CSS Alabama Methodology Gallery

• Historical Background
• Methodology
• Findings
• Credits and Bibliography
• About

• 
• Introduction
• Identifying the Wreck
• Negotiations
• Objectives for Year 2000
• Methods for Year 2000
• Raising a Cannon
• Results for Year 2000
• Objectives for Year 2001
• Methods for Year 2001
• Results for Year 2001
• Ceramics
• Objectives for Year 2002
• Methods for Year 2002
• Results for Year 2002

Once again, budget and scheduling placed constraints on the research. Only nineteen diving days and ten ROV operation days were permitted. (Image: Deploying the ROV)

Methods for Year 2002

With eight archaeologists to oversee operations, three dive teams could be deployed simultaneously for maximum efficiency. Equipment failure however, prevented much of the planned excavations. Divers were able to recover some smaller artifacts for conservation, but the bulk of the planned explorations was impossible to carry out. Similarly, the ROV operations were often delayed due to weather, and lack of funding led to the inability to pretest much of the equipment -- resulting in problems with the navigational systems. The focus shifted from overall mapping to feature-specific documentation.