The Ribadeo I Wreck—Multi-Year Photogrammetric Survey of a Spanish Galleon of the Second Armada

Abstract

There are multiple approaches to bridging the gap between the relatively new world of three-dimensional survey and so-called reality-capture with traditional recording conventions and archaeological interpretative processes, challenges that have been encountered during the various fieldwork campaigns undertaken on the Ribadeo I wreck. Questions discussed in this paper include: does every team member need to be a 3D expert? Does a 3D specialist need to be an archaeologist? Is it enough to have a specialist 3D ‘navigator’, someone who can drive the software through the data and act as a guide to a wider team to deliver their own interpretation of the evidence? When conventional outputs are required, including plans, sections, profiles and other nautical-specific views, how can these be efficiently generated from the available photogrammetry and presented to provide comparable information to those who speak and require this type of visual language? This paper does not provide simple or definitive answers to these questions. However, the work undertaken so far on Ribadeo I can offer some contributions to current discussions and consider the challenges within the context of an internationally important shipwreck and work that is necessarily limited by available time and funds.

The “San Giacomo di Galizia” Warship Galleon (1597)—Building Narratives through an Archaeological and Historical Reading of the Ribadeo I Shipwreck

“…At the same time, a cartographic analysis of the seabed was carried out, throughout successive campaigns, in attempt to understand the depositional process that affected the site, a study that led to several photogrammetry surveys [21] that has allowed for the documentation of the evolution of the site since 2015.…”

Recording the SS Thistlegorm: Rapid Multi-Image Underwater Photogrammetric Survey of a Large Second World War Wreck

“…Since completing the baseline survey of the Thistlegorm in 2017, we have often been asked how we managed to survey such a large wreck in such a short space of time and what steps we took to ensure the accuracy of our work. In contrast to previous works, which have tended to focus on relatively small wrecks with flat relief [1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14], the SS Thistlegorm survey covered a significantly larger subject-the wreck of a ship originally measuring 4900 grt, 131.6 m × 17.7 m × 7.6 m, resting in depths ranging from 12 msw (meters of sea water) to 32 msw. The main survey was conducted using a single camera across 12 dives, with a total diver time of 13 h and 45 min.…”

Ship Archaeology and Material Culture: Artifacts, Representations, Structures, Narratives, and Materialities (16th–19th Centuries)

“…Combining an interdisciplinary approach based on artefacts, historic documents, and spectroscopic analysis, this paper aimed to reconstruct the itinerary with which this ship sailed during its life and to discuss how the artefact assemblages allowed the writing of new narratives about the activities which occurred onboard. The articles "The Ribadeo I Shipwreck, Galleon 'San Giacomo di Galizia'-From Excavation to Interpretation" [2], and "The Ribadeo I Wreck-Multi-Year Photogrammetric Survey of a Spanish Galleon of the Second Armada" [3] explain the targeted photogrammetry that has been undertaken since 2015, aiming to record the wooden structure, changes to the bedform, and the potential threats, both anthropogenic and environmental. The results of the multi-seasonal photogrammetric survey have not only provided pre-and post-disturbance records but have also highlighted the data potential and limitations to understanding diverse aspects including the monitoring of short-and long-term change, the extrapolation of visible structural elements and dissemination among diverse audiences.…”