A super sensitive detector for finding shipwrecks
Over
the last 50 years most shipwrecks have been found with the help
of a magnetometer. These
super sensitive metal detectors, first used in WWII to locate
and track submarines, have become one of the primary underwater
search tools for both the salvage industry and the scientific
community. Magnetometers
or “mags” as they are called, have been credited with
finding thousands of wrecks, worth hundreds of millions of
dollars.
Mags
work by sensing changes in the earth’s magnetic field.
Any object made of iron or steel creates a disturbance in
the magnetic field. A
mag can detect a major disturbance, like the one created by a
steel wreck, at a distance of a quarter mile or more.
This makes it the ideal piece of equipment to locate a
steel wreck within a large search area.
Even wooden ships, like Spanish galleons, have a
“magnetic signature” created by the cannons, anchors,
chains, stoves, and other iron objects carried on board.
A mag is often the only choice to find the remains of
ships that wrecked on shallow reefs hundreds of years ago.
Their timbers have disintegrated, and the cargo is hidden
under the sandy bottom or become encrusted with coral now
appearing to be part of the reef.
The powerful mag can detect the wreck’s iron objects
regardless of the material covering it.
Today the Proton
magnetometer is the workhorse of any serious marine search
operation. It’s
being used by a diverse group including professional treasure
hunters, marine archeologists, commercial diving companies, law
enforcement agencies, and military units.
The proton mag is a rugged, reliable instrument that is
very easy to operate. In
addition to finding shipwrecks, mags are often employed to
locate pipelines, anchors, sunken automobiles, weapons, and
unexploded ordnance.
JW Fishers has
specialized in the design and manufacture of magnetometers for
over 20 years. Currently
they produce two state-of-the-art mags, the Proton 4 boat-towed
model and the Diver Mag 1, a hand-held unit carried by a diver.
Both mags have visual and audio readouts.
The Proton 4 features an easy-to-read LCD display that is
backlit for night operations and an audio alarm to alert the
operator when a target is encountered.
The Diver Mag 1 has an LED display for easy underwater
viewing and a waterproof earphone that lets the diver know a
target is being detected. Both
devices employ a unique triaxial noise-canceling sensor, which
allows the mag to move in any direction without heading error or
dead zone. A
software package is available for the Proton 4 that allows the
mag readout data, the boat’s GPS position, and the track of
the boat over the search area to be displayed and stored on a
laptop PC.
To receive a data
sheet on Fishers marine magnetometers or a color brochure on all
of their quality underwater search products, contact Christopher
Combs at JW Fishers Mfg. Inc., 1953 County St., East Taunton, MA
02718, USA. Phone:
(800) 822-4744 or (508) 822-7330.
Fax: (508) 880-8949.
E-mail to jwfishers@aol.com or check out the website at
www.jwfishers.com.
