MSDS Marine are pleased to announce the 2022 winners of the MSDS Marine Grant Awards.
Protected Wreck Support Award 2022
The Protected Wreck Support Award is designed to help support Licensees and their teams. Licensees and their teams have played a huge role in the careers of all MSDS Marine staff. They have inspired us, taught us and helped us develop our skills, and to recognise this we use the awards as a mechanism to give something back.
This year the award goes to Melanie Taylor to support her work on the Mary.
Melanie Taylor, Mary
Mel has been the Licensee on the Mary for many years and is a familiar face as a keen member of the Nautical Archaeology Society. The Mary is a VOC vessel located off Anglesey and lost in 1675. You can find out more about the Mary here: https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/391/
The RIB used by Mel and the team to access the site requires a new GPS plotter with seafloor imaging capabilities. Mel will use the grant to help replace the current Lowrance HDS system that is no longer working correctly.
Modern hull mounted marine imaging systems have changed the way divers view wreck sites and plan dives. The detail these hull mounted systems provide has previously only been possible with expensive commercial systems. New leisure systems imaging systems also allow the saving of data which can then be used to create raster files for use in a GIS package.
Previous work on the Mary site did not have access to this type of technology, as in the 1970s it didn’t exist. To continue to work on the site the team want to better understand the topography of the wreck site. Understanding the topography may help to explain how the wreck broke up, how the site evolved and how it continues to evolve. This in turn will generate a better understanding of the site plans that were created during earlier work on the site and help inform future work by the licensed team.
In addition to helping further understand the wreck the new plotter helps ensure the work of the team is conducted safely in the waters around the Skerries. The archipelago consists of multiple submerged reefs and on occasion the weather has changed significantly whilst the team have been on site reducing visibility significantly, leaving them to reply on GPS for navigation. Whilst they would not choose to be out in this weather, planning for the unexpected is always an important consideration.
MSDS Marine are delighted to help support Mel’s work and look forward to hearing more about this wreck.
Student Support Award 2022
The Student Support Award is intended to help support maritime archaeology students studying in the UK. The growing MSDS Marine team all remember the costs involved with being at university and this is an ever increasing burden for students. Their recent experience highlights the significant costs faced by students to complete their education. MSDS Marine strongly believe fieldwork, and other training experiences, help create professionals with a more rounded skill set and are keen to help allow students to maximise the experiences that they get. To this end MSDS Marine offer many volunteer opportunities for students but are now also keen to help support them financially to gain experiences which might otherwise be unaffordable.
Shu Yang, Cardiff University
The 2022 winner, Shu Yang, is a PhD student in the school of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University.
Shu’s PhD study relates to the use of stable isotope analysis to understand human and animal interactions in Medieval Southampton. Southampton was one of the most significant ports in medieval England, due to its unique position on the trade route with the Mediterranean and Iberian Peninsula. Previous zooarchaeological research has revealed the key role of domestic species, alongside a variety of other terrestrial and aquatic animals. Shu hopes her work will shed light on the acquisition method of terrestrial and marine resources, domestic herd management, the mechanism of trading, animal movement, and human-animal-environment interaction in Southampton.
Shu will use the grant to cover the sample testing fees for Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen isotopes. Fees are expensive at c£15 per collagen sample. The grant will enable more samples to be tested with will lead to increased confidence in the results.
MSDS Marine think Shu’s research is incredibly interesting and has great potential to contribute to the knowledge of Southampton as a Medieval port.
