Projects
© Rovarch
Rovarch has worked on hundreds of shipwreck projects and has vast experience searching for, surveying, investigating and excavating/salvaging deep-water shipwreck sites using Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology and modern sub-sea salvage systems.
Listed below are some but not all of the high-profile projects that I have played a key part in and a list of my clients to date.
SS Empress of Britain, Canadian Pacific Steamship Co. British steel ocean liner. Aerial attack by a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200C Condor long-range bomber on the 26th October 1940 and then sunk by the German submarine U-32 0n the 28th October 1940. Depth 162m. 70 miles northwest of Aran Island, Co. Donegal, Eire
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Search for SS Athenia, Donaldson Line owned British steel ocean liner. On the 2nd September 1939 the German submarine U-32 torpedoed the Athenia, surfaced and shelled her at close range. At 10;40 on the morning of the 3rd September 1939 she sank 252 miles NW off Malin Head, Eire, depth 195m. She was the first British ship sunk in WWII. Sunk 8 hours after Britain and France declared war on Germany.
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RMS Laconia, Cunard Steamship Co. Ltd, British steel ocean liner. Sunk by the German submarine U-50 on the 25th February 1917. Depth 375m, 150 miles NW of Fastnet, Eire.
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SS Central America, United States Mail Steamship Company, wooden hulled side-wheel paddle steamer. Lost in a hurricane on the 12th September 1857 off the coast of South Carolina. Known as The Ship of Gold due to the high value gold cargo and personal gold belonging to California gold rush miners.
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Search for the Bonhomme Richard, Continental Navy wooden warship under the command of Scottish born US naval commander, John Paul Jones. Known as the father ff the American Navy. On the 25th September 1779 in a battle with the 5th Rate warship HMS Serapis off Flamborough Head, NE England in 50-100m water.
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SS Gairsoppa, British-India Steam Navigation Company, steel steam cargo ship. Sunk by German submarine U-101 on the 16th February 1941 in 4,700m of water, 300 miles SW of Galway Bay, Eire. This was the world’s second deepest silver cargo salvage.​
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HMS Victory, British Royal Navy 1st Rate 110-gun wooden British warship. Foundered in a storm on the 5th October 1744 approximately 100km west of the Casquets, Channel Islands in 90m of water. Conducted non-disturbance survey, photomosaic, survey, marine biology survey, environmental and geo-sampling. This wreck is one of the UK’s longest running archaeological controversies.
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RMS Lusitania, Cunard Line, British ocean steel liner. Sunk by German submarine U-20 on the 7th May 1915 off Kinsale head, southern Eire in 88m of water. The sinking presaged the United States declaration of war on Germany two years later.
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La Marquise de Tourny, a 1744 built Bordeaux-based French privateer. Lost in a storm in 1740s or early 1750s in a depth of 80m and 100km SE of Plymouth, England.
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Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. Spanish 18th century wooden naval frigate. Sunk in the Alboran sea, off southern Portugal on the 5th October 1804 from a single shot from British Royal Navy frigate HMS Amphion. The project was known as the Black Swan. A very high-profile legal case that saw Spain awarded the 594,788 silver and 212 gold coins.
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SS Republic, American side-wheel paddle steamer. Lost in a hurricane 100 miles SE of Savannah, Georgia, USA on the 25th October 1865 in 500m of water.
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My Clients:
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Commercial:
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SalvOcean LLC, Delaware, USA.
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SalvOcean Ltd, London, UK.
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Sub-Ocean Ltd, Gibraltar.
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Atlantic Subsea Ventures Ltd, Gibraltar.
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Britannia's Gold Ltd, London, England.
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Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. Tampa, Florida, USA.
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Ocean Technology Foundation, Mystic, Connecticut, USA.
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Augurship 320 Ltd, Norwich, England.
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Deep Sea Ventures, LLC, Washington State, USA.
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St Andrews Harbour Trust, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Links Trust, St Andrews, Scotland.
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The Management for Archaeology Underwater Ltd, Tullimore, Eire.
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Historic Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Fife Council, Glenrothes, Scotland.
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Council for Scottish Archaeology, Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Maritime Fife, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Connect Archaeology Ltd, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Archaeological Diving Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland.
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RGIT Survival Centre, Dundee, Scotland.
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Academia:
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Department of Geography and Geophysics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland.
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School of History, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Scottish Institute of Maritime Studies, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Duart Point Shipwreck Project, Isle of Mull, Scotland.
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Private:
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HMS Exmouth Expedition, London, England.
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Struma Project, London, England.
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St Andrews Harbour Trust, St Andrews, Scotland.
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Media/TV:
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British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, United Kingdom.
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Channel 5, United Kingdom.
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Channel 4, United Kingdom.
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Discovery Channel, USA.
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History Channel, USA.
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J W M Productions, Takoma Park, MD, USA.
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National Geographic, Washington, MD, USA.
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Public Broadcast Service, USA.
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3D Filming, Lightspeed, Design Inc. WA, USA.
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Solution Film Group, LLC, MD, USA.
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Casting Call Agency, Scotland.
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Eco-Nova Multi-Media Productions Ltd, Canada.
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Interviews with various mainstream news channels, radio stations, tabloid newspapers, magazines, local, nationwide and worldwide.