Virazon is a sixty five foot steel hulled ex-army tug boat built in 1953. Originally taken to Turkey by George Bass in 1964 for the University of Pennsylvania, Virazon was later transferred to the US Air Force in Izmir. INA purchased Virazon in 1979 and converted her from a light cargo vessel into a dive research ship, specifically designed for underwater archaeology. The Captain, Tufan Turanli has taken the ship on many underwater surveys and Virazon has been the base for most of the underwater excavations.

V i r a z o n  S u r v e y

Most of the shipwrecks found are reported to INA by local sponge divers with whom the archaeologists share a special friendship.

When a wreck has been reported, a research team onboard Virazon will make the original investigation of the site. The survey will first locate the vicinity of the wreck using the sponge divers directions. The local sponge divers rarely have access to modern equipment and their descriptions of the location are often vaguely approximated on a local chart. It is quite normal for the locals not to use charts at all as they know the coastline so well.

Once the approximate location of the wreck has been reached Virazon has a number of search aids onboard to help identify the wreck. A side-scanning sonar that shows the profiles of objects on the sea bed will pick up probable outlines. Proton magnetometers that measure magnetic fields will indicate the proximity of large metal objects and an echo sounder will give the depth of an object and more information of its size and shape. Having located a possible wreck, Virazon’s GPS system (a modern electronic method of navigating using satellites) will record the precise location with accurate co-ordinates for future use.

The team onboard will dive on the wreck and take photographs and samples for later examination. Meticulous records are kept of the position of any samples taken and marked on the rough map of the site. This preliminary investigation establishes the merits of the wreck with regard to whether further research should be carried out.

A new addition to the research vessel is the underwater sled, a combination of underwater scooter and towed plane. The invention and subsequent use of this valuable aid has reduced the length of the surveys. When two divers go down together many precious minutes are lost by the necessity of constantly keeping an eye on their ‘buddy’ Using the sled is an safe and efficient way of enabling one diver to work alone. Self propelled by a small engine and carrying an extra supply of air, the sled is connected to the dinghy on the surface by a cable supplying communication and acting as a tow. The dinghy is equipped with a GPS and an echo-sounder for complete accuracy. The team can plan the precise area to be covered and the operator on the surface will be the one to record the depth and course the submerged diver covers, thus leaving the diver more time to concentrate on exploring and taking notes. There is always a second diver in the dinghy ready to dive down should the need arise.