Waitt Institute For Discovery -- Expedition to Rio Chagres and the Pearl Islands in Panama

(January 21, 2008) — The Waitt Institute for Discovery has partnered with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) and the Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Panama (INAC) for an exploratory survey on the Rio Chagres and Isle San Telmo from January 22 – February 9, 2008 . Leading the expedition in Panama as Principle Investigators are Dr. James P. Delgado and Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann.

Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, the Rio Chagres carried people and cargo from the Caribbean deep into the jungle, where overland trails would then deliver them to waiting ships in Panama City. The pirate Captain Henry Morgan used this very same route in 1671 when he sacked and burned Panama City – the second most important city in the Spanish New World at the time. Four of Morgan’s ships sank off the mouth of the Chagres as he made his escape. Dozens of ships went down near the mouth of the Chagres, yet many have not been located and none have been formally mapped or recorded.

Nearly 200 years later, the Isthmus of Panama became a major highway for gold seekers en-route to California. The passageway supported ships on their way to take part in the Gold Rush and chief among them was the steamship Lafayette (1851), which sank near the mouth of the Chagres River.

On the Pacific side, the Pearl Islands are home to one of only four known submarines from the Civil War era. The Submarine Explorer (1865) lies half-submerged on a beach on Isla San Telmo. These islands harbored pirates and buccaneers lying in wait for treasure-laden galleon en route from Peru to Panama City. They also supported the pearling boom of the mid-1800s, which brought the Explorer to Panama.

The Waitt Institute for Discovery is set to embark on this 18-day expedition, which includes several distinct operations in multiple locations around Panama. The expedition team led by Dr. Delgado and Fritz Hanselmann will first conduct a survey in the mouth of the Chagres River at the site of the fabled Castillo de San Lorenzo in a search for the steamship Lafayette and other wrecks from the Gold Rush era. The team will then transit the Panama canal to the Pearl Islands and complete an investigation of the Submarine Explorer started by Dr. Delgado in 2001. Additionally, a first-ever sonar survey of the waters around Isle San Telmo will be conducted.

Dr. James Delgado currently serves as the President of Institute of Nautical Archaeology. He has led or participated in shipwreck expeditions all over the world, including dives on the RMS Titanic, the Carpathia, and the notorious “ghost ship” Mary Celeste. Dr. Delgado served as the Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vancouver, British Columbia for 15 years and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Explorers Club. He is the author or editor of over 30 books and co-hosted The Sea Hunters series with Clive Cussler.

Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann is a nautical archaeologist currently conducting research in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Florida, and California. He is a lecturer with the Office of Underwater Science at Indiana University and is also a Research Associate with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University. As part of the Indiana University archaeological team, Fritz is currently conducting fieldwork and research on a shipwreck near the Dominican Republic that could very well be that of Captain William Kidd.

The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) was founded in 1973 and partnered with Texas A&M University in 1976. INA is devoted to the archaeological history of shipbuilding and seafaring around the world and has sponsored more than 160 excavations and surveys around the world.

The Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Panama (INAC) was created in 1974 and is currently headquartered in Las Bóvedas in the Old Town of Panama City. Their mission is to manage and oversee the preservation and conservation of Panama’s cultural resources.

About the Waitt Institute for Discovery
The Waitt Institute for Discovery is a non-profit research organization that serves as an exploration catalyst, enabling scientific pioneers to transform the ways in which discoveries are made. The Waitt Institute for Discovery implements innovative technologies in the field through collaborations with world-renowned scientific institutions, synthesizing global expertise and accelerating groundbreaking research. Founded in 2005 by Ted Waitt, the Waitt Institute for Discovery seeks to advance human understanding of the past and secure promise of a better future through exploration and discovery. The Waitt Institute for Discovery is supported by Ted Waitt and the Waitt Family Foundation. For more information about the Waitt Institute for Discovery, please visit: http://waittinstitute.org/WID.

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