Robert Sténuit
Encyclopedia
Robert Pierre André Sténuit (born 1933 in Brussels
, Belgium
) is a Belgian journalist
, writer
, and underwater
archeologist. In 1962 he spent 24 hours on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea
in the submersible "Link Cylinder" developed by Edwin Link, thus becoming the world's first aquanaut
.
in 1953, when he began scuba diving
in flooded caves
in Belgium. He subsequently became interested in speleology
, and went on to spend many years exploring the Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
.
Sténuit had a passion for history
. At the age of 20, after reading 600 Milliards Sous les Mers by Harry Reiseberg, a work of fiction about shipwrecks and treasure diving, Sténuit left the Free University of Brussels
, where he was studying political
and diplomatic science
in preparation for a career as a lawyer
. In 1954 Sténuit began looking for the treasures of the Spanish fleet
sunk in 1702 at the Battle of Vigo Bay
by English
and Dutch warships. He searched without success, finding only modern wrecks.
Together with another sunken treasure hunter, the American John Potter, Sténuit worked for the Atlantic Salvage Company, Ltd. on the specially-equipped vessel Dios Te Guarde for search and recovery of underwater treasure
, beginning another search for the wrecks of the 1702 Plate Fleet, which lasted two years.
Robert Sténuit worked as a professional diver for the French
company SOGETRAM (Société Générale de Travaux Maritimes et Fluviaux), but eventually left SOGETRAM to become the chief diver for Edwin Link's Man in Sea project.
, which was performed with a submersible decompression chamber (SDC) at Villefranche-sur-Mer
on the Mediterranean, at a depth of 200 feet (62 m). While submerged in the cylinder, Sténuit breathed a helium
-oxygen
mixture (Heliox
). The experiment was conducted from Link's yacht
, the Sea Diver. Sténuit remained on the sea floor for over 24 hours, becoming the world's first aquanaut.
During this dive, a mistral
sank the Reef Diver, the Sea Divers launch, which was carrying fifteen bottles of helium. A mistral surge also caused the cylinder to float back to the surface, where Sténuit remained safe from decompression sickness
because the cylinder was still pressurized. A U.S. Navy
boat brought an additional supply of helium during the night of September 7-8, allowing Sténuit to continue to be supplied with helium while decompressing
.
Edwin Link's second Man in Sea experiment was conducted in June-July 1964 in the Berry Islands
(a chain in the Bahamas) with Sténuit and Jon Lindbergh, one of the sons of Charles Lindbergh
, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic
. Sténuit and Lindbergh stayed in the SPID habitat (Submersible, Portable, Inflatable Dwelling) for 49 hours underwater at a depth of 432 feet, breathing a helium-oxygen mixture. Dr. Joseph MacInnis participated in this dive as a life support
specialist.
In 1965, the Man in Sea project was taken over by a new company, Ocean Systems Inc. Link departed from the project, but Sténuit remained as a researcher, adviser and development engineer
, conducting test dives in decompression chambers and underwater habitats and computing new helium-oxygen decompression tables for greater depths. In 1966, Ocean Systems established an office in London
with Sténuit in charge. His professional work at this time involved drilling on off-shore oil and gas rigs
in the North Sea
, but in his spare time he began researching the wreck of the Spanish
galleass
Girona
.
). In 1968, Sténuit created the "Groupe de Recherche Archéologique Sous-Marine Post-Médiévale" (Group for Underwater Post-Medieval Archaeological Research), or "GRASP". GRASP has managed the inventory of 17 merchant shipwrecks and a number of warships from the 16th century through the 19th century.
Sténuit's most important underwater archaeological discoveries are:
Robert Sténuit is the author of several books on diving and underwater archeology translated into several languages. Currently, he remains an active seeker of underwater treasures' location and identification, especially in wrecks of ships that belonged to the East India companies. He continues to direct GRASP alongside his daughter, archeologist Marie-Eve Sténuit.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) is a Belgian journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and underwater
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
archeologist. In 1962 he spent 24 hours on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
in the submersible "Link Cylinder" developed by Edwin Link, thus becoming the world's first aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
.
Early career
Sténuit began spelunking at the age of seventeen. He discovered divingUnderwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
in 1953, when he began scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
in flooded caves
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
in Belgium. He subsequently became interested in speleology
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
, and went on to spend many years exploring the Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
The Caves of Han-sur-Lesse are a major Belgian tourist attraction located on the outskirts of the village of Han-sur-Lesse....
.
Sténuit had a passion for history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. At the age of 20, after reading 600 Milliards Sous les Mers by Harry Reiseberg, a work of fiction about shipwrecks and treasure diving, Sténuit left the Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, it split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel....
, where he was studying political
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and diplomatic science
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
in preparation for a career as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. In 1954 Sténuit began looking for the treasures of the Spanish fleet
Spanish treasure fleet
The Spanish treasure fleets was a convoy system adopted by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to 1790...
sunk in 1702 at the Battle of Vigo Bay
Battle of Vigo Bay
The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Dutch warships. He searched without success, finding only modern wrecks.
Together with another sunken treasure hunter, the American John Potter, Sténuit worked for the Atlantic Salvage Company, Ltd. on the specially-equipped vessel Dios Te Guarde for search and recovery of underwater treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
, beginning another search for the wrecks of the 1702 Plate Fleet, which lasted two years.
Robert Sténuit worked as a professional diver for the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
company SOGETRAM (Société Générale de Travaux Maritimes et Fluviaux), but eventually left SOGETRAM to become the chief diver for Edwin Link's Man in Sea project.
Man in Sea project
From September 6-10, 1962, Sténuit participated in Man in Sea, Edwin Link's first experiment with an underwater habitatUnderwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
, which was performed with a submersible decompression chamber (SDC) at Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
on the Mediterranean, at a depth of 200 feet (62 m). While submerged in the cylinder, Sténuit breathed a helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
-oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
mixture (Heliox
Heliox
Heliox is a breathing gas composed of a mixture of helium and oxygen .Heliox has been used medically since the 1930s, and although the medical community adopted it initially to alleviate symptoms of upper airway obstruction, its range of medical uses has since expanded greatly, mostly because of...
). The experiment was conducted from Link's yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, the Sea Diver. Sténuit remained on the sea floor for over 24 hours, becoming the world's first aquanaut.
During this dive, a mistral
Mistral
Mistral commonly refers to the Mistral in southern France and SardiniaMistral may also refer to:* Mistral, various ships of the French Navy, including:** Mistral class amphibious assault ship of the French Navy...
sank the Reef Diver, the Sea Divers launch, which was carrying fifteen bottles of helium. A mistral surge also caused the cylinder to float back to the surface, where Sténuit remained safe from decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
because the cylinder was still pressurized. A U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
boat brought an additional supply of helium during the night of September 7-8, allowing Sténuit to continue to be supplied with helium while decompressing
Decompression
Decompression has several meanings:* Decompression , the release of pressure and the opposition of physical compression* Decompression sickness, a condition arising from the precipitation of dissolved gases into bubbles inside the body on depressurization* Decompression , a procedure used to treat...
.
Edwin Link's second Man in Sea experiment was conducted in June-July 1964 in the Berry Islands
Berry Islands
The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district of the Bahamas, covering about thirty square miles of the north western part of the Out Islands...
(a chain in the Bahamas) with Sténuit and Jon Lindbergh, one of the sons of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Sténuit and Lindbergh stayed in the SPID habitat (Submersible, Portable, Inflatable Dwelling) for 49 hours underwater at a depth of 432 feet, breathing a helium-oxygen mixture. Dr. Joseph MacInnis participated in this dive as a life support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
specialist.
In 1965, the Man in Sea project was taken over by a new company, Ocean Systems Inc. Link departed from the project, but Sténuit remained as a researcher, adviser and development engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, conducting test dives in decompression chambers and underwater habitats and computing new helium-oxygen decompression tables for greater depths. In 1966, Ocean Systems established an office in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with Sténuit in charge. His professional work at this time involved drilling on off-shore oil and gas rigs
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, but in his spare time he began researching the wreck of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
galleass
Galleass
The galleass developed from large merchant galleys.Converted for military use they were higher and larger than regular galleys. They had up to 32 oars, each worked by up to 5 men. They usually had three masts and a forecastle and aftcastle. Much effort was made in Venice to make these galleasses...
Girona
Girona (ship)
La Girona was a galleass of the 1588 Spanish Armada which foundered and sank off Lacada Point, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the night of 26 October 1588 after making its way eastward along the Irish coast...
.
Underwater archeologist
Sténuit became involved with underwater archeology and the search for shipwrecks, collaborating with Henri Delauze (president of COMEXCompagnie maritime d'expertises
COMEX is a company specializing in engineering and deep diving operations, created in November 1961 and run ever since then by Henri Germain Delauze....
). In 1968, Sténuit created the "Groupe de Recherche Archéologique Sous-Marine Post-Médiévale" (Group for Underwater Post-Medieval Archaeological Research), or "GRASP". GRASP has managed the inventory of 17 merchant shipwrecks and a number of warships from the 16th century through the 19th century.
Sténuit's most important underwater archaeological discoveries are:
- Recovery of underwater treasures of the galleassGalleassThe galleass developed from large merchant galleys.Converted for military use they were higher and larger than regular galleys. They had up to 32 oars, each worked by up to 5 men. They usually had three masts and a forecastle and aftcastle. Much effort was made in Venice to make these galleasses...
GironaGirona (ship)La Girona was a galleass of the 1588 Spanish Armada which foundered and sank off Lacada Point, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the night of 26 October 1588 after making its way eastward along the Irish coast...
, part of the Invincible Armada. (1967) - Slot ter Hooge, a Dutch East IndiamanDutch East India CompanyThe Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
carrying a large quantity of goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coins and bullion, which wrecked in 1724 near the Madeira Islands. (1975) - The Witte Leeuw wreck, part of a convoyConvoyA convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
carrying spiceSpiceA spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s and MingMing DynastyThe Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
porcelainPorcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
. (1977)
Robert Sténuit is the author of several books on diving and underwater archeology translated into several languages. Currently, he remains an active seeker of underwater treasures' location and identification, especially in wrecks of ships that belonged to the East India companies. He continues to direct GRASP alongside his daughter, archeologist Marie-Eve Sténuit.
Books
- Ces mondes secrets où j'ai plongé (These secret worlds where I dived) - Robert Laffont
- L'or noir sous les flots bleus (The black gold in the blue waters) - DargaudDargaudLes Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
- Histoire des pieds lourds (History of heavy feet) - Musée du scaphandre
- Les épaves de l'or (The wrecks of gold) - Gallimard
- Dauphin mon cousin (The dolphin, cousin to man) – Le Livre de pocheLe Livre de pocheLe Livre de Poche is the name of a collection of literature which appeared 9 February 1953 under the leadership of Henri Filipacchi and published by the Librairie générale française, a subsidiary of Hachette.-History:...
- La plongée sous-marine, vacances chez Neptune (Scuba diving, holidays with Neptune) - Dargaud
- Le livre des trésors perdus (The book of lost treasures) - Famot
- Les trésors de l'Armada (Treasures of the Armada) - Albin Michel
- Les jours les plus profonds (The deepest days) - PlonPlon (publisher)Plon is a French book publishing company, founded in 1852 by Henri Plon and his two brothers.The Plon family were Walloons coming from Nivelle, France. One of their ancestors is probably the Danish typographer Jehan Plon who lived at the end of the 16th century.-History:The Editions Plon were...
- L'or à la tonne: l'exploitation des trésors engloutis (The gold per tonne: exploitation of sunken treasure) - GlénatGlénat (publisher)Glénat Editions SA is a French publisher with its head office in Grenoble. The company publishes many things, including comic books and manga in France, Benelux, and Spain; it was founded by Jacques Glénat. The Spanish subsidiary has its head office in Barcelona. The Benelux subsidiary, Glénat...
- La flûte engloutie (The swallowed flute) - Plon
- Merveilleux monde souterrain (Caves and the marvellous world beneath us) - Librairie Hachette
See also
- List of ships of the Spanish Armada
- Underwater archeology
- Underwater habitatUnderwater habitatUnderwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
- Wreck divingWreck divingWreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites...