SouthernWorldwide.com – A specialist in underwater robotics is shedding light on a “shipwreck city” hidden beneath a major West Coast urban lake, with much of it still shrouded in mystery.
Phil Parisi, an expert in remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), is currently working to confirm and document approximately 100 identified “targets” in Lake Union, a central body of water in Seattle, Washington.
For over a century, this urban lake has been a vital commercial waterway, supporting shipbuilding and vessel traffic in the city known as the Emerald City.
Parisi informed KING 5 that roughly half of these mapped but unconfirmed sites are believed to be shipwrecks, and not all have been explored by divers.
To address this, Parisi employs ROVs to document the targets identified through sonar surveys.
“We need to document what these wrecks look like today,” Parisi stated.
He described the deeper sections of the lake as akin to a “ghost town,” where plant life diminishes significantly beyond about 25 feet.
“There is a harsh lack of life,” Parisi observed.
However, he noted that the lake compensates for its lack of marine life with an abundance of wreckage.
“It’s crazy that there’s so much down there,” he added. “It’s shocking to me. I was stunned. Looking at these maps — it’s shipwreck city.”
Parisi and his team utilize GPS to navigate close to the targets, then rely on sonar to locate them in the low-visibility waters.
“Flying blind through murky, low-visibility waters is difficult, so we rely on ROV-mounted sonars to ‘see’ and determine the target’s relative position,” he explained.
“Then, we descend to the bottom and fly toward the sonar signature until the target appears on the live ROV camera.”
Due to pollution in Lake Union, Parisi mentioned that his team opts for ROVs instead of scuba divers.
“It’s nice not having to worry about contaminants,” he said.
Despite this, they still encounter challenges, particularly with the numerous piers lining the lake.
“Many wrecks are tucked underneath, and some marina owners are reluctant to let us film beneath their docks.”
“Additionally, when we do arrive at a wreck, gathering identifying information can be extremely difficult. Biofouling, rust, poor public anchoring techniques, and other environmental degradation often shed registration stickers, obscure painted hull names, and cause wrecks to collapse.”
When asked about describing the lake as a “shipwreck city,” Parisi highlighted two key aspects of the underwater sites: the shallowness of Lake Union and the substantial number of “unknown” targets.
“The lake is surprisingly shallow compared to other bodies of water in the Puget Sound, meaning lakegoers are a stone’s throw from the sunken maritime history yet are often unaware,” Parisi commented.
“Secondly, documentation or footage is missing for over half of the nearly 100 targets in the lake, leaving a huge gap in our understanding of what’s down there.”
Parisi clarified that his work is not a new discovery but rather an expansion upon earlier sonar surveys and dive records that initially mapped these sites.
He also emphasized the value of local exploration, expressing his desire for Americans to “be excited about what’s in their own backyard.”
“Every place holds incredible landmarks and hidden treasures, yet we’re often distracted by the humdrum of life,” Parisi stated.
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“When you get the chance, allow curiosity to take over and do a deep dive into your local city or town’s history — it is amazing what happened not so long ago, and it never disappoints!”
