Press Release
August 25, 2010
For more information:
Todd Scott
Himmelrich PR
410.528.5400
todd@himmelrich.com
Odyssey’s “SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure”
Drops Anchor at the Maryland Science Center
Exhibition of recovered artifacts and pirate lore opens October 1, 2010
“SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure,” an interactive, multi-media exhibition that allows visitors to experience the discovery and exploration of shipwrecks and sunken treasure, opens at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor beginning October 1, 2010. The travelling exhibition will be on view until January 31, 2011.
Nearly 11,000 square feet, SHIPWRECK! showcases the tools and techniques of high-tech treasure hunters and hundreds of artifacts personal items recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, the world leader in deep-ocean shipwrecks. The exhibition encourages visitors to discover the steps in shipwreck exploration and archeology through the story of the SS Republic, a Civil War era naval vessel that was lost during a hurricane in 1865, and has become one of the most famous shipwrecks in American history.
SHIPWRECK! enables visitors to experience the story of the Republic by standing under a full-size replica of one her paddlewheels, and examining hundreds of artifacts recovered from 1,700 feet below the surface. The artifacts include a variety of large pieces like the Walking Beam engine and small pieces, like coins, porcelain dishes and figurines, and personal items like combs and tooth brushes.
To relive the plight of the Republic and her ultimate sinking, exhibition visitors can feel the force of hurricane winds by standing in hurricane wind tunnels, and then take the helm of the Republic in front of a giant video screen to attempt to safely navigate the ship safely through the storm in a series of interactive games and challenges.
SHIPWRECK! introduces museum guests to the gadgets and equipment that led to the discovery of the Republic, and the retrieval and conservation of her treasure. Visitors can examine a photomosiac of more than 2,500 tiny digital images that have been “stitched” together to create the large scale excavation map of the wreck site and examine a life-sized model of ZUES, the eight-ton remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that makes deep seas archeology possible. Visitors can also pilot the ROV on a simulator and navigate it through a virtual shipwreck site, and attempt to pick up objects by manipulating a working replica of ZUES’s robotic arm.
SHIPWRECK! will enchant visitors with the “World of Pirates” interactive gallery and activities that immerse children and adults in the lore, legends, and facts of pirates of the Caribbean, Barbary Corsairs, Privateers and Buccaneers. Guests can learn how to identify pirate vessels on the horizon using spyglasses, raise the banners of notorious pirates, learn tie essential knots for life on the high seas, and create even their own pirate in an interactive game!
SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure will be on display in the Legg Mason Gallery on the second floor of the Maryland Science Center.
The Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light Street at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For information and tickets, visit www.marylandsciencecenter.org or call the 24-Hour Information Line at 410-685-5225.
About the Maryland Science Center
Named one of Parents Magazine’s Top 10 Science Centers in America, the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore makes science understandable and fun for more than 500,000 visitors a year. The Maryland Science Center inspires, fascinates, motivates and engages children and adults with dozens of interactive exhibits, traveling exhibitions, original presentations in the world-famous Davis Planetarium, larger-than-life movies in the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, and hundreds of hands-on programs delivered throughout the state each year. For more information, visit www.marylandsciencecenter.org
About Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc.
Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. is engaged in the exploration of deep-water shipwrecks and used innovative methods and state-of-the-art technology to conduct extensive deep-ocean search and archeology recovery operations around the world. For more information about Odyssey, please visit www.shipwreck.net.