IOTA has maintained two facilities on Rota since 1996 on a year-round basis: 1) moorage and heavy equipment work area at the West Harbor, and 2) an office, laboratory and artifact storage area in the village of Song Song, about one mile from the West Harbor facilities.

West Harbor "Fort Apache" facility

West Harbor Marina

IOTA Partners' office in Song Song village

The facilities at the West Harbor are leased from the Commonwealth Port Authority. They include a) moorage for IOTA’s vessels at a public dock area, and b) a compound approximately 100 feet square surrounded by a six foot high chain link fence topped with razor wire. Inside the compound are five shipping containers and the remnants of a building which lost its roof in a typhoon in the early 1990's. Due to its likeness to the derelict buildings seen in the TV series “Fort Apache, The Bronx,” the crew refers to it as “Fort Apache.” One shipping container is maintained as a work shop, and the remaining four are used as storage areas for consumable supplies and the necessary redundant equipment. The compound is about 100 feet from the water, and a commercial wharf area. A large crane is hired to lift the IOTA work platforms out of the water and into the compound for winter storage, or when a typhoon threatens. During the off season, IOTA’s substantial amount of marine, dredging, lifting and breaking equipment are repaired and maintained.

Crew loading Tesoro (front) and Revenge (back) at pier for the day's excavation.

The building which houses the IOTA office and laboratory is in the village of Song Song and is leased from a private party. It was selected for rental in part because its construction is poured concrete with reinforcing steel, even in the roof, so is fairly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons, both of which are frequent. The building was designed as a 3 bedroom, one bath house, with an attached garage. Prior to IOTA taking occupancy in April 1996 it was used as a chicken slaughterhouse. It also housed the Filipino slaughterhouse workers in, to use the kindest term possible, “barracks” style accommodation. The chicken slaughter area in the former garage has fresh water and long, well drained concrete counters, which, after thorough cleaning, became the platform for IOTA’s cascade (desalination) and artifact cleaning area. The former kitchen is now the laboratory, which houses a wide range of equipment, including but not limited to a microscope, digital scale, ultrasonic cleaner, high pressure water cleaner, and Dremel cleaning/cutting equipment.

Roger Dooley (left), Mauro Alvarez (right) and Doug Skilang in lab cleaning porcelain sherds.

Since 13 Jul 2001