El Cazador being lifted from compound.

IOTA Equipment Used to Recover the Santa Margarita

As one might expect from a salvage operation, the largest component of cash flow after personnel is equipment. The equipment effectively belongs to the investors. The functions of our equipment on Rota are as follows:

1.  TRANSPORTATION:

a) Vehicles for hauling: 4 wheel drive 1995 Nissan Pickup, and 4 wheel drive 1999 Jeep Cherokee

b) Vessels for hauling: Revenge, 20.5' fiberglass covered plywood, 8' beam powered by a 140 HP Suzuki outboard, and Tesoro, 19.5' aluminum 6.5' beam powered by 130 HP Honda.

c) Vehicles to move personnel: 3 Honda mopeds/scooters.

2.  PLATFORM FOR DIVERS AND EQUIPMENT:

El Cazador: aluminum catamaran, 41' X 16' powered by twin Honda 130 HP outboards. It is a platform for a winch and A frame which will lift 6 tons (twice that with blocks), a capstan, divers’ air compressors for scuba tanks (a Bauer as the primary compressor, and a MaxAir as backup) and from time to time, a dredge and/or a Stanley HP1 power unit driving a chipper or jackhammer. The Field Archeologist and Field Operations Supervisor operate off El Cazador, plus any divers operating with scuba, often numbering 4 or 5.

One IOTA, and Not One IOTA: identical twin aluminum trimarans, 25' X 10' powered by 50 or 75 HP outboards. Each vessel has a Yanmar diesel powered divers’ air compressor feeding two hookah lines (i.e. 2 boats supporting a total of four divers). Each also has a Dive Supervisor’s console and work station, and a fail-safe tank for divers’ emergency air (in case the Yanmars fail). Each vessel supports one or two dredges, powered by either a Volkswagen air cooled engine or a diesel, and a Stanley HP1 power unit driving a hydraulic jackhammer or chipper.

3.  MOVEMENT OF SAND AND SMALL ROCKS:  Three 6" dredges, and two 3" dredges.

4.  BREAKING BOULDERS AND REEF CRUST:  

a) two Stanley BR 67 Breakers, or jackhammers.

b) one Stanley BR47 Breaker, or jackhammer

c) four Stanley CH18 and CH19 chippers

5. LIFTING AND MOVING BOULDERS:  Six ton winch and A Frame on El Cazador; lift bags operated underwater by divers.

Since 14 Jul 2001