Photo By Lisa Woodbury Rama | Crete, Greece - Peter Matheos, NAVFAC EURAFCENT Environmental Engineer, inspects a...... read more read more
Naval Support Activity Souda Bay is located on the Island of Crete in Greece - a nation revered for its history, culture and natural beauty. The U.S. Navy assets located there are committed to protecting them by avoiding, or minimizing, any adverse impacts caused by Navy operations and activities.
One tool used to insure the past is protected is the use of site surveys prior to proposed work or new operations. The surveys identify any natural or cultural resources that must be considered during the planning and design process. It is commonplace for Souda Bay site surveys to come upon artifacts and structures dating back as far as 3,000 B.C.
This was the case during a recent survey conducted prior to constructing a three-mile-long aircraft fuel pipeline running from the Hellenic (Greek) Navy and NATO fuel depot to the installation. The proposed route for the new fuel line ran near the Marathiospilio Cave, a documented and protected archeological site, and a Roman era aqueduct.
“These thorough surveys are very important because they give the host nation agencies responsible for caring and maintaining ancient artifacts the peace of mind that the U.S. Navy is a good steward of their cultural resources. Having the confidence of the Greek Ministry of Culture allows us to proceed with surveys quickly and efficiently,” said Peter Matheos, Environmental Engineer, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), Souda Bay.
Scatters of ceramics dating back to 2,200 B.C. were found around the installation prior to the survey so it was not a surprise when more Bronze-aged (3,000 B.C. to 500 A.D.) ceramics with quartz temper were found on the protected archeological site.
The pipeline path runs alongside a roughly three-kilometer-long Roman era (700 B.C. to 400 A.D.) aqueduct. A section of this aqueduct spans a nearly 98-foot ravine and includes two standing walls approximately 13 feet high and up to 13 feet in length.
Much of the aqueduct has been lost to time and the elements but further along the path is another section that is approximately 213 feet long with terra cotta piping grooves still clearly visible. The archeologists speculate the aqueduct was used to transport water from a spring in the hills above Marathi down towards the bay to what may have been a swimming (or storage) pool adjacent to a “Roman Villa” or perhaps a military ship resupply facility. It is difficult for historians to tell because all that is remaining is what looks like a swimming pool and ruins of a small building.
The Hellenic (Greek) Ministry of Culture archeological office was especially concerned that exposed portions of the aqueduct would sustain damage due to vibrations or falling rocks during the construction phase of the project. The Navy proposed protection measures including putting up barriers around the aqueduct and performing joint work on two of its rock walls in order to reinforce them.
Matheos, an environmental engineer, was impressed by the quality of the design and construction methods used by the early engineers for the aqueduct. “The high wall portions that were repaired during our project were part of a ravine crossing intended to maintain the constant mild slope of the aqueduct. Surviving remnants indicate that it was very precisely engineered so that the water would flow at a constant rate towards the bay, Matheos said, “The engineering parameters used are not too different from the parameters used to design the fuel pipeline approximately 2,000 years later.”
Mitigation measures were used to protect these natural and engineering marvels and the project proceeded. Fuel for U.S. and NATO aircraft currently runs through the pipeline positioned alongside the antiquities which were reinforced or protected so to stand ready to be enjoyed by generations to come.
Mission accomplished.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2021 05:06 |
| Story ID: | 399131 |
| Location: | GR |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Mission: Construct Fuel Pipeline. Objective #1: Protect the Past, by Lisa Woodbury Rama, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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