Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Remote Operated Vehicle Survey
Date 30 July 2019 - 2 August 2019
Event ID 1125616
Category Recording
Type Remote Operated Vehicle Survey
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1125616
The project was carried out in accordance with the Wessex Archaeology Risk Assessment and Method Statement. The operations took place over four days of continuous fieldwork from 30 July to 02 August 2019. Operations were conducted during daylight hours only, on a single shift system. Team size was determined by risk assessment and comprised of two Wessex Archaeology staff members, assisted by the two crew members of the survey vessel.
Survey was carried out using Wessex Archaeology’s ROV, a BlueROV2, in ‘heavy configuration’. This provided the safest and most efficient method of archaeological recording in the conditions normally encountered at this location. The ROV was piloted by suitably experienced Wessex Archaeology staff. It was deployed and recovered by hand.
The ROV carried an internal full HD (1080) colour cctv camera and LED lights. These were supplemented by a GoPro 5 and a GoPro 6 in 60m depth-rated housings and a 15,000-lumen video light. Data from the GoPro 5 was not used in this report as it was of a lower quality than that captured by the GoPro 6. In addition to standard photographs and video, sections of the site were selectively recorded for photogrammetry. Two photogrammetric models were created, the first represented the whole deeper section of the site and the second focused only on the iron features. The photogrammetric models were used to produce orthophotos, digital elevation models and site plan of the site.
Archaeological, environmental and operational data were recorded using Wessex Archaeology’s proprietary real-time DIVA MS Access recording system. Inspection and survey of the site was carried out with ROV positional data provided by a Sonardyne Scout Plus USBL system. This position was displayed in DIVA’s ArcGIS interface during the dive,
layered onto the site location data provided by HES. This provided navigational information to the ROV pilot. Digital video and still photography were recorded by the ROV internal camera and by a GoPro 6 mounted on the ROV. 3.4.6 Recovery of artefacts was not possible under the agreed fieldwork methodology and so no licenses for recovery of artefacts from the Kinlochbervie HMPA were required under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
The work focussed on the deeper part of the site, containing Cannons 1 and 2, Anchors 1 and 2 and the original locations of the ceramic assemblage. The shallower part of the site was accessible to some degree, but no wreck material was visible under the dense cover
of kelp. Cannon 3, located at a depth of approximately 12m and resting on a ledge of the cliff face above the deeper area of the site, was also obscured by kelp, but was partially observed.
The investigation comprised a general visual inspection (GVI) of the site, to determine whether all features previously recorded were still present. Close visual inspection (CVI), a detailed examination of individual archaeological features, was also undertaken on certain features on the site. CVI of these features was used to document any visible changes from their condition as recorded in previous archaeological work. A systematic search of the deeper area of the site was performed to identify any exposed ceramic material. Finally,
dives intended to capture photographs suitable for the production of photogrammetric models were also undertaken
Information from Robert MacKintosh, Wessex Archaeology Ltd., 2nd December 2019
