Maritime Archaeological Research in Oman.: First phase dive report on the VOC-Wreck Site of the Amstelveen, 1763.

In 1763 a large ship, the Amstelveen, part of the fleet of the Dutch East-India Company (VOC), sailed from the Dutch East-Indies (Indonesia) towards Muscat, the capital of Oman and to Kharg in the Persian Gulf. On the 5th of August it sailed near Cape Mataraca, on the South East coast of Oman. In the evening, as the darkness was setting in and hampered by the foggy conditions, the ship came too close to the coast and ran aground. Due to the very high and powerful waves crashing on and breaking over the ship she capsized and broke into pieces and sank. On board were 105 men of which 75 of them drowned. Only 30 crewmen reached the shore alive. One of them was Cornelis Eyks, a naval officer. He and his companions had to walk more than 500 km through the desert of Oman, to reach Ras Al Hadd, a village with a harbor where they were able to find transport to Muscat. The shipwreck and their exhausting trek through the desert by the survivors, was recorded in a logbook by Cornelis Eyks and described in his diary. Maritime Research & Consultancy, Periplus Archeomare and the survey company DEEP BV, in cooperation with the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Oman and Stichting Netherlands Oman Foundation, provided a high-resolution Side scan Sonar and Magnetometer survey in November 2012 in the area where the Amstelveen is presumed to have been wrecked in 1763: Cape Mataraca. This joint Omani-Dutch maritime archaeological research forms part of a wider project which will be initiated by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, whose aim is to explore and map the greater part of the Omani coastline for ancient shipwrecks. This survey project was managed by David Bouman MA, Chief Maritime Archaeologist and project director, in close collaboration with Ayyoub Naghmoush Albusaidi, Maritime Archaeologist and official representative of the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture. From November 5 till November 14, after extensive literature and archival research and logistical planning, Maritime Research & Consultancy in close cooperation with the Oman Ministry of Hertitage and Culture, conducted an archaeological remote sensing survey near Ras Madrakah to identify the location of the wreck site of the VOC-ship Amstelveen. For the execution of this geophysical survey, Maritime Research & Consultancy contracted the Dutch companies Periplus Archeomare and DEEP BV. Ras Madrakah (Cape Mataraca), on the South East coast of Oman, is a headland located 78 km south of Duqm and represents the point where the mainland juts furthest into the Arabian Sea. The extent of the survey area had been determined at 25km²: a stroke of 25 kilometers long and kilometer width, parallel to the beach. The initial definition of the survey area was based on the description of the wreckage of the Amstelveen and coordinates given by Cornelis Eyks in his logbook of 1766. This information and a possible location of the wreck area are also mentioned in the publication of Klaas Doornbos’ book `Shipwreck & Survival in Oman, 1763’. In order to fine-tune and access the above mentioned sources, Maritime Research & Consultancy consulted two independent researchers who independently made reconstructions of the shipwreck event. In total an area of 31,5 square kilometers parallel to the beach was mapped with high resolution side scan sonar and magnetometer. Different types of seabed can clearly be distinguished from the side scan sonar records. Approximately 0,4 percent of the research area investigated by sonar could not be seen because of the presence of large shoals of fish, especially in the western part of the area. Based on the analysis of the data, four areas of interest have been defined which contain clear magnetic anomalies, indicating the presence of ferrous objects. All these areas are situated within a water depth range of 4 to 8 meters. Obvious manmade contacts have not been observed on the side scan sonar records. A dive inspection in one of the areas of interest did not result in the finding of objects. The ability to work on site was primarily influenced by one factor: visibility. Visibility encountered on the site varied between 0.5m and 1m. The maximum depth of the site was 8 meters at high tide, so depth did not influence working conditions. In fact, the shallow nature of the site allows for extended bottom times and long working dive times with limited tank usage required. Additionally, ascent rates were appropriately observed, but no safety stop or dive‐time limitations were required. Two of the four areas of interest are most promising in relation to possible wreck remains. The first area, situated in the centre of the research area contains a dense cluster of magnetic anomalies spread over an area of 500x200 meter. The second area is situated near Khor Gharm in the eastern part. Although visual assessment was not possible, on the basis of archival research and the data collected during the remote sensing survey, the conclusion and recommendation of Maritime Research & Consultancy and Periplus Archeomare is, that an archaeological research of each target in the two most promising areas (marked as A and C) need to be strongly considered in further planning by the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture. In close cooperation with the Oman Ministry of Heritage & Culture it was decided that a dive expedition should be organized in March this year in order to try to locate and identify the ferrous objects registered during November’s geophysical survey. For this purpose a joint Omani-Dutch divingteam was formed. For a - initially - ten days period this diving operation would mainly focus on area A. The Royal Oman Navy would be present during this expedition for protection, logistical support as well as providing sleeping and eating facilities for the team on board. The RNOV Al Mabrukah was deployed for this task. The diving operation started on March 14 and ended on March 20. Effectively the team had 7 working days, of which three were lost: two days due to technical problems and one due to bad weather condtions. So, in conclusion four workinge days were effectuated. Those four days proved to be too short a period for finding the Amstelveen shipwreck