Post by ywevis on Jun 5, 2014 7:27:00 GMT -5
GREENSBORO — Gold coins, silver bars and ancient figurines, lost to the waves hundreds of years ago: Shipwrecks can fire the imagination like nothing else.
One of the most famous deep-water salvage companies exploring shipwrecks today will bring its traveling exhibit to the Greensboro Science Center on May 26.
“Odyssey’s Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure” will showcase the work of Odyssey Marine Exploration, including the high-tech tools it uses and some of the treasures it has found.
Glenn Dobrogosz, the executive director of the science center, said he thinks it will rival such exhibits as “Bodies Revealed” and “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” in drawing people.
“The timing is perfect, with Odyssey Marine Exploration currently working off our coast to salvage the remains of the SS Central America,” Dobrogosz said.
The Central America long has been the hallmark of East Coast shipwrecks. This pre-Civil War steamship sank in 1857, taking 425 souls and a huge load of gold to the ocean floor. An earlier expedition yielded more than 2 tons of gold, as well as a best-selling book and a lawsuit against finder Tommy Thompson, who was accused of going on the lam with $52 million.
There is still thought to be millions in gold left on the site, which rests at a depth of 7,200 feet off the South Carolina coast, according to an article by Bloomberg News.
The only way to explore and salvage material at that depth is with remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. A full-size replica of Odyssey’s Zeus, an 8-ton ROV, will be part of the exhibit. Visitors can try their hand at picking up artifacts with a working model of Zeus’ robotic arm.
The exhibit also will include a mosaic created from more than 2,500 photographs taken by Zeus on the site of the SS Republic. That shipwreck serves as the centerpiece of the exhibit, including a variety of treasure from the wreck site and firsthand accounts from passengers aboard during her final harrowing journey in 1865.
Visitors can use the photo mosaic to zoom in on various artifacts at the wreck site.
There will also be artifacts and information on some of Odyssey’s other discoveries, including the Gairsoppa, a World War II ship that contained a heavy cargo of precious metal. The first bar of silver salvaged from the Gairsoppa will be on display. All told, more than 500 artifacts will be available.
And there will be a “World of Pirates” interactive gallery, where visitors can learn how to identify pirate vessels using a spyglass, raise the banners of famous buccaneers and create their own pirate.
www.news-record.com/news/article_cb35e992-dcac-11e3-be34-0017a43b2370.html
One of the most famous deep-water salvage companies exploring shipwrecks today will bring its traveling exhibit to the Greensboro Science Center on May 26.
“Odyssey’s Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure” will showcase the work of Odyssey Marine Exploration, including the high-tech tools it uses and some of the treasures it has found.
Glenn Dobrogosz, the executive director of the science center, said he thinks it will rival such exhibits as “Bodies Revealed” and “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” in drawing people.
“The timing is perfect, with Odyssey Marine Exploration currently working off our coast to salvage the remains of the SS Central America,” Dobrogosz said.
The Central America long has been the hallmark of East Coast shipwrecks. This pre-Civil War steamship sank in 1857, taking 425 souls and a huge load of gold to the ocean floor. An earlier expedition yielded more than 2 tons of gold, as well as a best-selling book and a lawsuit against finder Tommy Thompson, who was accused of going on the lam with $52 million.
There is still thought to be millions in gold left on the site, which rests at a depth of 7,200 feet off the South Carolina coast, according to an article by Bloomberg News.
The only way to explore and salvage material at that depth is with remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. A full-size replica of Odyssey’s Zeus, an 8-ton ROV, will be part of the exhibit. Visitors can try their hand at picking up artifacts with a working model of Zeus’ robotic arm.
The exhibit also will include a mosaic created from more than 2,500 photographs taken by Zeus on the site of the SS Republic. That shipwreck serves as the centerpiece of the exhibit, including a variety of treasure from the wreck site and firsthand accounts from passengers aboard during her final harrowing journey in 1865.
Visitors can use the photo mosaic to zoom in on various artifacts at the wreck site.
There will also be artifacts and information on some of Odyssey’s other discoveries, including the Gairsoppa, a World War II ship that contained a heavy cargo of precious metal. The first bar of silver salvaged from the Gairsoppa will be on display. All told, more than 500 artifacts will be available.
And there will be a “World of Pirates” interactive gallery, where visitors can learn how to identify pirate vessels using a spyglass, raise the banners of famous buccaneers and create their own pirate.
www.news-record.com/news/article_cb35e992-dcac-11e3-be34-0017a43b2370.html
