Professor Timmy Gambin

I am Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, from where I obtained a B.A. in History. Following my undergraduate studies, I went on to attain an M.A. in Maritime Archaeology and History at the University of Bristol in the UK where I continued my postgraduate studies by reading for a doctorate in Maritime Archaeology. In 2001, I joined the Department as a visiting lecturer and took up a full time post as Senior Lecturer in spring of 2012.

Over the past years, I have been involved in numerous collaborative research projects. The PaleoMed Project with the CNRS (Aix en Provence) is aimed at the reconstruction of ancient coastal landscapes and environments of the Maltese Islands. The multidisciplinary approach sees archaeologists working together with geomorphologists and palynologists. The Ancient Cisterns Project with CalPoly (USA) explores underground water management systems through the use of small remote operated vehicles armed with a variety of sensors. Together with a number of local partners and authorities, I also directed numerous offshore underwater surveys in various parts of the Mediterranean including Spain, Italy and Croatia.

I consider myself lucky to combine my passion for WWII history with archaeology – especially in the growing field of aviation archaeology underwater. With well over 50 aircraft discovered and explored so far, submerged aircraft crash sites are fast becoming an integral part of my work. Currently, my major project is the excavation of the Phoenician Shipwreck off the island of Gozo – datable to 700BC – it is currently the oldest known shipwreck in the central Mediterranean.

I have recently edited a volume of papers delivered at the First International Conference of Aviation Archaeology and Heritage.

Tytuł prezentacji: Looking for a US airman in Maltese waters – the excavation of a WWII bomber.

In May 1943 the Allies were turning the tide of the war in the Mediterranean were taking the offensive to the e enemy by air, land and sea. During an air raid on southern Italy, an aircraft of the United States Army Air Force crashed off Malta with the loss of one crew member. After many decades, a team from the University of Malta dived the site and subsequently conducted a systematic investigation of the site together with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). This talk tracks the aircraft mission, how she came to crash into the sea off Malta and the subsequent identification and underwater excavation of the aircraft.