Revisiting the past

Yesterday I was out at Fife Ness, the most easterly headland of the Kingdom of Fife. The word Ness is an archaic Norse word meaning “nose” and when you look at the shape of Fife on a map it resembles that of a dog’s head and Fife Ness the tip of its nose.

Fife Ness has a long history; evidence of prehistoric sites, Danish invaders, 17^th century harbour works, a 18^th/19^th century tide mill, tide pond, a lime-kiln and a HM Coastguard Station and houses (station now closed and houses in the private sector). Also close by is an airfield and associated buildings used during both world wars. It is the best-preserved abandoned airfield in Scotland, with unique designs of hangar, a military hospital, and a whole range of WW2-era buildings, including a Torpedo Trainer.

Fife Ness has a special place in my heart. In the early 1980’s I did some of my first SCUBA dives down the skellies at Lochaber Rock and my first shipwreck the Vildfugl which struck Lochaber Rock in 1951.

Building Bridges

Yesterday I attended the Cruise Forth Business Seminar held at the Queensferry Hotel. I certainly came away with a better understanding of how my business may become involved with cruise visitors to the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay.

Behind me is the new Forth Road Bridge. Known as the Queensferry Crossing. The name reflects Queen Margaret in the 11th Century who introduced a ferry to carry pilgrims across the Forth, giving the communities on either side of the Firth, North Queensferry and South Queensferry their name.

During routine archaeological excavations prior to commencement of the bridge and roads, remnants of a mesolithic era dwelling was found on the south bank of the Forth. The dwelling, based around an oval pit approximately 7 metres (23 ft) in length, has been dated to around 8240 BC, making it the earliest known dwelling in Scotland.

Queensferry Crossing is expected to open in December this year. 34 of 110 concrete road deck sections now in place. The 1.7 miles (2.7km) structure will be the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span. This innovative design provides extra strength and stiffness, allowing the towers and the deck to be more slender and elegant.

 

Treasure hunting

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-heyday-of-treasure-hunting-might-be-at-hand

An interesting article. I have been involved in deep-water marine archaeology in the commercial sector for 15 years now. I have researched, found, investigated and excavated  many interesting shipwrecks from all periods in history. I have worked with  world experts in their field and met amazing people, oh and met a few odd people. I have been subjected to ill-found criticism and personal attacks. My exploits have been the subject of documentaries and I am affectionately known as the People’s Arch.

To find out more about my amazing life visit www.rovarch.com