The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

Volume 6 Issue 1

MMS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009

SCIENCE

Starting the 

New Year in the 

Crescent City: 

25th Gulf of 

Mexico Region ITM

Marco Polo:

Full-Scale 

Monitoring of 

a Deepwater 

Tension-Leg 

Platform

Mapping Oil 

Thickness in 

Coastal and 

Offshore Waters

Gulf Sturgeon: 

A Peculiar 

Prehistoric 

Fish

Alaska Research 

Forum

The Hunt for the 

Real Western 

Empire
2 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Volume 6 Issue 1

mms OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

quarterly by the Minerals Management 

Service to communicate recent ocean 

science and technological information 

and issues of interest related to offshore 

energy recovery, ocean stewardship, 

and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions, comments, 

suggestions, and changes of address to:

Dr. Deborah Epperson

mms OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

3 Starting the New Year in 

the Crescent City:

25th Gulf of Mexico Region ITM

4 Gulf of Mexico Region 

Leasing Activity Update

5 Petroleum Engineer

Michael Else

6 Marco Polo:

Full-Scale Monitoring of a 

Deepwater Tension-Leg Platform

8 Mapping Oil Thickness in 

Coastal and Offshore Waters

10 Gulf Sturgeon: 

A Peculiar Prehistoric Fish

 11 Alaska Research Forum

12 The Hunt for the Real 

Western Empire

15 Coastal Impact Assistance Program 

Helps Coastal Areas

16 New Waves

Late-Breaking News & Information

ABOUT THE COVER

Top left: Thickness sensor mounted on skid of 

helicopter for testing at Ohmsett.

Top middle: Blacksmith fish (Chromis 

punctipinnis) swim under a platform off the 

Santa Barbara coast.

Top right: Tombstone of Walter Hobb in St. 

Michael’s Cemetary, Pensacola, Florida. Hobb, 

captain of Western Empire, died two days 

before the ship’s last voyage.

Main photo: Marlin semisubmersible platform 

in the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Photo courtesy of 

BP. © BP p.l.c.

Back page: Background platform image by 

Gregory S. Boland.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service 

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by Schatz Publishing Group

 The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our website:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

To receive mms OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up at

www.gomr.mms.gov, then click on e-mail subscriptions on the 

left-hand column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or 

e-mail deborah.epperson@mms.gov or call (504) 736-3257

JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 Volume 6 Issue 1

MMS

SCIENCE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 3

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) relies on 

the most current research, 

tools, and methodologies to carry 

out its mission of managing 

offshore energy resources and 

preserving and protecting the 

ocean environment. To this 

end, each MMS region hosts an 

Information Transfer Meeting 

(ITM), a forum in which 

academic, agency, and private 

industry specialists can share what 

they have learned during their 

research for MMS’s Environmental 

Studies Program. 

In the Gulf of Mexico Outer 

Continental Shelf Region (GOMR), 

these professional forums have 

been held since 1980. Initially 

held annually, the GOMR ITM 

is now held every two years. The 

ITM fosters information sharing 

and supports the community of 

scientists and specialists whose 

important work helps MMS 

succeed in its mission.

This January, after the holiday 

break, researchers and specialists 

began 2009 by congregating in 

an historic hotel in New Orleans’ 

French Quarter. From January 6-8, 

2009, GOMR ITM participants 

shared data, findings, and other 

information in a setting congenial 

to professional and technical 

curiosity and discussion.

During each of the three days, 

three subject-based sessions ran 

concurrently. Session subjects 

included sand and gravel, 

hurricanes, alternative energy, 

deepwater benthic habitats, climate 

change, hydrates, air quality, 

socioeconomics, platform and 

hard-bottom ecology, the Coastal 

Impact Assistance Program, and 

marine archaeology. Paper topics 

ranged from photographic studies 

of seep and coral communities to 

the role of shipyards in perpetuating 

bayou culture and from genetic 

discontinuity among regional 

populations of Lophelia pertusa to 

paleotempestology (prehistoric 

hurricane activity).

While there were many 

highlights, the alternative energy, 

hurricane, and marine archaeology 

sessions were perhaps the most 

heavily attended. The alternative 

energy session included a summary 

of Federal alternative energy 

regulations and the rulemaking 

progress; a description of potential 

environmental impacts and the 

progress of related environmental 

studies; and updates about several 

offshore wind and alternate use 

projects. The hurricane session 

included papers on hurricane 

damage potential, reconnaissance, 

hindcasting, research at the 

National Hurricane Center, and 

prehistoric hurricane activity. 

The marine archaeology session 

included a discussion of viewshed 

analysis methods being developed 

to assess visual impacts of offshore 

wind power projects; a description 

and video about the “Battle of the 

Atlantic”; and the documentary 

video, “Mystery of the Mardi 

Gras Shipwreck.” 

Previous ITM proceedings are 

available on the MMS website. 

Presentations from the 25th ITM 

will be available later this year.

25th Gulf of Mexico Region ITM

Starting the New Year

in the Crescent City:

Cover of Proceedings: Gulf of Mexico Information Transfer Meeting, January 2009.

For more information

Information Transfer Meeting (ITM)

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/itm.html 

ITM Proceedings

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/studies/info_transfer_proceed.html
4 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Leasing activity in the Gulf of Mexico Region 

makes a significant contribution to the Minerals 

Management Service’s (MMS) mission to 

“manage the ocean energy and mineral resources on 

the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and Federal and 

Indian mineral revenues to enhance public trust benefits, 

promote responsible use, and realize fair value.” Funds 

from high bids are distributed to the general fund of the 

U.S. Treasury, shared with the producing states, and set 

aside for special uses benefiting all states.

Leases Awarded through Western Gulf of Mexico 

Lease Sale 207 

The MMS has accepted high bids valued at 

$483,959,404 and awarded 313 leases to the successful 

high bidders who participated in Western Gulf of Mexico 

Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207. Fifty-three companies 

submitted 423 bids on 319 tracts in the Western Gulf at 

Lease Sale 207, which was held on August 20, 2008, and 

included 18.3 million acres off the Texas coast. 

The highest bid accepted on a tract was 

$61,110,000 made by Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC for 

Alaminos Canyon Block 380. This tract, which 

is in deep water (greater than 6,562 feet [2,000 

meters]), received 3 bids.

Final Notice of Sale for Central Gulf of 

Mexico Lease Sale 208

The MMS issued the final notice for Central 

Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 208; the final notice of 

sale (FNOS) was published in the Federal Register

on January 14, 2009, and a corrected FNOS was 

Gulf of Mexico REGION Leasing Activity Update

published on January 22, 2009. Lease Sale 208 will be 

held in New Orleans on March 18, 2009. 

The proposed sale includes approximately 6,458 

unleased blocks that cover more than 34.6 million acres 

offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Among 

these are approximately 4.2 million acres, known as the 

181 South Area, which has not been offered for lease 

since 1988.

Base rental rates for leases issued in this sale have 

been increased by $0.75 per acre in water depths less 

than 200 meters (656 feet) and by $1.50 per acre in water 

depths of 200 meters of more. For the first time, rental 

rates will be increased for all leases with initial terms 

of more than 5 years and for leases with an approved 

extension of the initial lease period.

The OCS produces approximately 27 percent of 

the Nation’s oil and about 15 percent of its natural gas. 

Responsibly managing mineral and energy resources on 

the OCS is a key element in MMS’s mission of providing 

the Nation with economic value, protecting the ocean 

environment, and ensuring activities are conducted safely.

For more information

Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 208 Information

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/208/cgom208.html 

Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 207 Information

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/207/wgom207.html 

Lease Sale 207 Bid Evaluation Results

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/207/207bidev.html

Map of the Gulf of Mexico Western and Central Planning Areas, as of 

January 14, 2009.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 5

Managing the mineral and energy resources 

on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

requires the talents and expertise of a range 

of Minerals Management Service (MMS) employees. 

In this issue of Ocean Science (OS), we interviewed 

Michael Else, Petroleum Engineer and Technical 

Manager of MMS Safety and Technology Research.

OS: Mik, how did you come to work for MMS?

ME: I guess I was the square peg for the square hole. 

MMS was advertising for a Petroleum Engineer. I 

had earned my BS in Petroleum Engineering in 1983 

from the University of Montana and spent 8 years 

doing engineering work in industry, so it seemed 

like a good match. For me, the decision was easy; 

I compared my early days in the heat-drenched 

oil patch of Bakersfield and the cool ocean breeze 

at MMS’s Pacific Regional Office in Camarillo, 

California. The ocean breeze won.

OS: You must work with people from 

many areas, countries, and disciplines.

ME: The U.S. oil and gas industry’s need for 

technical specialists such as engineers, geophysicists, 

and marine biologists attracts people from around 

the world. I’ve had the good fortune to meet and 

work alongside people from many countries with 

very diverse backgrounds.

OS: What’s your pet project right now?

ME: I manage about 18 research studies on an 

annual basis, focusing on offshore operational 

challenges related to safety and technology. The 

Marco Polo Joint Industry Project (JIP) is of 

particular value because it will help us understand 

Mik Else (MMS), John Mehlhoff (Bureau of Land Management), 

Allan Shareghi (MMS) at the Montana Technical Career Fair, 

University of Montana, 2008.

and prepare offshore facilities to withstand 

hurricane-force winds and waves. 

The project studies the performance of deepwater 

tension-leg platforms (TLPs); the Marco Polo TLP 

is located 160 miles (257 kilometers) south of New 

Orleans in 4,300 feet (1,311 meters) of water. The 

JIP partners share the costs to install and monitor 

electronic sensor equipment that measures the 

loads and motions of the platform under various 

environmental conditions. 

OS: What keeps your job exciting to you?

ME: Research with an obvious, immediate means to 

improve design, reduce injuries, and better protect the 

environment. I’m proud to be part of an agency that 

works hard to serve the needs of the American public. 

And interacting with some incredibly brilliant minds 

from around the world on cutting-edge technology 

makes for a good day. 

When I started college in 1979, the deepwater 

offshore was the new frontier for oil and gas 

development. At that time, the U.S. was assessing our 

vulnerability to world oil market fluctuations after 

the embargo of 1973–1974; domestic oil production 

in the deeper waters of the OCS got a lot of attention. 

Back then, offshore installations were primarily fixed 

leg platforms in water depths up to 1,000 feet (304 

meters). Floating platforms like Marco Polo were still 

on the drawing board. It’s a thrill not only to have 

witnessed this remarkable transformation but to be a 

part of it 25 years later. Now we are drilling in water 

depths greater than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) with 

wells stretching to over 40,000 feet (12,192 meters). 

Remarkable!

OS: How does your work contribute 

to MMS’s mission? 

ME: As we explore deeper waters of the Gulf of 

Mexico and frigid waters off Alaska, new and 

daunting obstacles test the limits of our equipment, 

personnel, and operations. If we can’t overcome 

these obstacles, our progress stops. As the technical 

manager of MMS Safety and Technology Research, 

my job is to help identify and find solutions for 

those obstacles. 

OS: What’s coming next?

ME: More research! I’m working on two new 

research announcements for Fiscal Year 2009; the 

first focuses on our core research areas of alternative 

energy, safety, and oil-spill response, and the second 

on hurricane research to better understand and 

protect against conditions like those experienced 

during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Petroleum Engineer Michael Else
6 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

The Minerals 

Management Service’s 

(MMS’s) Technology 

Assessment and Research (TA&R) 

program is at the center of many 

exciting research projects that 

contribute to improving safety 

and knowledge for exploring and 

developing energy and mineral 

resources on the Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS). 

According to Michael Else, 

MMS engineer, the Marco Polo 

Joint Industry Project is of particular 

interest because it will help MMS 

and industry better prepare for 

hurricane-force winds and waves. 

This information is increasingly 

more valuable as exploration and 

development move into deep and 

ultra deep water.

The Marco Polo project is a 

Joint Industry Project (JIP); project 

partners share costs, data, findings, 

and analysis. Sharing funding and 

findings with other participants 

achieves a higher level of work at 

a lower level of tax-payer funding. 

The Marco Polo JIP was formed 

in 2003 with 10 partners who are 

joint funders and provide technical 

guidance; monitoring equipment 

was installed in 2004. In 2005 MMS 

joined the JIP. 

The Marco Polo field lies in 

4,300 feet (1,311 meters) of water 

and is located in Green Canyon, 160 

miles (257 kilometers) south of New 

Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by 

Anadarko Petroleum. Discovered in 

April 2000, the field produced its first 

oil in March 2004. 

The Marco Polo JIP aims 

to verify the design methods of 

deepwater tension-leg platforms 

(TLP’s) by evaluating the loads 

and motions of the platform under 

various environmental conditions. 

The world’s deepest TLP, Marco 

Polo has a stable, pre-conditioned, 

four-column hull and is pre-tensioned 

to the ocean floor by 2x4 columns. 

Apart from the steel deck, the payload 

of the platform is 12,676 tons (11,500 

metric tons), at a displacement of 

30,216 tons (27,412 metric tons).

The Marco Polo tension-leg platform. Photo 

courtesy of MODEC International.

MARCO

POLO:

Full-Scale

Monitoring of a Deepwater

Tension-Leg Platform
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 7

Below the surface of the Marco Polo TLP. 

Graphic courtesy of MODEC International.

Hurricane Gustav approaching the Gulf Coast with windspeeds of 155 mph on August 31, 

2008. Photo courtesy of NASA.

For more information

TA&R Description of the Marco Polo Project

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/610.htm 

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/564.htm

Deepwater Development Systems in the Gulf (Basic Options)

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/offshore/deepwatr/options.html

Some of the issues in design 

and operation that need to be 

resolved are platform motions; 

tensions in tendons and risers; 

behavior of tendons and risers; 

extreme loads and fatigue life of the 

platform; and actual wind, wave, 

and current conditions.

The monitoring equipment 

installed by Maritime Research 

Institute Netherlands (MARIN) 

began collecting continuous data in 

June 2004. The project was recently 

extended two years to allow for 

more monitoring, data collection, 

and analysis. 

According to Else, “The timing 

of our equipment installation in 2004 

was very fortunate; we were able to 

capture the intense conditions during 

Hurricanes Ivan (2004), Katrina 

and Rita (2005), and, most recently, 

Gustav and Ike (2008). Three of 

these hurricanes passed within 

60 nautical miles (160 miles; 111 

kilometers) of Marco Polo and have 

provided a wealth of data.”

It’s an understatement to say 

that Else is excited about the Marco 

Polo JIP. As he points out, “The 

unprecedented nature of this work 

and the data being generated led 

other researchers to approach us 

for the real-time information being 

generated from Marco Polo. To date, 

MMS has entered into one working 

agreement with MARIN and are 

currently negotiating with a U.S. 

research company to share data that 

will benefit our respective efforts.” 

The TLP’s are very stiff in pitch 

and roll. To counter environmental 

forces they develop large righting 

moments. If tendons are damaged, 

the hull’s stiffness responds with a 

pendulum effect.

When this research is complete 

in January 2010, findings will 

be shared not only with JIP 

members but also with others 

through technical papers and 

lectures, international conferences, 

workshops, and technical journals. 

Also, after the Marco Polo JIP’s 

5-year confidentiality period, the 

results of this work will be available 

on MMS’s TA&R website.
8 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

disseminated digital geographic 

information system (GIS)-compatible 

oil slick distribution products in 

near realtime through five cameras 

mounted inside a California 

Department of Fish and Game 

(CDFG) airplane. One infrared 

camera recorded heat, one was 

equipped with a filter that could see 

red images, one saw blue, and two 

recorded images in the green range. 

The colors indicated the depth of 

floating oil and so enabled analysts 

to calculate the amount spilled.

In December 2008, a finger-sized 

hole in a pump line leaked some 34 

barrels of oil approximately 6 miles 

(10 kilometers) off the coast of Santa 

Barbara County, California, leaving 

an oil slick 1.5 miles long and 200 

feet wide (2.4 kilometers long and 

61 meters wide). The MMS and the 

CDFG’s Office of Spill Prevention 

and Response put the new sensor 

and mapping system to work.

Being able to quickly determine 

oil thickness patterns within a spill 

at sea is vital for efficient planning 

and management of spill-response 

activities. Before the development of 

the new sensor, such determinations 

were often made by airborne 

visual observations, which require 

specially-trained observers and are 

prone to errors due to variations in 

illumination, water color, and other 

environmental conditions. Relying 

on observers sometimes resulted in 

an inaccurate estimate of the amount 

of oil present. 

Previous technology (e.g., 

synthetic aperture radars, 

hyperspectral instruments, and 

laser fluorosensors) lacked 

the ability to measure oil film 

thickness, was expensive and 

not always readily available, 

or required aircraft to fly very 

close to the ocean surface, which 

sometimes resulted in a thin line 

of data corresponding to the 

laser’s track along the plane’s 

flight line. 

The new multispectral aerial 

sensor, however, relies on a color 

imager to record and spatially map 

the reflectance patterns on the ocean 

surface—in both contaminated water 

and clear water nearby. Software 

then compares and classifies the 

Mapping Oil Thickness

in Coastal and Offshore Waters

For more than 20 years, the 

Minerals Management 

Service (MMS), through 

the Technology Assessment and 

Research (TA&R) program, has been 

actively funding and conducting 

research to improve the knowledge, 

technologies, and methodologies 

used to detect, contain, and clean up 

oil spills. 

Two such undertakings, TA&R 

Project 544 and TA&R Project 594, 

were designed to develop a portable, 

easy-to-operate aerial sensor to detect 

and accurately map the thickness and 

distribution of an oil slick in coastal 

and offshore waters in realtime. 

Thanks to the oil thickness and 

mapping system developed through 

these two projects, response to the 

December 2008 oil spill off the coast 

of Santa Barbara, California, was 

effective and efficient. 

The oil thickness sensor 

and mapping system had been 

operationally flight-tested during 

overflights of the Coal Oil Point, 

California, natural oil seeps. The 

system acquired, processed, and 

Natural oil and gas seep offshore Coal Oil Point, California.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 9

image pixels into 

oil thickness classes 

based on their 

individual spectral 

characteristics. In 

addition to producing 

an accurate GIScompatible map of 

the oil features, the 

system eliminates the 

subjectivity of the 

observer-dependent 

visual approach. 

When the 

December 2008 spill 

off the coast of Santa 

Barbara County was 

reported, contractors from Ocean 

Imaging (OI) Corporation flew over 

the spill site. Initial photographs 

indicated that response vessels on the 

scene were not recovering oil in the 

thickest areas of the slick. OI’s use of 

the digital multispectral camera and 

thermal imager produced detailed 

maps that showed the exact locations 

and levels of thickness of the oil on 

the water. Spill responders received 

this information electronically in 

near realtime and were able to 

reposition recovery vessels to more 

effectively remove the most oil.

The quick and efficient 

response to the spill off the 

coast of Santa Barbara County 

shows that MMS-funded research 

projects result in practical 

contributions to making better 

Testing the oil-spill sensor and mapping system at Ohmsett.

Results from thickness sensor testing at Ohmsett.

For more information

TA&R Project 544

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/544.htm

TA&R Project 594

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/594.htm 

California Chronicle

www.californiachronicle.com/articles/84229 

Coast Guard News

http://coastguardnews.com/update-to-oil-spill-regulators-respond-to-platform-spill-off-the-coast/2008/12/09/

emergency response decisions. 

The development of the aerial 

thickness mapping system is 

another success story from the 

MMS Oil-Spill Response Research 

Program.

The objective of 

TA&R Project 544 was 

to develop an algorithm 

that would enable the 

measurement of oilslick thicknesses using 

multispectral aerial 

imagery. The project also 

examined the feasibility 

of developing a relatively 

economical, portable 

aerial oil-spill mapping 

system. Realtime 

operational verification 

flights over natural oil 

seeps were carried out 

in October 2005. The 

sensor package was 

successfully tested at 

Ohmsett in May 2006. 

Later in 2006, MMS 

initiated a second phase 

of the project (TA&R

Project 594) to develop a 

portable, easy-to-operate, 

aerial sensor to detect 

and accurately map the 

thickness and distribution 

of an oil slick in coastal 

and offshore waters in 

realtime. The California 

Department of Fish and 

Game Office of Spill 

Prevention and Response, 

a partner on this project, 

provided technical 

expertise. The project 

included five separate 

overflights over natural oil 

seeps off Santa Barbara.
The Gulf sturgeon 

(Acipenser oxyrinchus 

desotoi) is neither as charismatic 

as the sea otter nor as majestic as 

the North Pacific right whale. But 

its ancestry, lifecycle, and peculiar 

behaviors make this one of the 

most interesting marine species 

protected by the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA).

The fossil ancestry of the 

Gulf sturgeon (a subspecies of 

the Atlantic sturgeon) dates back 

225 million years. Over time, its 

appearance has changed very 

little. Reaching lengths up to 9 

feet (2.74 meters) and weighing 

up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms), 

this prehistoric fish is armored 

with heavy plates (scutes) along its 

back and sides. Its tube-like snout 

is marked by whiskers (barbels) 

and its tail is shark-like. This is no 

friendly-looking fish, but it is not an 

aggressive species.

10 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Gulf Sturgeon: A Peculiar Prehistoric Fish

For more information

Gulf Sturgeon, NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/gulfsturgeon.htm 

“Mystery of Florida’s Giant Jumping Sturgeon Solved?” National Geographic News

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061030-sturgeon.html

Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi). Illustration courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.

Once common in river 

systems from Tampa, Florida, to 

the Mississippi River, the Gulf 

sturgeon was valued for its eggs 

(caviar). Over-harvesting in the 

19th century dramatically reduced 

the population. In Florida, for 

example, between 1886 and 1901 

the annual harvest increased from 

1,500 to 84,000 pounds (680 to 

38,102 kilograms). Now considered 

“threatened” under the ESA, Gulf 

sturgeon are found in freshwater 

rivers from Florida’s Suwannee 

River to Louisiana’s Pearl River. 

The population in the Apalachicola 

River, a designated critical habitat, 

was estimated at fewer than 400. 

Like the 

salmon, the 

Gulf sturgeon 

is anadromous: 

in spring they 

migrate from 

their saltwater 

habitat to 

freshwater rivers 

to spawn. Also 

like salmon, 

these fishes’ 

migration 

is impeded 

by dams on 

freshwater 

rivers. Unlike 

salmon, sturgeon do not die after 

they spawn but can live to be over 

40 years old!

After adult and subadult Gulf 

sturgeon (both spawning and 

nonspawning) migrate into freshwater 

rivers, they eat very little. When they 

return to the Gulf of Mexico in the 

fall they regain weight by feeding 

on bottom-dwelling organisms, 

such as amphipods (small shrimplike crustaceans), isopods (small 

crustaceans), and marine worms. 

Fasting is not the Gulf 

sturgeon’s only peculiar behavior. 

During spawning, males make 

sounds similar to creaking door 

hinges. But perhaps most unusual 

is their leaping—Gulf sturgeons 

are known to leap suddenly out 

of the water, sometimes up to 6 

feet (1.82 meters)! The flamboyant 

leaps, which can be dangerous 

to humans, are almost constant 

during June through August and 

increase as the number of water 

recreationists increases.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist and intern with a 

Gulf sturgeon. Photo courtesy of Paul A. Lang, U.S. Fish & 

Wildlife Service.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Osteichthyes

Order: Acipenseriformes

Family: Acipenseridae

Genus: Acipenser

Species: oxyrinchus

Subspecies: desotoi
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 11

for this first forum. Information about 

ongoing environmental research on 

Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf was 

also covered at the concurrent MMS 

ITM in 25 additional presentations. 

These included topics about protected 

species, biological studies, social 

sciences and economics, fates and 

effects, physical oceanography, and 

multidisciplinary topics. The MMS 

convenes periodic ITM’s and other 

public meetings to present study results 

in a public forum and to facilitate the 

expression of multiple perspectives on 

scientific questions.

Over 400 people gathered 

in Anchorage, Alaska, 

October 28-30, 2008, for 

three days of talks highlighting 

research conducted for the planning 

and management of oil and gas 

activities in the U.S. and Canadian 

Beaufort Sea and onshore areas. 

The first “United States and Canada 

Northern Oil and Gas Research 

Forum: Current Status and Future 

Directions in the Beaufort Sea, 

North Slope and Mackenzie Delta” 

was held simultaneously with the 

Minerals Management Service’s 

(MMS) Alaska Region Eleventh 

Information Transfer Meeting (ITM). 

The forum was conceived by 

personnel from MMS’s Alaska 

Region and the Department of 

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada 

as a chance for U.S. and Canadian 

scientists, industry, and regulators to 

focus on sharing research programs 

and future directions for northern 

oil and gas development. The 

forum was planned and carried 

out by departments and agencies 

of both the U.S. and Canada. 

This forum is meant to become 

an important communication tool 

to help regulators, industry, and 

communities become better informed 

about existing research, learn about 

future directions, and understand 

how this information is used in 

decisionmaking. 

The forum featured over 20 

poster sessions and nearly 50 oral 

presentations by U.S. and Canadian 

authors in the sessions of TechnicalEngineering; Socio-cultural/Socioeconomic; Biological Sciences; 

and Physical Sciences. In addition, 

there were three panel discussions: 

U.S. and Canadian Management 

Research Needs and Priorities; U.S. 

and Canadian Industry Research 

Priorities; and Facilitated Wrap 

Up-Next Steps-Closing Remarks. 

The MMS shared nine of its ITM 

presenters to form a solid foundation 

An abstract volume for the 

forum was published and is available 

on the North Slope Science Initiative 

(NSSI) website. A final report 

containing the abstracts and slide 

presentations, and a summary of 

the meeting and facilitated closing 

discussion will be available on the 

NSSI and MMS Alaska Region’s 

websites. The presentations from 

and proceedings of the MMS Alaska 

ITM will be available on the MMS 

Alaska Region’s website.

A

Research

las

 F

k

orum

a

For more information

Alaska ITM Agenda

www.mms.gov/alaska/ess/itm/ITM_agenda.pdf

MMS Alaska Website

www.mms.gov/alaska/ 

North Slope Science Initiative

www.northslope.org/

Research Forum Agenda

www.mms.gov/alaska/ess/itm/ForumAgendaOctober10-24-08.pdf

Attendees at the Research Forum in Anchorage, Alaska.
12 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

This is the story of one such 

shipwreck lying in approximately 

1,350 feet (411 meters) of water on 

the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

A few of the World War II 

shipwreck sites in the Gulf have 

been positively identified because 

their relatively recent losses were 

well-documented and their names 

or other features were visible on 

their hulls. But identifying older 

wooden shipwrecks in deep water is a 

different matter and is often tentative 

at best. These sites are more difficult 

to reach and, because of their age and 

composition, often yield fewer clues.

The Hunt for the REAL

As part of its permitting 

process and as mandated 

by Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation 

Act, the Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) often requires 

remote-sensing surveys to identify 

potential cultural resources on the 

seafloor. Important archaeological 

discoveries are often made in this 

way, adding to our understanding 

of the Nation’s history and earlier 

maritime uses of the Gulf of 

Mexico. As energy exploration 

and development move into deeper 

waters, a previously unexplored 

resource is also being explored.

The potential identification 

of many shipwrecks is based on 

a predictive model and MMS’s 

proprietary GIS database, which 

contains over 3,000 entries of 

historic and recent shipwrecks in 

the Gulf. This model builds on 

previous databases that modeled 

locations based on their historically 

reported locations. One assumption 

of the model was that shipwrecks 

would most likely be located within 

5 miles (8 kilometers) of their 

reported locations. 

However, as industry surveys 

moved into deep water and 

WESTERN EMPIRE

Shipbuilding in Quebec, Canada, where Western Empire was built.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 13

outside the “high-probability 

areas,” it became apparent that 

this assumption was no longer 

applicable. For example, the 

steamship New York (1846) was 

discovered not 5 but 200 miles (not 8 

but 322 kilometers) from where the 

MMS model had placed her.

In response, a new study was 

undertaken in 2000 to refine and 

revise the shipwreck database. 

The study included more primary 

and historical sources, such as 

newspaper reports and other 

archived records. Still, the strengths 

and weakness of the model are 

evident and overall reliability of the 

model is only as good as the initial 

research. This is the case with the 

true—and truly remarkable—story 

of Western Empire.

A 19th-century wooden 

shipwreck located in deep water 

(at approximately 1,350 feet [411 

meters]) was identified as Western 

Empire, which was believed to 

have succumbed to the sea on 

September 18, 1876. The site 

had been reported in the early 

1980’s after a remote-sensing 

survey for Shell. Texas A&M 

researchers explored the site and, 

using the database developed for 

MMS, inferred the identity of 

Western Empire. Based on historic 

information at that time and the 

site’s approximate dimensions, 

archaeologists felt confident 

with the identification. But that 

confidence didn’t last long.

Western Empire was one of nine 

oceangoing ships in the “Empire” 

series built in Quebec between 

1860 and 1863 by William Baldwin 

and Henry Dinning for English 

commercial firms. Indian Empire

was the first, launched in 1860. 

Other “Empires” included Colonial, 

The windlass of the unidentified ship. Windlasses are machines used to lift or haul heavy 

objects, usually ship anchors.

Celestial, Western, Eastern, French, 

Northern, British, and Southern.

Western Empire transported 

goods and people to and from 

Liverpool and India at least three 

times between 1864 and 1865 before 

changing owners. By 1868 she was 

involved in trade between London 

and Australia. Her adventures 

included one mutiny. The last 

survey of the vessel, 1869-1870, 

shows that she was no longer a 

passenger carrier but most likely 

carried cargo.

Bound for her home port in 

London on September 11, 1875, 

Western Empire sailed out of 

Daily Picayune article, one of the historic 

resources used to solve the mystery of 

Western Empire.

“... after making a voyage of more than 

five hundred miles without a hand at 

her helm.”
14 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Pensacola, Florida, for what would 

be her last voyage. Caught in a 

storm in the Gulf of Mexico, she 

was abandoned and presumed lost. 

After 10 days at sea in long boats, 

seven crew members drowned trying 

to make their way back to shore.

Most secondary sources list the 

wrecking event as September 18, 1876, 

a year after she left Pensacola. This 

suggests a problem with the historic 

record. Through historic research 

it was later determined from a 

newspaper article in the Daily Picayune

(of New Orleans) that Western Empire

was abandoned during a heavy storm 

on September 18, 1875, not 1876.

Still, the physical remains 

located on the bottom of the 

Mississippi Canyon Area of the 

Gulf of Mexico and the approximate 

location of the loss matched the 

dimensions of Western Empire and 

correlated with the information in 

the MMS database. For a while, 

the identification of the site as the 

remains of Western Empire was 

accepted until further historical 

information came to light. 

In an October 1875 Galveston, 

Texas, newspaper account, a 

schooner captain reported seeing 

Western Empire in the Gulf, after 

she was thought to have sunk: 

“mizzen mast standing, signal flag 

flying in mizzen rigging, fore and 

main masts lying alongside, both 

anchors hanging under her bow.” 

No one was seen on board; weather 

conditions prevented boarding.

How, then, could Western 

Empire have been seen in the Gulf 

just a week or so later? Additional 

historic research was necessary to 

solve this mystery.

A November 1875 article in 

a Pensacola, Florida, newspaper 

reported that “the abandoned ship 

has been found, after making a 

voyage of more than five hundred 

miles without a hand at her helm.” 

According to the account, Western 

Empire had been “caught in the 

reflux current”: “the masterless ship 

drifted with the influence of the 

gulf stream . . . swept through the 

straits of Florida and on toward the 

Atlantic until she was discovered 

30 miles north of Jupiter inlet, 

swinging to an anchor.” Indeed, 

Western Empire was found 30 miles 

(48 kilometers) north of Jupiter Inlet 

on the Atlantic coast of Florida! 

District Court proceedings 

show that Benjamin Baker, a 

wrecker near Key Largo, Florida, 

learned of and began searching for 

the “water logged and dismasted 

vessel” on October 15, 1875. 

Western Empire was found by Baker 

on November 3, 1875, “full of 

water with a load of timbers and 

dismasted and totally abandoned.”

According to Dr. Chris Horrell, 

MMS marine archaeologist, the 

ship was likely already in the 

Loop Current when a Category 3 

hurricane entered the Gulf: “Western 

Empire was caught up in the Loop 

Current and spit out through the 

Straits of Florida, catching a ride on 

the Gulf Stream. She likely would 

have continued on to Europe had 

her anchors not caught the sand bar 

just off Florida.” 

What, then, is the vessel 

formerly believed to be Western 

Empire? Researchers at Texas A&M, 

using a remotely-operated vehicle 

and a one-person submersible, 

gathered hours of video data that, 

on close inspection, suggest that 

the site is much older than initially 

believed and may date to the first 

quarter of the 19th century. Future 

archaeological and historical 

investigations may uncover her 

age, nationality, function, and, it is 

hoped, her name and history.

The case of Western Empire 

teaches the importance of solid 

research and critical analysis of 

the archaeological and historical 

record, and demonstrates MMS’s 

commitment to rigorous inquiry 

into and protection of our Nation’s 

maritime heritage.

Note: This article is based on Chris 

Horrell’s paper “The British Merchant 

Ship Western Empire: A Lesson from 

the Archives,” presented at the Society 

for Historical Archaeology Conference 

in York, England, in 2005, and under 

peer review for publication in Historic 

Archaeology.

The case of Western Empire teaches 

the importance of solid research and 

critical analysis of the archaeological 

and historical record ...

Lloyd’s shipping register, 1868, one of the 

historic resources used to solve the mystery 

of Western Empire.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 15

Coastal Impact Assistance Program Helps Coastal Areas

As a steward of the ocean 

environment, the Minerals 

Management Service 

(MMS) understands the importance 

of the shorelines of coastal states 

involved in the exploration and 

development of the Federal 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

energy resources. Protecting and 

rebuilding coastal areas is a priority 

for MMS. 

The Coastal Impact Assistance 

Program (CIAP), established by 

the Energy Policy Act of 2005, 

authorizes funds to be distributed 

to oil- and gas-producing states to 

assist in conserving, protecting, 

and restoring coastal areas. Under 

CIAP, the Secretary of the Interior 

is authorized to distribute $250 

million for each fiscal year 2007 

through 2010 to eligible producing 

States and coastal political 

subdivisions. The Secretary 

delegated this authority to MMS.

Eligible states with an MMSapproved CIAP Plan may submit 

grant applications for projects 

included in the plan. To date, 

Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

Texas have MMS-approved CIAP 

Plans. Mississippi’s Plan, for fiscal 

years 2007-2010, was approved 

in February 2009. Texas’s Plan, 

approved in January 2009, makes 

more than $48 million for fiscal 

year 2007 available through Federal 

grants to the State and 18 counties 

to conserve, restore, and protect 

coastal areas. 

Protecting Grand Lake, 

Louisiana

The MMS has awarded a 

$10.6 million grant to the State of 

Louisiana through CIAP for its 

Grand Lake Shoreline Protection 

project, which is located in the 

Mermentau Basin in Cameron 

Parish, Louisiana. 

In the Grand Lake area, erosion 

rates range from 11 to 32 feet (3.4 to 

9.8 meters) per year. The year-long 

Grand Lake Shoreline Protection 

project, a part of Louisiana’s CIAP 

For more information

“Grand Lake Shoreline Protection Project Status,” Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force

www.lacoast.gov/reports/display.asp?projectNumber=ME-21a&reportType=general 

“High Tides on the Texas Coast,” Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/fnotes/fn0712/coast.html 

MMS Coastal Impact Assistance Program

www.mms.gov/offshore/CIAPmain.htm 

MMS Press Releases

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2009/090112.pdf

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2009/090203.pdf 

plan approved in November 2007, 

will construct a breakwater about 

37,800 feet (11,521 meters) long 

on Grand Lake’s south shore. 

The breakwater will protect the 

shoreline from further erosion and 

will promote accretion between the 

breakwater and the shore, thereby 

mitigating adverse impacts on 

adjacent fresh marsh. 

Grants awarded through CIAP 

help ensure that States supporting 

the Nation’s energy needs receive 

assistance to protect their coastal 

communities and environments.

South shore of Grand Lake, Louisiana, Hurricane Katrina surge-scoured intermediate marsh 

peninsula. Photo courtesy of John Barras, U.S. Geological Survey.
MMS: A steward of 

the ocean environment

mms OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

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NEW WAVES Late-Breaking News & Information

Ron Brinkman

has been appointed Senior Staff Geophysicist 

in the Resource Evaluation Office. 

 In 1973, Brinkman earned a BS degree in 

Mathematics with a minor in Earth Sciences from 

the University of New Orleans. He began his 

Federal career in 1977 with the U.S. Geological 

Survey, where he worked in physical science 

positions. In 1982, Brinkman was hired as a 

Staff Geophysicist by the Minerals Management 

Service (MMS), Gulf of Mexico Region. He is 

widely regarded in the geophysical community 

as a key contact person in seismic issues. He has 

over 25 years of seismic permitting experience. 

As Senior Staff Geophysicist, Brinkman will 

oversee seismic compliance and policy issues 

for all MMS Regional Offices, develop a tactical 

work plan, and facilitate communication and 

coordination on internal and external seismic 

survey issues. 

David Trocquet

was recently selected as the new District 

Manager for the Minerals Management 

Service’s (MMS) New Orleans District Office, 

Field Operations. Trocquet has worked in the 

New Orleans District since 1996, most recently 

as District Drilling Engineer.

In 1982, Trocquet earned his BS degree in 

Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State 

University; later, he furthered his education 

by completing graduate courses in computer 

science and petroleum engineering. Before 

joining MMS as a staff petroleum engineer in 

1988, he spent 5 years in oil and gas industry 

positions. 

In his new position as New Orleans District 

Manager, Trocquet will manage a range of 

functions, such as accident investigations, civil 

penalty reviews, drilling permit reviews, and 

safety inspections.

New Leadership Selections