Michael C. Barnette

Michael C. Barnette is an accomplished diver, author, photographer and founder of the Association of Underwater Explorers.

Background

Barnette was born on September 7, 1971 in Fredericksburg, VA. He attended Stafford Senior High School where he graduated in 1989. He then 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.

Barnette became a fellow of The Explorers Club in March 2009.

Career

Barnette is employed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service as a marine biologist. His current duties include protecting sea turtles by making sure fishing fleets worldwide are utilizing turtle excluder devices.

Association of Underwater Explorers

Barnette has been actively diving and researching shipwrecks since 1990 resulting in the identification of over 30 wreck sites. In 1996, Barnette founded the Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE) to expand the knowledge base of submerged cultural resources.

Expeditions and projects

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

In 2006, Barnette participated in the History Channel's expedition to the HMHS Britannic led by explorers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. Titanic's Achilles Heel was the first documentary to be released from this expedition on June 17, 2007. Titanic's Tragic Sister also featured details from this expedition and first aired on October 14, 2007.

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

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

Barnette has been featured in five television documentaries that have aired on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and The Learning Channel regarding shipwrecks associated with the Bermuda Triangle.

Shipwreck identification

Cover of Barnette's 2008 book Florida's Shipwrecks

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

• The steamer Arratoon Apcar
• The yacht Esmeralda
• The tug Gwalia
• The tanker Joseph M Cudhay
• The steamer Leif Eriksson
• The tanker Munger T. Ball
• The luxury yacht Nohab (ex Lensahn (III)
• The tanker Papoose
• The steamer Peconic
• The tug Point Chicot
• The Queen of Nassau
• The tanker San Delfino
• The schooner barge Vitric
• The freighter Cotopaxi
• U.S. Coast Guard Albatross #1240
• The tanker W.E. Hutton
• The steamer Valley City
• The paddle steamer Idaho
• The steamer Munisla
• The freighter Holstein
• The tanker Pan Massachusetts
• The sailboat Kringeline

See also

• USS Narcissus (1863)
• Oculina varicosa

External links

• Association of Underwater Explorers
• Barnette's photography