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icsday, November 28, 2000
Page 5
THE BATTALION
l/V&M researcher heads Project Neptune 2K
exas Sea Grant Program sponsors project to examine buried vessels with sonar techniques
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Pointe Du Hoc, an ocean front extend-
ig into the English Channel and lying off
le southern coast of France, overlooks the
emains of many of the vessels of American
)rces that invaded Normandy on D-Day,
me 6, 1944.
Brett Phaneuf, a researcher at Texas
l&M’s Institute of Nautical Archaeology,
leading Project Neptune 2K, an effort to
Jurvey the wrecks of the ships from the in
vasion.
I “We need to study the battlefields, in
cluding the underwater portion, to get a
landle on what happened,” he said. “We
lon’t know exactly how many ships were
jhere. We’re not sure how many people
/ere lost on the ships or in the water.”
Several procedures were used to locate
|he various vessels.
Magnetometers, which measure mag-
letic shifts produced from the iron of ships,
be used to pinpoint the location of the ves
sels. Phaneuf said, once a deviation in the
nagnetic field is detected, the location of
[he vessel is confirmed by side-scanning
War. The side-scanning sonar technique
produces an image of the sea floor. Then the
location of the vessel along the sea floor is
discovered by cross-referencing the signal
from the magnetometer with the image pro
vided by the sonar.
The geographic positioning of the wreck
is also compared with older maps of the
conflict to see whether historical documents
6 6
We need to study the
battlefields, including
the underwater por
tion, to get a handle
on what happened/'
— Brett Phaneuf
Texas A&M researcher
of the battle are comparable with the posi
tion of the shipwrecks.
The invasion used more amphibious
vessels than any other World War II opera
tion. Many lost and undocumented sea
crafts are among the some 4,000 troops that
rest in the depths of the English Channel.
Many of the ships were most likely in
volved in Operation Neptune, an attempt to
ferry troops and equipment to the areas of
heavy fighting.
“Originally, the British planned the Al
lied landing for may 1944,” Phaneuf said.
“If the forces had attempted to take Nor
mandy, then the turbulent weather would
have yielded even greater damage to the
ships.”
Project Neptune 2K, sponsored by the
Texas Sea Grant College Program, began
this year. The areas of investigation include
Pointe du Hoc and Omaha and Utah beach
es (where the assault took place).
Dr. Roger Beaumont, an A&M history
professor, said the Allies sustained the
greatest damage at these locations.
“Of the five fronts on Normandy, the
most activity happened on Omaha Beach
and Utah Beach,” Beaumont said.
Phaneuf said many wrecks have been
discovered since the project’s initiation.
“We have found shipwrecks of landing
craft tanks, Higgins boats, coastal barges,
Sherman tanks and rhino barges 100 meters
to 3.4 kilometers away from the coast,”
Phaneuf said.
Phaneuf also said that the team may
have discovered several British double
duty tanks used in the amphibious assault
of Normandy. These tanks were rigged to
float, but they failed in action and sank
as soon as they were released.
They brought down the troops and
equipment they carried.
“A lot of these men are in tanks and
landing ships that never made it to shore,
“he said.
Although Project Neptune 2K is an
archeological exploration, none of the ar
tifacts will be recovered.
Phaneuf said he doubts any of the
wrecks will be dug up for exhibition to the
public because of the expense of preserv
ing the remains|
He said the intrinsic value of the
sunken ships as grave sites is another
reason the ships will be left underwater.
“Certainly, these sites are every bit as
hallowed as the grounds of the American
cemetery (in Normandy),” he said.
“There’s no statute of limitations on the
respect and debts owed to those who paid
the ultimate price.”
Texas A&M's institute of
Archaeology
□SUM)
WHAT: |
Project Neptune 2K. exploratory effort to
survey the wrecks of vessels from the
invasion of Normandy
WHIN*
Began in spring of 2000 and expected to
finish in 2003
WHERE:
Pointe Du Hoc, Omaha and Utah Beach
Fronts in Southern France
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
- Science in Brief
Presentation on
evolution tonight
Qum
Pulitzer Prize- winner Jonathan
Weiner will give a presentation ti
tled “Evolution in Action: The View
from Darwin’s Islands and Benz-
er’s Bottles” in the George Bush
Presidential Conference Center
auditorium*tonight at 7:30.
Weiner, a writer in residence at
Rockefeller University in New York
.will discuss the status of the
study of evolution.
“I’ll argue that one of the most
interesting new directions in sci
ence today is the study of genes
and behavior, and I’ll talk about
some of the first studies of this
subject by molecular biologists,”
Weiner said in a press release.
One of Weiner’s books , The
Beak of the Finch won a Pulitzer
Prize for general nonfiction and
the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
for Science.
Bioengineered corn being held off markets
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid
growing uneasiness about genetical
ly engineered crops, a major
biotechnology company announced
Monday it would restrict plantings
next year of a type of gene-altered
com and delay commercialization of
another variety until 2002.
The moves by the Monsanto Co.
are meant to avoid upsetting export
markets for U.S. corn and repeating
the problems encountered this fall
when biotech corn developed by
one of its competitors appeared in
the food supply without being ap
proved for human consumption.
“We can’t stop the development
of this technology, but we are going
to use restraint,” Hendrik Verfaillie,
Monsanto’s president and chief ex
ecutive officer, said.
A variety of corn developed by
Monsanto to be resistant to the com
pany’s popular Roundup weedkiller
will be distributed for sale next year
only to farmers in areas where grain
is seldom sold for export, Verfaillie
said. The corn is approved for food
use in both the United States and
Japan but not in Europe. Traces of
the corn were found this fall in
British-made tortilla chips.
The second Monsanto corn vari
ety, which will not be put on the
market until 2002, is toxic to an in
sect pest, the com rootworm. It is yet
to be approved in either Japan or Eu
rope.
The actions announced yesterday
do not affect Monsanto’s most pop
ular gene-altered crops, which in
clude Roundup-resistant soybeans
and cotton and a variety of corn that
is toxic to another pest, the European
corn borer.
A representative of the National
Corn Growers Association, which
“We could not
jeopardize our
biggest corn mar
ket by supporting
the commercial
ization of a corn
variety that was
not approved by
that country/'
—Susan Keith
senior director of public policy
is especially concerned about los
ing sales to Japan, praised Monsan
to’s moves.
“We could not jeopardize our
biggest corn market by supporting
the commercialization of a corn va
riety that was not approved by that
country,” said Susan Keith, senior
director of public policy for the
growers group.
The biotechnology industry was
rocked this fall by the discovery of
StarLink corn, developed by Aven-
tis CropScience, in taco shells in the
United States.
StarLink was approved only for
animal feed or industrial use because
of unresolved questions about its po
tential to cause allergic reactions.
U.S. corn exports have fallen
sharply this fall, especially to Japan,
the biggest foreign customer for the
grain.
Critics inside and outside the
biotech industry say StarLink, the
only gene-altered crop not allowed
in food, never should have been put
on the market without being ap
proved for human consumption.
Aventis, meanwhile, disclosed
last week that a special protein in
the StarLink corn has also been
found in a variety of corn sold by
Garst Seed Co.
Aventis officials, who say they
do not know how the.protein, known
as Cry9C, got in the Garst com, met
privately with representatives from
the Agriculture Department and oth
er seed companies to discuss the
problem.
Monsanto’s surveys of farmers
indicate that sales of its biotech
seeds could increase by 16 percent
even as other polling by the com
pany indicates that consumer con
fidence in gene-altered crops is
slipping, Verfaillie said.
Frank}. Varanelli, D.D.S.
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2 Large 1 Topping Pizzas
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Travis B. Bryan III, Attorney at Law
Former Brazos County District Attorney
Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law
TAMU Class of 1969
Craig M. Greavtes, Attorney at Law
Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas in the Area of Criminal Law
No Optional Certification by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
TAMU Class of 1995
SPECIALIZING IN THE DEFENSE OF:
Driving while intoxicated Driving while under the influence
Possession of controlled substance Driving while license suspended
Assault Theft
V All other felony and misdemeanor charges
1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 206, Bryan
(979) 260-7030 (979) 255-9388
Contact Georgia Dozier to arrange an appointment for an initial consultation
Station
IC.INA I
BOY BAND
So you think today’s boy bands are hot? You havent seen
anything until you see the original boy band. The Boys Choir of
Harlem, perform everything from Broadway tunes to
holiday classics io hymns in this dynamic holiday concert
Known around the world for their charismatic stage presence
and musical energy this is one holiday performance sure to put
everyone in the spirit of the season.
December 4, 2000 at 7:30 PM
•Rudder Auditorium
W in free tickets online at opas.tamu.edu
CALL 845-1234
or toll-free 888-890-5667
2000-2001 Season Media Partners
KAMU
1620
THE WAY IT PLAYS OUT
T Tuesday - Texas Music Night
-Texas Music Acoustic Performers only
Hosted by Michael Shipley
No Cover
^Wednesday - Debut of Vicki’s Red Coat
Cover $ 3.00
-Out of Austin
TjTHursday - Houseband: Speakeasy
Cover $ 3.00
TjFriclay - The Return of Past Free Exit
Cover $ 5.00
Where real
musicians playl
201 W. 26th Street,
Downtown Bryan
775-7735