certainly thrilling,” he continued.

“It is pretty fascinating technology when you think of what has been done in the past to try replicating the shape and position of shipwrecks,” Wayne added. “The researchers say this process can take years to complete, but with this new technology, they were able do this in great detail in a matter of a days.”

In addition to the technology aspects of the trip, both were amazed when they saw the condition of the ship and its artifacts. “It was exciting to see items brought up from the ship,” Wayne said. “The boots and other artifacts looked like they had been in the water only a relatively short period of time,” Gordon explained. “It was amazing to see how well preserved everything was.”

They were also fascinated by the amount of care and respect used by the researchers when retrieving artifacts from the wreck. Artifacts removed from the water were immediately placed into small vessels with fluid so they would not deteriorate. Items that were not going to a museum were eventually returned to their exact original location on the wreck. “People felt special that they were able to see these things,” Wayne said. “They treated everything with real dignity.”

Based on their experience, Gordon and Wayne believe that citizen scientists can play an important role on these types of expeditions and they encourage others to give it a try. “It’s certainly a cost-effective resource for the expedition,” Gordon said. “And it has the potential to be a wonderful adventure for the participants, so I think it’s a nice fit.”

Project leader Lindsey Thomas was also enthusiastic about the assistance provided by the citizen scientists. “I could never have found enough archaeologists to come on this project with our budget,” she noted. “The citizen scientists were all fantastic. Not only did they help and do a really good job, but they had other skills that I might not have access to if I just had a team of archaeologists.”

John Pollack, Director of the Yukon River Survey echoed Lindsey’s sentiments. “I was very impressed with Gordon and Wayne. Anything they could do they did. Personally, the experience of having them there has opened my eyes to what we can do in the future.”

With one expedition under their belts, Gordon and Wayne are hooked and looking at possible future trips. Gordon has already offered to help John Pollack look for another wreck, an 1860’s sternwheeler thought to be in a lake in central British Columbia. He recently flew his small float plane into that area to look at a few sites that hold some promise.

“I plan to go back later this year when the water is low to check them out further,” Gordon said. “If we find the wreck, I am sure another expedition will be assembled. I guess I now have a little of the sternwheeler bug.”

On their return flight, Gordon and Wayne flew above the rugged route that the Goddard originally took when it was carried in pieces through the mountain passes to get to the Yukon chain. “That had to be quite an undertaking,” Gordon mused. “I can’t image how they did that.”