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Reconstructing “Lost” Vessels: A Methodology for Applying Photogrammetric Techniques to Historical Photographs

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Abstract

This article presents a novel methodology for retrieving three-dimensional geometry from structures that exist only within the historical photographic record. Two shipwrecks that were raised in the early twentieth century are examined as case studies for this methodology. This paper explores the complications of using historical photographs in photogrammetric analysis and demonstrates how the shipwreck point clouds were generated using the iWitness program. In addition, it documents how photogrammetric hull data from historical photographs were scale constrained (using surviving artifacts) and used for the first time to create ship lines for academic study. A test was also conducted to demonstrate the potential accuracy of the photogrammetry program and methodology as a whole. Although the present study uses two raised shipwrecks as case studies, this methodology could easily be applied to other structures that have been “lost.”

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Notes

  1. Philadelphia, Royal Savage, and Ticonderoga are not thriving, by any means. Philadelphia is suffering from ill-suited conservation strategies, Royal Savage was never conserved and it timbers were stored improperly for many decades, and Ticonderoga is suffering from a complete lack of conservation. There are, however, ongoing efforts to preserve Philadelphia and Royal Savage in their current states (Lundeberge et al. 2017; Crise et al. 2019).

  2. The “Crown Gate” of the Dresden Zwinger, in Germany.

  3. Not all of the images used in that project were original copies, and they also used an open-source photogrammetric software, which may have led to the subsequent inaccuracies of their model.

  4. The fort’s lands were owned by the state of New York after 1785. The property was sold in 1820 to the Pell family, who used the grounds as their summer retreat and later built a hotel for tourists.

  5. For definitions of terms related to nautical archaeology and ship construction, refer to “Illustrated Glossary of Ship and Boat Terms” (Catsambis et al. 2013), https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199336005.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199336005-e-48.

  6. This list of artifacts appeared on the back of each 1903 photograph of the raised sloop; the photographs are part of the Queensbury (NY) Town History Collection.

  7. As of now, we know that a few wooden gavels, two candlesticks, and a clock were made from timbers from this vessel.

  8. None of these measurements is reported in any of their publications concerning the wreck.

  9. This particular photograph is not included here because the copy I have is not of high enough quality for publication.

  10. This 35-mm focal length format is an adequate number to start with for an unknown focal length.

  11. I used a combination of iWitnessPRO-V4 and iWitness-V4 (standard) for this project.

  12. Zarzynski and Shaw used the insight3d program to create their model of the Tuttle Sloop.

  13. Every image needs to have camera data assigned to it. Users may need to repeat camera assignment for each individual image as it is imported.

  14. Users may need to zoom and pan within the images to facilitate referencing. It is recommended to use a mouse with a scroll wheel to aid in these navigational moves. The scroll wheel can be used to zoom in and out on a photograph, and when clicked and held down, it can also be used to pan the image (when dragging the mouse). Alternatively, users can manipulate the slider bars to pan within each image and can hold down “ALT” while dragging a marquee box to zoom to a designated area of the image.

  15. Users should make sure that the initial orientation reference points are distributed around the images (not bunched together or in a single dimensional plane). Also, when using a limited number of historical images, it is important to reference more, rather than fewer, points to ensure the most accurate geometry. Users should save their work often, especially during the referencing process.

  16. Since RMS is the accuracy of the triangulation of the 3D points in the model, this error value is calculated based on the amount of pixel deviation.

  17. I chose three different cameras to demonstrate the repeatability of this methodology regardless of camera type.

  18. To reiterate, this accuracy test is capable of showing only how accurate the methodology is under favorable conditions; it is not intended to falsely claim that all projects should expect these results. This accuracy test would be of little use if it were to demonstrate the obvious—that poor-quality photos generate poor results.

  19. This was done to demonstrate that a single point cloud could be generated from photographs taken by different cameras, a scenario that is common when working with raised shipwrecks and small collections of photographs.

  20. Although it would have been easy to check the accuracy of a photogrammetric point cloud and modify the point selection and matching to get subcentimeter accuracy for this publication, I made a conscious effort to not do that. After point selection and matching was complete and the 3D coordinates were exported, the geometry of the photogrammetric point clouds was not altered. The purpose of this accuracy test is to show an honest demonstration of the iWitness program and the capability of my methodology in a “blind” test.

  21. Theories of vessel design and construction were used to identify the timbers that were “out of place” and would cause an implausible reconstruction. The timber locations were altered to align with plausible vessel design theory.

  22. The final results of the point cloud scaling and a full analysis of each of these vessel’s construction and design will be covered in the author’s dissertation and subsequent publications.

  23. I have chosen to include imperial values whenever they concern measurements related to British colonial vessels, since they were originally built using this system.

  24. Users may choose to print the exported views and draft the hull lines by hand, or use a digital drafting software with a layers function.

  25. These line extrusions and estimations are determined by indirect archaeological evidence on the vessel, research of other contemporary vessels, archival research, and naval architecture theory.

  26. A common way to determine tons burthen of a vessel is to divide the product of the length of the keel, breadth, and depth below the deck by 94 (Falconer 1784).

  27. Since the vessel’s superstructure does not exist in the photographic record, the height of the deck must be estimated (based on other vessels of this size and time period).

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Acknowledgements

I greatly appreciate Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Archaeological Director and close colleague, Chris Sabick, for sharing notes from previous excavations and for providing insight into the locations of original copies of shipwreck photographs. Similarly, I thank Fort Ticonderoga Museum’s Director of Collections, Miranda Peters, and Site Registrar and Archaeologist, Margaret Staudter, for allowing access to the Duke of Cumberland site and for sharing photographs and other files from within their collections. I warmly acknowledge the Queensbury (NY) Town Historian, Joan Aldous, and the Adirondack History Museum Archivist, Andrea Anesi, for allowing me to scan original copies of some of the photographs of the shipwrecks used in this study. I am indebted to my colleagues in the Anthropology Department at Texas A&M University. Particularly, I thank Drs. Kevin Crisman and Filipe Castro for their enthusiasm and continued support for this new research as well as PhD candidate Taryn Johnson for helping me take measurements for the accuracy test site. Finally, none of this research would be possible without the support of my family—I am eternally grateful for their advice and encouragement along the way.

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  1. (Nautical Archaeology Program in the Department of Anthropology), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Daniel E. Bishop

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Bishop, D.E. Reconstructing “Lost” Vessels: A Methodology for Applying Photogrammetric Techniques to Historical Photographs. J Mari Arch 16, 493–522 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-021-09311-2

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