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by Dr. Greg Little
Bermuda
Triangle Yields Secrets
But Andros Island, the largest of the Bahamas islands lying 100 miles from Bimini, has been given little attention by archaeologists or Bermuda Triangle researchers. Bimini lies in what many consider to be the "focal point" of the Bermuda Triangle, but Andros, especially North Andros, is also within the Triangle and has been the location of numerous disappearances.
This report, the first
of three, focuses on the unexpected discovery of planes linked to
the Bermuda Triangle mystery.
Exhaustive investigations made in recent years
by archaeologist William Donato, Dr. Lora Little, and the present
author have conclusively shown that the underwater stone structure
lying off Bimini is the remains of a ancient harbor. In addition, a
similar structure was found at Andros and another harbor was found
about a mile from the first Bimini formation in 2006.
The most puzzling results included the discovery of an underwater wall off a small, uninhabited island North of Andros. This wall was constructed from huge blocks and slabs of limestone. One section of the wall remains partially intact and consists of three-to-five layers of stone blocks. While this research has been conducted under the title of "The ARE's Search For Atlantis," two facts should be noted.
First, nothing has been found in the Bahamas that is linked to the "historical" Atlantis. But some archaeological evidence has been found, which leads to the second point. That is, there is genuine evidence pointing to the existence of an unknown, somewhat sophisticated maritime culture operating in the Bahamas during ancient times.
Finding more definitive evidence of this maritime
culture is our primary focus.
With the help of Eslie & Krista Brown, Bahamas boat and dive
operators, we managed to directly visit all but one of these as well
as several others. In addition, we explored a host of small islands
and a wide area of North Andros. (An August 1 and September 1 report
will detail all of the finds not reported herein. We are awaiting a
variety of test results.)
No one knew its origin, however, several locals believed that it had crashed into the deep Tongue of the Ocean between Andros and Nassau and gradually drifted until a storm moved it to the Morgan's Bluff area. All outer ID numbers on the plane were gone, destroyed when the aluminum was literally torn to pieces by all of the violent actions subjected on it. However, we managed to find a manufacturer's ID plate on an internal part showing the part was made in 1960.
The plane was a 2-engine Beech,
similar to Beechcraft made in the 1950s.
Examination of the master list of plane
disappearances published by the Bermuda Triangle Organization shows
that a Cessna 210-J disappeared on October 4, 1983 after it left
Andros Town for Ft. Pierce, Florida. However, only a positive
identification, by uncovering the tail to reveal the plane's
N-number, would prove whether this is that plane or not.
The plane was assumed to have crashed into the water and both the 30-year old pilot and his passenger were missing. Nothing was ever discovered from the plane nor were any bodies found. The wreckage we found at Red Bays, consisting only of the tail section, is consistent with that of a 1966 Cessna 172, the same model that disappeared in 1968. But Grand Turks is more than 400 miles from where we found the plane wreckage. Yet, the northwesterly movement of water through the Old Bahama Channel, to the Santaren Channel, to the Gulf Stream makes this seemingly unlikely event plausible.
In addition, no other planes on the list of planes
disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle match the numbers we found.
However, we have two different
metal ID tags from parts in the plane wreckage that we are using to
base our search upon.
Nor can we find any information on the wooden
boat remains on the Bahamas Bank. We have had contact with an
underwater archaeologist residing in Europe who has expressed an
interest in working with the ship wrecks and we will notify Bahamas
officials of the precise location and the nature of the find.
While
identifying anything that would remotely relate to Bermuda Triangle
disappearances was never our intention, we believe that identifying
the planes we have filmed on Western Andros might solve the fates of
a few aircraft that have been reported to be lost and may bring some
emotional closure to some families who suffered losses. An
expedition to these planes is in planning for the near future.
from OOPARTS Website
Columns, Marble Building Ruins, and Possible
Building Foundations in 100-Feet of Water
Bimini—The small Bahamas island of Bimini, lying only 50 miles from Miami, has been the focal point of intense investigations by the Edgar Cayce organization—the Association for Research & Enlightenment (ARE), headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. ARE members began explorations at Bimini in the 1950s, following clues given in the Cayce readings.
However, the earliest expeditions at Bimini were fruitless attempts to discover gold that Cayce related was at the small island. Several 1920s readings stated that 120,000 gold coins were hidden on Bimini and a huge gold vein was about 15-feet below the surface at the inlet between North and South Bimini islands.
A series of drilling samples were taken on Bimini in
an attempt to discover the gold and other mineral deposits in the
inlet area and surprisingly, attempts to "verify" the gold continue
to the present. No gold has been reportedly found, however, it is
probably questionable whether such a report would be made even if it
had been found.
Double & triple tiers of blocks at the Bimini Road.
The present thinking in the ARE's Search For Atlantis Project is
that evidence of an ancient maritime culture has been found at
Bimini, Andros, and Cay Sal Bank in the Bahamas. The project has
widened its scope in an effort to find definitive evidence of this
culture.
Their "proof" was the following:
In essence, our research showed that the Bimini Road was actually the remains of an ancient harbor with the stone formation serving as a breakwater and quay. The discovery of dozens of stone anchors there, with obvious rope grooves on them, has verified that there were ancient harbor formations in use.
In 2006, an additional harbor works was found about a mile from the Bimini Road. (It was cleared of sand and exposed by a 2006 hurricane.) Dubbed the "Paradise Point Pier," it appeared to be elevated off the bottom and was constructed from piled stone blocks and also seemed to have numerous "columns" on its surface.
While the ARE's Search For Atlantis Project had expanded well beyond Bimini, there were several areas around Bimini that merited more investigation.
The findings are summarized below.
Wedge stone removed from underneath a large block of the Bimini Road.
Donato's project found a line of intriguing bottom structures a few miles west off Bimini at a depth of 100-feet. The computer assisted sonar revealed numerous rectangular features on the bottom. These formations were all aligned the same way, oriented as if they were small buildings sitting by a shoreline. An immediate effort was made to dive to the features using the GPS obtained by the sonar scan images.
However, as this is near the Gulf Stream,
there were strong bottom currents that constantly pushed Donato and
Krista Brown off the area. After receiving the images from the
commercial underwater exploration company he utilized, Donato sent
us the relevant images with the GPS locations. Our findings at the
site are detailed in the next section.
There may be many of these
columns present at the Paradise Point formation as they appear on
our film of the formation.
It is not being suggested here that the Bimini formation was a Roman harbor, only that the construction techniques used at Bimini were also employed in the construction of ancient Mediterranean harbors.
Column or stone cylinder lying on the top of the Paradise Point Pier breakwater.
Beyond that link, the identity of the builders remains speculative.
The columns appear to have been added to the breakwater top as
rubble to rebuild the structure as it deteriorated over time.
We have
obtained our own side-scan sonar unit, built it into a fully
portable model, and utilized it to identify and examine a host of
underwater features.
The side-scan sonar was used to measure and analyze the circles. We were able to identify several of these with the side-scan. In addition, the side-scan sonar was used to obtain a complete image of both the Bimini Road and the Paradise Point Pier.
When the images were obtained, sand had covered wide portions of the Bimini Road.
Several small pieces off the edge of this apex were removed and brought to the surface. It was white marble, gleaming like quartz in the sun. Several beams, some as long as 15-feet were found, with one end disappearing into the sand.
In addition, columns, polished building slabs, and many smaller blocks were found. Small samples revealed that these were of the same type of white marble.
Marble beams and slabs with the marble building apex found 7 miles north of Bimini.
Knowing that the site had been previously known, we then scoured records to see what had been written about it. We found that in 1970, Richard Wingate and a group of researchers had investigated the marble. Using an underwater sand blower, Wingate found that the marble was widely scattered and had at least three layers of slabs before it reached the bedrock seabed. Under the bottom layer of marble, Wingate found the wooden ribs of an old ship.
According to Wingate's
group, not far from this site there are massive areas covered with
granite slabs, supposedly from two other shipwrecks.
Indeed.
The rectangular forms sat
at the top of a 10-foot drop-off, which led to a narrow flat area.
Then it descended quickly toward the deep Gulf Stream. Intrigued, we
dropped a lead weight buoy as we passed over one of the larger
rectangular forms. We later found that the weight fell directly into
the rectangle and, surprisingly, the boat's anchor fell into another
one nearby.
Several square or rectangular stones appeared to be embedded into the bottom, especially at the corners of the rectangular structures. In addition, several photos show intriguing artifacts, which could be pots or amphorae. However, only a more detailed investigation can prove the actual identity of the artifacts and the structures.
In sum, the preliminary investigation of these rectangular forms shows that they may well be building foundations, perhaps as old as 12,000-years.
Plans are now being made for a more
thorough investigation of this site.
from ARE Website
The initial report from these expeditions, issued in July, detailed the discovery of several crashed planes, at least one of which was reported missing in the Bermuda Triangle. The second report, issued in August, summarized several unexpected discoveries at Bimini, which included what appear to be rectangular building foundations in 100-feet of water and the remains of a temple consisting of white marble materials.
This
report summarizes the finds made on and around Andros.
Weeklong trips were made to Andros by Drs. Greg & Lora Little in both May and June 2007, both of which began with aerial surveys on portions of the Great Bahamas Bank (GBB). The GBB is a massive expanse of a largely flat and shallow bottom extending for nearly 300 miles beginning north of Bimini to some distance south of Andros—just north of Cuba. In general, the water depth of this area averages about 25 feet.
During the last Ice Age, the entire GBB was well above sea level. The aerial surveys identified over 30 unusual, dark formations in shallow water on the GBB and the GPS locations were taken on each from the air. All but one of these formations was then visited on water with North Andros serving as our base of operations.
In
addition, side-scan sonar was employed to explore wide areas around
Andros and in other areas a remote underwater video camera was used
to examine the bottom. (Map showing general areas discussed in
articles.)
In general, about 75% of all the dark formations are associated with a variety of dumped materials as well as more curious artifacts. For example, one perfectly round white spot in the middle of a dark formation showed what appeared to be a portion of a huge metal anchor sticking up from the bottom. This piece could not be moved by hand.
Is the actual ship also buried there? We don't know, but the formation around the anchor is over 500-feet long.
At other dark features we discovered dumped bombs, propane gas cylinders, appliances, and other debris. Bahamas fishermen often enhance a good fishing site by dumping materials to the bottom, thus increasing fish cover.
But these formations were of marginal
interest to us because our prime interest is in archaeological
remains. It has been suggested that these "good fishing spots" may
have formed initially because of "something buried under the sand"
that allowed the grass to form, however, without extensive
excavations, this cannot be determined.
On the other hand, they could be ruins of buildings that were erected on the Great Bahamas Bank when it was above sea level.
However, since none of these were clearly definitive—as building
ruins—it was decided to spend our time examining as many sites as
possible.
In addition, a complete side-scan sonar of the Andros Platform, discovered and reported in 2003 (below images), was made.
All three tiers (below images) of this formation were visible and several areas of the formation not previously seen were found. The formation appears to be an ancient breakwater enclosing a harbor at what is today Nicholls Town bay.
Three images from the side-scan sonar of a portion of the Andros Platform. Top image is the raw image. The center of the image (vertical dark area) is the area directly under the boat. Each side of the image (to the left and right of the dark center line), shows the bottom covering an area totalling 142 feet wide and about 80 feet long. The second image shows how various forms on the bottom, such as stone, can be measured by the technology. The red outlined block is 16 x 16 feet. The bottom image shows all the blocks outlined, and actually captures portions of all three tiers of the formation.
A series of land expeditions, conducted with descendants of Seminole Indians serving as our guides (who fled to the Red Bays area of Andros starting in the 1820s), were made. A curious dolmen-like formation was found in the pine jungle several miles from Red Bays. We were also shown a variety of ship ballast stone recovered by these natives at various places on Andros.
The ballast was generally
oblong and small (8-12-inches in diameter) polished granite and
metamorphic conglomerate stone.
From the water the wall is
completely obscured, but the well-concealed wall has views of the
water that are astounding. At this location we also found several
vertical cave openings including some that had been filled with
large stones.
Snorkeling the area from the shoreline we did find that there were a lot of stones lying on the bottom there. The largest were perhaps 8 x 10 feet.
However, it was immediately apparent that this was a natural beach rock formation. In the entire area there was not a single stone on top of another and it was clear we were looking at what was once a huge slab of stone that had fractured into perhaps 50 smaller pieces. There were no squared blocks at this natural formation and nothing that looked like “straight seam lines.” It was all in one distinctive layer lying on the flat bottom.
It actually made clear
to us how unique the Bimini Road actually is and how inaccurate the
skeptics' claims about it are.
Joulters is completely uninhabited, and data obtained during the past 20 years has shown that numerous hurricane driven tsunamis, 30-feet and higher walls of water, have swept across the islands. In the 1950s, an attempt was made to form a small community on the southern Joulters island, but it was soon abandoned when a hurricane destroyed the few small, wood-framed homes that had been built.
All
of Joulters is extremely shallow and boats with a draft of more than
two feet simply cannot reach it. However, the approach to the area
where the wall is located is even shallower.
We found the wall
exactly as described by the Andros resident. She related that she
had seen it twice. The first time, in the early 1990’s, a large
portion of the wall was intact and partially above water. She saw it
the second time after a severe 1990’s hurricane and said that the
eye of the hurricane hit that area and destroyed most of the wall
and shoreline.
About two miles further, through this shallow water, is the deep Tongue of the Ocean.
The wall is primarily made from square and rectangular limestone blocks (above images) that range in length from 3-6-feet, a width of 2-3-feet, and a thickness of 6-inches to 3-feet—with some blocks far larger.
The blocks are obviously cut and roughly dressed and rough tool marks are clearly visible on many. There are some smaller, cube-like stones, about a foot square, occasionally found in portions of the intact wall and in places on the bottom.
One area of the wall remains fairly intact (above images) and is found in water about 6-feet deep. Brushing the sandy bottom underneath the lowest tier of stones revealed more limestone blocks under the visible portion (below image).
How far down it extends is unknown. This section of the wall runs approximately 30-feet long and is formed by the massive blocks stacked on top of each other with 2-3 vertical layers of blocks visible.
We found about 50 large stone blocks widely scattered in
water around this intact portion as if they had been tossed around
by huge waves.
In general, the top of this square formation is flat and has two layers of blocks. We later looked at this area on modern satellite images, and were astonished that the square area of blocks was quite visible.
We found more of the blocks extending off the
island in a rough line over 300-yards long. Most of these were
almost completely covered by sand. Because we could only access this
area safely during high tide, and sharks were also in it during this
time, we were unable to examine much of this portion of the wall.
Other than a few small
caves on the islands, we found nothing else indicative of human
habitation.
But we also learned that the joint US Navy—British Navy facility on Andros known as AUTEC had supposedly taken aerial photographs of the underwater wall from helicopters. After making preliminary inquiries, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the US Navy, and then another request with AUTEC.
AUTEC officials acted quickly and after a thorough and complete search of all their files and photographs, reported that no one affiliated with AUTEC of the Navy had taken any photos of Joulters.
This is actually logical as AUTEC is a submarine
testing facility and the entire area around Joulters is extremely
shallow.
Nothing on the Joulter's wall was found. There were many references in these publications on the devastation hurricanes had created there, however, since the islands were uninhabited, virtually nothing else, except a scattered brief reference to a biological report or two was found. We also spoke to several Andros fishermen (who are over 80-years old) about that area and the wall.
They were aware of the formation, but it was irrelevant to them as it was unrelated to making a living as fishermen. None of them knew its possible purpose or who built it. One resident simply said, “it’s always been there.”
The initial impression is that it might
have been a retaining wall of some sort, but the entire area is so
shallow that the bringing in of large boats or even shallow draft
barges to it is simply impossible.
He related that cargo was transferred from one ship to another at these piers. The idea is interesting except we have not found a single reference to such stone piers in any of the dozens of books and countless articles we have read on the region. Nor has a single Bahamas resident has ever related that idea to us. The biggest argument against the Joulter's wall being such a pier or a pirate formation is that only a rowboat could reach it.
No ships in the 1600s-1800s could have possibly reached Joulters, nor is it likely they would do so as Joulters is extremely remote. Pirates did not build massive formations along shorelines for the simple reason that such structures would bring attention. In addition, this is a very massive formation, constructed from huge blocks that probably were not placed by hand.
What is it?
We don't
know, but it remains an intriguing mystery and our efforts will
continue in that region.
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