Michael C. Barnette Explained

Michael C. Barnette is an American diver, author, photographer and founder of the Association of Underwater Explorers.[1]

Background and personal life

Barnette was born on September 1971 in Fredericksburg, VA.[2] In 1989, he graduated from Stafford Senior High School. Then, he attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1995 with a degree in Marine Biology. Barnette is married and currently resides in Saint Petersburg, FL.

Career

Barnette works for the NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service as a marine biologist.[3] [4] His current duties include protecting sea turtles by making sure fishing fleets worldwide are utilizing turtle excluder devices.[5] Barnette was made a fellow of The Explorers Club in March 2009.

Association of Underwater Explorers

Barnette has been actively diving and researching shipwrecks since 1990, resulting in the identification of over 30 wreck sites.[1] In 1996, Barnette founded the Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE), an organization dedicated to expanding understanding of submerged cultural resources.[6] [7]

Expeditions and projects

In 2005 Barnette participated in the recovery of a B-25c Mitchell bomber from Lake Murray (South Carolina), working with divers from AUE, the Rubicon Foundation, and Woodville Karst Plain Project[8] under Explorers Club flag number 103.[9] This bomber had been ditched in the lake on April 4, 1943, and remained 45m (148feet) below the surface for 60 years. The recovery effort was headed by Dr. Robert Seigler and supervised by Gary Larkins of the Air Pirates.[10] [11] The project was documented by the History Channel and televised on their show Mega Movers.[10] The plane is now being preserved by the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama.[8]

A year later, in 2006, Barnette was part of the History Channel's expedition to the led by explorers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler.[12] Titanic's Achilles Heel was the first documentary to be released from this expedition, on June 17, 2007.[13] The documentary Titanic's Tragic Sister also featured details from this expedition, and first aired on October 14, 2007.[14]

Barnette's recovery of Oculina varicosa from the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 allowed researchers to confirm its existence as a species of concern in abundance in the Gulf.[15] In 2009, Barnette returned to collect coral samples for testing that identified the species as genetically identical to Oculina varicosa found off the eastern coast of Florida.[16] [17]

When the Eagle's Nest cave system needed new guidelines in 2007, Barnette and AUE took on the task of replacing the old line as well as removing unnecessary lines.[18]

In January 2020, Barnette, along with fellow explorers, discovered what they believed to be a 95-year-old ship, the SS Cotopaxi, which had disappeared near the Bermuda Triangle in 1925.[19] The boat had departed from Charleston, South Carolina, carrying 32 passengers and never made it to its final destination, Havana, Cuba. Barnette sought help from historians and researchers to ensure that it was the SS Cotopaxi. In doing so, he learned that the ship had sent a distress signal two days into its voyage from a location that aligns with where the wreckage was found. The discovery was featured on a February episode of Shipwreck Secrets, a Science Channel series. In 2020, he identified the wreck of the Sandra, which was reported lost in the Bermuda Triangle in April 1950; the discovery was featured in the History Channel documentary "History's Greatest Mysteries: Expedition Bermuda Triangle." Barnette has been featured in multiple television documentaries on shipwrecks associated with the Bermuda Triangle that have aired on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, and The Learning Channel.[20] [21]

Shipwreck identification

Barnette has been active in the identification of numerous shipwrecks that include:

Publications

Books

Articles

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Newman, Sandi . BOOK REVIEW Images of America: Florida's Shipwrecks By Michael Barnette . Scuba News . September 2008 . 25 . 9 . 10 . June 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090427130056/http://www.scubanews.com/past_issues/index.html . April 27, 2009 .
  2. Hobbs, Gene . Gene Hobbs . DAN Member Profile: Michael Barnette . Alert Diver . 2014 . . May 20, 2014 .
  3. National Marine Fisheries Service . January 12, 2006 . Status report on the continental United States distinct population segment of the goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) . 49 . June 5, 2009.
  4. Barnette, Michael C. . Authorized use of restricted tow times for shrimp trawlers in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and certain parts of Texas . Southeast Fishery Bulletin . FB05-064 . November 24, 2005 . June 5, 2009.
  5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 50 CFR Part 223; Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements . Federal Register . 72 . 52 . March 19, 2007 . 12749 . June 5, 2009.
  6. Web site: AUE: about us . Association of Underwater Explorers . June 4, 2009 .
  7. News: Cocking, Susan . For shipwreck-hunting crew, a diving passion runs deep . Miami Herald . August 8, 2002 . June 4, 2009 .
  8. Web site: Rubicon Foundation: B-25c Project . Rubicon Foundation, Inc . June 5, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160128065604/http://rubicon-foundation.org/Projects/b-25-recovery-and-preservation-project/ . January 28, 2016 . usurped .
  9. Web site: Into the Field: Approved Flag Expeditions . Explorers Club . June 5, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081011062150/http://www.explorers.org./expeditions/field/field2005.php . October 11, 2008 .
  10. Web site: Vartorella, Bill . B-25 WWII plane retrieved from depths of Lake Murray . The Columbia Star . June 5, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080518020306/http://www.thecolumbiastar.net/news//2005/0916/Front_Page/001.html . May 18, 2008 . dead .
  11. Web site: Air Pirates . Lake Murray B-25C Recovery . May 4, 2006 . June 5, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060316125744/http://www.airpirates.com/gallery/Lake-Murray-B-25C-Recovery . March 16, 2006.
  12. Web site: Kohler, Carrie . The 2006 History Channel H.M.S Britannic Expedition . Silent Diving Systems LLC . June 5, 2009 .
  13. Web site: Titanic's Achilles Heel (2007) (TV) . . June 5, 2009 .
  14. Web site: Titanic's Tragic Sister (2007) (TV) . The Internet Movie Database . June 5, 2009 .
  15. Barnette, Michael C. . 2006 . Observations of the deep-water coral Oculina varicosa in the Gulf of Mexico. . NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-535 . 12 . June 4, 2009.
  16. Web site: Armstrong, Brian . Brian Armstrong (diver) . Oculina Coral Collection . September 5, 2009 . May 12, 2011 .
  17. Web site: staff . Gulf of Mexico Oculina varicosa Project . Rubicon Foundation . https://web.archive.org/web/20120326000836/http://rubicon-foundation.org/Projects/oculina-varicosa-project/ . usurped . March 26, 2012 . September 21, 2011.
  18. Web site: Barny00 (Michael C. Barnette) . Eagle's Nest status . Cave Diver's Forum . June 5, 2009 .
  19. Web site: Wreck found believed to be 95-year-old ship that vanished near Bermuda Triangle. www.kake.com. en. April 3, 2020.
  20. Web site: Return To The Bermuda Triangle . . October 24, 2010 .
  21. Web site: Armstrong, Brian . the Bermuda Triangle. . May 12, 2011 .
  22. News: Morgan, Curtis . Underwater trail highlights shipwrecks off Miami . Miami Herald . July 10, 2005 . June 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091650/http://uwex.us/biscayneshipwrecktrail.htm . May 18, 2009 .
  23. News: Cocking, Susan . Shipwrecked Esmeralda found off Key Biscayne . Miami Herald . August 25, 2002 . June 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091655/http://uwex.us/esmeraldaarticle.htm . May 18, 2009 . dead .
  24. News: Tomalin, Terry . Mystery solved . St. Petersburg Times . June 18, 2004 . June 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091859/http://uwex.us/gwalia.htm . May 18, 2009 .
  25. Barnette, Michael C. . Identity Crisis - Finding a Name for the Middlegrounds Wreck . Advanced Diver Magazine . 17 . June 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091639/http://uwex.us/ADMgwalia.htm . May 18, 2009 .
  26. Web site: Electric Blue Fishing . AUE (Association of Underwater Explorers) IDENTIFY the MUNGER T BALL and the JOSEPH M CUDHAY in the Gulf of Mexico. . June 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090202135116/http://electricbluefishing.com/shipwrecks_of_florida.htm . February 2, 2009 . dead .
  27. News: Hicks, Brian . Anchor Wreck: A century after the Leif Eriksson was lost to the sea, divers think they have solved a shipwreck mystery . The Post and Courier . October 20, 2007 . June 4, 2009 .
  28. News: Tomalin, Terry . The mystery of the South Jack Wreck . St. Petersburg Times . September 5, 2008 . June 4, 2009 .
  29. Barnette, Michael C. . Scrambled History: A Tale of Four Misidentified Tankers . Wreck Diving Magazine . 2006 . June 4, 2009 . September 28, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928054953/http://uwex.us/NCtankers.pdf . dead .
  30. Barnette, Michael C. . But For a Single Wave: The tragic loss and recent identification of the steamship Peconic. . Wreck Diving Magazine . 2005 . June 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091706/http://uwex.us/peconicarticle.htm . May 18, 2009 . dead .
  31. Web site: Barnette, Michael C . Trip report May 9–10, 2009: Point Chicot . Association of Underwater Explorers . June 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719125630/http://uwex.us/051109.htm . July 19, 2011 . dead .
  32. Web site: Barnette, Michael C . THE QUEEN OF NASSAU: HOW ONE OF CANADA'S FIRST WARSHIPS ENDED UP OFF THE FLORIDA KEYS . June 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091711/http://uwex.us/qonarticle.html . May 18, 2009 .
  33. Casserley, T . A Ram Bow in the Keys: Latest findings from the Investigation of the Steamer Queen of Nassau. . In: SF Norton (Ed). 2003. Diving for Science...2003. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Scientific Diving Symposium . . Greenville, North Carolina . 2003 . https://archive.today/20130415171951/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4739 . usurped . April 15, 2013 . June 4, 2009.
  34. News: Tomalin, Terry . Underwater discovery unravels mystery: A Coast Guard plane was lost in 1967 answering a distress call. . St. Petersburg Times . March 5, 2007 . June 4, 2009 .
  35. Sondra-Kay, Kneen . Albatross Discovered . Coast Guard Magazine . 2007 . 4 . June 4, 2009.
  36. Web site: AUE identifies the VALLEY CITY (Formerly the USS VALLEY CITY) . September 9, 2009 . Association of Underwater Explorers . September 14, 2009.
  37. News: Tomalin, Terry . History is hiding beneath gulf sands . St. Petersburg Times . January 11, 2005 . June 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090518091854/http://uwex.us/narcissusarticle.htm . May 18, 2009 . dead .

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