When Ben Davison first approached me about writing a blog for Undercurrent my first thought was “Great, I can write a puff piece about my organization, Seacology, for my favorite dive magazine.” But then I channeled the voice of my friend and fellow blogger Bret Giliam saying “Duane, first write about an interesting dive adventure … Read more
Most people have a romantic image of the sunken treasure ship sitting upright on her keel with tattered sails still creaking in the current and brass bound chests straining with booty. Well, reality is a bit less dramatic. The classic 16th and 17th century vessels sailing to the New World laden with riches were, of … Read more
Back in the early 1970s I visited Palau for the first time and was killing time in Guam on my way back to the Virgin Islands when I bumped into an ex-Navy diver I had done submarine diving work with in the Caribbean earlier in 1971. I had yanked him out of a few tight … Read more
The British Virgin Islands’ most popular dive is far and away the magnificent wreck of the Royal Mail ship Rhone launched in 1865 at Millwall Ironworks in England. The ship was massive for its era featuring two main masts to spread a fully rigged sail plan as well as a steam powered engine driving a … Read more
Just after midnight on July 11, 1943 a U. S. Air Force bomber rumbled on to the flight line for takeoff from the Allied controlled field at Port Moresby, New Guinea. Capt. Ralph Deloach carefully eyed his instrument panel as the #2 engine sputtered and coughed before settling into a smooth synchronicity with the other … Read more
