Search for the Lost French Fleet of 1565

Search for the Lost French Fleet of 1565

Image and Video Gallery

This page contains photos and videos associated with the Search for the Lost French Fleet of 1565 expedition. Click on any image or video to view a larger version and for additional information.

August 14 Log

This video shows clips of the excavation process.

August 14 Log

Brendan Burke and Olivia McDaniel excavate the concretion found yesterday.

August 10 Log

Chuck and Brian photodocument the day’s work of probing on the seafloor.

August 9 Log

A double rainbow after the storm.

August 8 Log

This video clip captures the start of a glorious sunset against the dark clouds of an oncoming storm.

August 8 Log

This video was taken when the rain, seas, and wind had arrived.

August 7 Log

Roper leaving port and heading out to sea.

Lighthouse

Roper cruises past the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Intercoastal Waterway

Intercoastal Waterway

Stretches of undeveloped Florida wilderness.

Fort Matanzas

Here is the view of Fort Matanzas as we cruise past it.

St. Augustine

The sun sets behind St. Augustine as we finally reach our destination.

Ponce Lighthouse

Ponce Lighthouse

Heading into Ponce Inlet, we see the Ponce Lighthouse in the distance.

Sunset

Rising over a cloud bank, the sun shines on a calm sea.

Engine Room

This morning’s engine room check found a loose alternator belt, and so it was time to tune it up.

Target E3T Sonar

Target E3T Sonar

Here is a sonar image of Target E3T, where we found buried wreckage from a shrimp boat (a steel fuel tank).

Target E3T Sketch

Target E3T Sketch

Sketch shows north-south transect and east-west transect, with the solid dots representing completed probes.

Target 1 Drops

Target 1 saw a number of “drops” and was our most complex magnetic target.

Target 1 Sketch

Target 1 Sketch

Sketches of the probes undertaken at Target 1, Drop 1B and Drop 1A, rotated and joined together.

Storm

Another afternoon storm put our afternoon dive operations on hold for a few hours.

Magnetic Countour Map

Magnetic Countour Map

This magnetic contour map shows some of the magnetic anomalies at Target 1, Drop 1.

Net Wire

A piece of the net found buried in the sand with the loose nylon line and stainless steel wire at Target 1, Drop 1.

Sunset

All the bad weather certainly makes up for itself in the sunsets it creates.

Fog

Dense fog, unusual for late summer, enveloped Ponce Inlet as we departed for French Fleet media day.

Roper

Roper basks in the early morning sunlight, awaiting our arrival.

First Coast News Interview

First Coast News Interview

Jessica Clark interviews Assistant Conservator Andrew Thomson about the process of artifact conservation.

Diving Operations

Diving Operations

Diving operations continue on Target E4T with the help of visiting crew members.

McNamara/Stiner

McNamara/Stiner

Brian McNamara prepares for a dive, while at right John Stiner looks on.

Shelly Gray

Also joining us is Shelly Gray, an undergraduate student in our field school in 2009 who returned in 2013.

Magnetometer

Chuck Meide deploys the handheld magnetometer on Target E4T.

Florian Funk

Student volunteer Florian Funk prepares for a dive. Olivia McDaniel is surface support for this dive.

Probe

Olivia forces the probe down into the sediments, with only a few feet to go.

Probe Tests

Sketch from the daily field notes showing the probe tests at Target E4T.

Generator

Starr Cox pumping diesel fuel from the main fuel tank into the generator tank.

GPS

Chuck holding our survey GPS antennae. It is a highly accurate unit, precise to within one meter.

Engine Room

Here we see an example of what the fuel tank from target E3T may have looked like.

Tank Sketch

A sketch of the object discovered at Target E3T, identified as a steel fuel tank from a shrimp boat.

Rougher Seas

The lightning and rougher seas this storm brought with it delayed our dive operations.

Olivia McDaniel

Olivia McDaniel

Olivia McDaniel driving the boat from Ponce Inlet south to the survey area.

Starr Cox

Starr Cox preparing for her first dive.

Brendan Burke

Brendan Burke keeps an eye on the divers’ bubbles for the duration of the dive.

Beautiful Sunset

Beautiful Sunset

We are treated to a beautiful sunset as we impatiently await the calm seas that will come with dawn.

McNamara/Turner

McNamara/Turner

Brian McNamara, left, and Sam Turner, right, haul in on the stern anchor line.

Magnetometer

Chuck prepares to enter the water with the handheld magnetometer.

Listening

Chuck extending the handheld magnetometer while looking and listening for changes in readings.

Probing

Diver Brian McNamara descending to the bottom to lay in a transect line and begin probing.

Flying The Colors

Flying The Colors

Flying the colors on the way home!

Magnetic Map

Target 1 consists of several magnetic anomalies, or variations from the Earth’s magnetic field.

Trimble GPS

Chuck and I refine the accuracy of our drop buoy using the Trimble GPS receiver.

Brian McNamara

Brian McNamara preparing to enter the water.

Night Lights

The water was clear enough that even during a night dive, the divers’ lights could be seen from the surface.

Field Notes

The sketch from our field notes showing the probes tested at Drop 2A and Drop 2B during today’s dives.

Filming

Chuck Meide dives with a small video camera to film the area we recently probed.

First Dive

Chuck Meide, left, and Sam Turner, right, prepare to enter the water for the first dive of the project.

Hydraulic Probe

Hydraulic Probe

Divers forcing a hydraulic probe into the seafloor.

Anchor Line

"On hook" during the early morning.

Tow Cable

The mag and tow cable with a full set of 32 pounds of lead weight.

The Bow

The bow of the Roper as she makes her turn east to come on line for the next survey lane in Target 7.

Double Rainbow

A double rainbow after the storm.

Full Moon

The full moon rises above the broad Atlantic Ocean.

Magnetometer

Magnetometer towfish with diver’s wrist-mounted depth gauge attached for depth control experiment.

Anomaly

Image showing an anomaly recorded during the refined survey of Target 1.

Towfish

The end of the mag towfish and the mag cable with its 12 pounds of weight.

Storm Onset

Onset of the storm.

Sunset

Sunset at the north end of the project area.

Magnetometer Data

Magnetometer Data

Post-processing magnetometer data at the end of the day after supper.

3D Model

Post-processing magnetometer data at the end of the day after supper.

Leaving Dock

Roper prepares to leave its dock in St. Augustine for Cruise 2.

Engine

Brendan Burke poses next to the engine of the Roper, which was removed for maintenance.

French Flag

The historic French flag will fly from the Roper during the final two cruises.

Canaveral

This will be our last sunrise at Canaveral for the next few weeks. It’s a beauty!

Navigational Display

Navigational Display

A view of our navigational display that the helmsman uses when driving along a survey lane.

Boat Driver

Sam is the boat driver for the final survey lane.

Sidescan Towfish

Sidescan Towfish

Sam and Brendan pull in the sidescan towfish for the last time.

Subbottom Profiler

Subbottom Profiler

Chuck Meide securing the subbottom profiler at the stern of the boat.

The Way Home

Brian has climbed to the top of the masthead to point the way home!

Heading Home

As the Roper heads home for St. Augustine, she weathers a late afternoon Florida thunderstorm.

Into The Sunrise

Into The Sunrise

Roper heads out into the sunrise, leaving the New Smyrna Beach City Marina and departing for the survey area.

Subbottom Transducer

Subbottom Transducer

Dr. Turner securing the subbottom transducer at the stern of the boat.

Subbottom Profiler

Subbottom Profiler

A view of the subbottom profiler laptop screen as it is collecting data today.

Sonar & Magnetometer

Sonar & Magnetometer

Sidescan sonar fish, a Klein System 3900, and the Marine Magnetics Explorer Mini-Magnetometer.

Sidescan Sonar

Here is the sidescan sonar display during survey, showing a sandy bottom.

School of Fish

Sidescan image of a massive school of fish swimming under the research vessel during survey.

Hammerhead Shark

Hammerhead Shark

Sidescan image of a large hammerhead shark swimming under our research vessel.

Site Plan

An example of a sidescan sonar image of a shipwreck compared with the site plan drawn by archaeologists.

Mt. Vernon

This image is the result of a survey conducted in the waters off Mt. Vernon.

Backup Laptop

Sam configures a backup laptops as new magnetometer laptop, after a hard drive failure.

Coffee

We are not really at our best until the coffee is ready.

Deploying

Brendan and Sam prepare to deploy the magnetometer.

Magnetometer Screen

Magnetometer Screen

This is a close-up view of the magnetometer computer screen.

Magnetic Anomaly

Magnetic Anomaly

This is a classic example of a magnetic anomaly.

Dipole

Another magnetic anomaly, also in the form of a dipole, visible in the line of data on Lane 30.

Survey Lane

Brendan Burke pilots along a survey lane while Sam Turner monitors magnetometer display.

Dinner

Last night’s dinner: marinated chicken thighs on the camp grill.

Breakfast

The prepared ingredients for today’s breakfast, “Slophole,” a Roper tradition.

Ingredients

All of the ingredients for this morning’s breakfast in the wok on the cabin’s stove.

Hit!

Breakfast is a hit with Brian!

Sunrise

Meide: "One advantage of working early hours on the boat are the beautiful sunrises that I normally sleep through on shore!"

Profiler Display

Profiler Display

Sam Turner (left) and Brendan Burke (right) inspect the subbottom profiler display at the start of the day, to confirm that the device is working properly.

Magnetometer “Fish”

Magnetometer “Fish”

Brian McNamara, LAMP volunteer archaeologist and Flinders University graduate student, standing by with the magnetometer “fish,” waiting to launch it into the sea.

Sidescan Sonar

The sidescan sonar is the next device to enter the water.

Helm

Inside the cabin of the Roper, Sam Turner mans the helm surrounded by computer displays.

Seashore

The beach at Canaveral National Seashore as seen from the boat, when running inshore lanes.

Sunset

Watching the sun set after a long, successful day of collecting data.

Dawn

The research vessel Roper heads out to sea at dawn.

Transducer

The transducer for the subbottom profiler, secured on the gunwale while the boat is underway.

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse greets researchers heading to sheltered interior waters.

George Musson Drawbridge

George Musson Drawbridge

Roper passes under the George Musson drawbridge.

Loading Gear

Loading gear at LAMP headquarters.

Dock Carts

Dock carts are handy for moving lots of supplies from our vehicles to the boat.

Drivers

Hunter Whitehead and Starr Cox help with loading and also served as drivers today.

Sam Turner

Sam Turner is one of LAMP’s staff archaeologists and is our expert with the marine magnetometer.

Falcon Exhaust Trail

Falcon Exhaust Trail

The exhaust trail of a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center, visible from Roper at dock.

Brendan Burke

Brendan Burke, LAMP Archaeologist and Logistical Coordinator.

Brian McNamara

Brian McNamara mans the bow while we enter Canaveral Lock.

Dark Clouds

Dark clouds on the horizon mean a storm is coming.

Side Scan Sonar System

Side Scan Sonar System

Roper has a side scan sonar system, which is not the quality of our system, but is useful when navigating.

Sunset Over Port Canaveral

Sunset Over Port Canaveral

While waiting for the storm clouds on the radar to clear, we enjoy the sunset over Port Canaveral.

Hammock

Sam and Brian sleep out on deck tonight, with the canopy overhead protecting from light rains.

Trinité

First page of the commissioning of the Trinité, 21 May 1565.

Ribault’s Landing

Ribault’s Landing

Ribault’s Landing, a 31 by 8 foot mural by Jacksonville artist Lee Adams.

de Coligny/de Medici

de Coligny/de Medici

Gaspard de Coligny and Catherine de Medici.

Ribault/de Laudonnière

Ribault/de Laudonnière

Jean Ribault and René de Laudonnière.

Welcoming

The Timucuan chief welcomes Laudonnière in 1564.

First War of Religion

First War of Religion

Ribault and Laudonnière returned to France to find the country in a religious civil war.

Fort Caroline Construction

Fort Caroline Construction

Construction begins on Fort Caroline, as depicted by Theodore de Bry.

Fort Caroline, Completed

Fort Caroline, Completed

Fort Caroline after completion, as drawn by Jacques Le Moyne.

Spanish and French Fleets

Spanish and French Fleets

Spanish and French fleets encountered each other off the River of May, exchanging words, threats, and cannon fire.

Menéndez Landing

Menéndez Landing

Menéndez landed at St. Augustine on 8 September 1565 to take formal possession of the land for Spain.

Shipwrecked

Ribault’s fleet was driven south by the relentless winds of the storm.

Braving The Storm

Braving The Storm

Menéndez men braved the storm, sacking Fort Caroline in a surprise attack 20 September 1565.

Surrender

Most of the French shipwreck survivors surrendered, hoping for mercy from Menéndez.

French Galleons

French Galleons

French galleons similar to those in Ribault’s fleet.

The Antelope

A 16th-century English galleass, the Antelope.

Colonization Vessels

Colonization Vessels

French colonization vessels from Laudonnière’s 1564 expedition.

Armstrong Site

The Armstrong Site and the French Fleet search area are in Canaveral National Seashore.

Iron Artifacts

Iron artifacts recovered from the Armstrong Site.

Jewelry

Examples of jewelry recovered from the 1565 French shipwreck survivor camps.

French Coins

Examples of French coins recovered from the survivor camp sites.

John de Bry

John de Bry in the Map Room of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.

King François I Document

King François I Document

Document bearing the signature of King François I, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

King Charles IX Document

King Charles IX Document

Orders given by King Charles IX to provide cannons to ships in the port of Dieppe.

Trinité Commission

Trinité Commission

First page of the commissioning of the Trinité, 21 May 1565.

Magnetometer and Sonar

Magnetometer and Sonar

The orange magnetometer tow fish (above) and the side scan sonar tow fish (below).

Subbottom Profiler

Subbottom Profiler

The subbottom profiler instrument shown in its bracket on the R/V Roper in the retracted position.