Deep reveal
20
Water & Atmosphere
The WW2 minesweeper HMNZS South Sea sank after a collision in the main channel of Wellington Harbour in 1942.
Davidson used advanced processing techniques to reveal the 20m deep wreck resting almost perfectly on the muddy seafloor.
This 3D image of the vessel’s remarkably intact hull was generated by Marine Geology Technician Sam Davidson, using multibeam echosounder data gathered during a harbour seabed survey.
Davidson entered the image in the data visualisation section of the 2023 NIWA Staff Photography competition.
December 2023
While much of the vessel’s superstructure has been removed to avoid navigation hazards, some features, including an extended lifeboat davit (yellow), are still visible.
As the following images show, the South Sea wreck is just one of many colourful scenes NIWA staff encounter working in the world of environmental science.
www.niwa.co.nz
