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Anchors away for adventurous museum boss
By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer
The longtime head of the Vancouver Maritime Museum has traded in his desk and computer for a BlackBerry and more undersea adventures.
Marine archeologist James Delgado, an avid undersea explorer, has resigned as executive director of the museum to head the Texas-based Institute for Nautical Archeology. The research group has undertaken underwater archeology projects around the globe, including a project to survey and excavate sites in the Mediterranean, since 1973.
"I am an archeologist but I've just been doing it part-time for a number of years. I've had a very heavy schedule and even through my work with Sea Hunters I was only gone a couple of months a year," said Delgado, referring to the popular National Geographic TV program he co-hosts. "I miss being regularly exposed to diving wrecks and archeological projects."
He said he'll also miss many aspects of his museum job, including working with the thousands of people who visit the Maritime Museum each year.
"My greatest joy is touching the past and I like to share that with the public," he said. "There's a magic in sharing that with children."
Delgado, 48, has led or participated in shipwreck expeditions around the world, including undersea explorations of the Titanic, the recent discoveries of Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic's survivors, and the notorious "ghost ship" Mary Celeste. He's also helped with surveys of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, the sunken fleet of atomic-bombed warships at Bikini Atoll, the polar exploration ship Maud, which was wrecked in the Arctic, and the 1846 wreck of the United States naval brig Somers.
His archaeological work also includes the excavation of ships and collapsed buildings along the now-buried waterfront of gold rush San Francisco. Delgado also studies and helps preserve shipwreck sites and maritime heritage, and led the crew that restored the Ben Franklin submarine originally built in Switzerland for famed undersea explorer and scientist Jacques Piccard.
Prior to joining the Vancouver Maritime Museum in 1991, Delgado was head of the U.S. government's maritime preservation program and was the maritime historian for the U.S. National Park Service. Besides Sea Hunters, Delgado's other TV credits include specials for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Explorer, A&E, the History Channel, and ABC.
During a phone interview, an excited Delgado said he's looking forward to the new underwater adventures his new job will bring. During his time at the Maritime Museum, Delgado worked hard to find the aging facility a new home. Last year the museum board announced plans for construction of a National Maritime Centre in North Vancouver. Delgado said if the city agrees, many of the regional and national artifacts will go to North Vancouver on loan. Local artifacts would likely be part of an amalgamation between the Vancouver Museum and Maritime Museum.
"It will embody the saying 'By sea and land we prosper,'" he said of the motto which is included in the city's coat of arms.
Delgado leaves the Maritime Museum June 30, but could remain on its board of directors. He called both the announcement regarding the new museum in North Vancouver, and his resignation, timely.
"As I segue, so does the museum segue," he said.
Delgado and his wife have no plans to move to Texas, because the job requires him to travel around the world.
"The benefit is I get to head the organization and roam the world, and I get to keep living in my waterfront home in Steveston," he said. "All I can say is thank goodness for the BlackBerry."
published on 03/24/2006
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