Archaeologica.org

300 feet is excellent boomer water, Digit! 200 feet is comfortable cruising depth for those dudes.
Inshore fishermen trawl water that is 10 to 100 feet max. We don't need to look there. Too shallow. And too 'recently' flooded: in the holocene. And I'm looking for HSS in the pleistocene.

So far it sounds plausible, Rok.

We would have to deal with somewhat of a knowledge filter though. Everything that occurs on a boomer is top secret. Not that finding a 20,000 year old boat affects national security...But, could we get competent archeologists onboard one of these suckers while operational?

I was aboard a nuke sub some years ago doing some development work. First I had to sign the Official Secrets Act, and revealing that fact was then, at least, an offence and I was accompanied everywhere, and I mean everywhere, by a Chief Petty Officer.
That of course was the Royal Navy, things might be different now, and be different in the US navy.
But I'm not hopeful.

Official Secrets Act, and revealing that fact was then, at least, an offence and I was accompanied everywhere, and I mean everywhere

Yup...Counter-Intelligence.

Charlie Hatchett wrote:

300 feet is excellent boomer water, Digit! 200 feet is comfortable cruising depth for those dudes.
Inshore fishermen trawl water that is 10 to 100 feet max. We don't need to look there. Too shallow. And too 'recently' flooded: in the holocene. And I'm looking for HSS in the pleistocene.

So far it sounds plausible, Rok.

We would have to deal with somewhat of a knowledge filter though. Everything that occurs on a boomer is top secret. Not that finding a 20,000 year old boat affects national security...But, could we get competent archeologists onboard one of these suckers while operational?

Probably not. But we don't need archaeologists on board. Just brief the sonar and executive guys well, and give 'm good target area maps to scour.
They bring back a stack of DVD's with recorded data of those areas.
I don't think an archaeologist on board during those operations would add anything useful to that scenario. They'd only be in the way, frankly.
After that the ball is back in 'our' park: the scientific and archaeological communities analyze the data and theorize 'm to death, and finally they identify GPS locations and create precise maps of 'm to send the Bob Ballards in. With very specific targets.

Yeah, that oughta work.
It's only about 15/20 years of work...

So we need a young'un to carry this project!
Any thoughts on candidates?

Good solid logic there Roc.

News today is that someone tried it.

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2007/070423/07042313.htm

During the week-long expedition, teams of scientists from several federal agencies and research institutions explored the submerged landscape around the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 115 miles off the Texas-Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

The area, one of 13 U.S. national marine sanctuaries, was chosen because of its interesting geology and biology and its potential to contain preserved landforms with signs of some of America’s earliest inhabitants.

Oh No, I just reposted that again. In fact started a new thread. I'll see if I can delete it.

Got it.

Somebody has been reading our thoughts. Do you think the Club has a closet member with us?

Not any more.

OK, now what?
We need a couple pilot projects. Proof of concept.
We need good visualisations of them. To communicate to the public and to energize all the parties we need.
Any paleolithic offshore finds – past, current or planned – come to mind for that role?

For years, before the RAF and commercial pilots understood the signifcance, aircrew were seeing 'crop marks' as they over flew areas of Roman and Iron Age settlements.
Try approaching the US Navy, there could of course be areas where they would not want to admit to having been, but I guess they have a publicity department, and who knows?

Rokcet Scientist wrote:OK, now what?
We need a couple pilot projects. Proof of concept.
We need good visualisations of them. To communicate to the public and to energize all the parties we need.
Any paleolithic offshore finds – past, current or planned – come to mind for that role?

Thanks to Beagle' keen eye (http://archaeologica.boardbot.com/viewtopic.php?t=1157), we got one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6584011.stm

There's our flag bearer project!

I wouldn't say keen eye R/S. Michelle posted it on the newspage today.
I didn't have to look far. However the news is exactly what has been suggested on this thread. Pretty neat.