Decaying Giants: A Longitudinal Photographic Assessment of the Eduard Bohlen Shipwreck on Namibia's Skeleton Coast.

Decaying Giants: A Longitudinal Photographic Assessment of the Eduard Bohlen Shipwreck on Namibia's Skeleton Coast. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Decaying Giants: A Longitudinal Photographic Assessment of the Eduard Bohlen Shipwreck on Namibia's Skeleton Coast. Eliot Sibungo Mowa This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8957351/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents a longitudinal analysis of the Eduard Bohlen shipwreck, located along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, employing photographic image analysis to evaluate structural deterioration over 27 years (1990–2017). Drawing on a curated series of images from institutional archives and academic sources, the research applies a visual comparative method to assess preservation status and identify change diagnostic features (CDFs) across multiple time points. The central aims are twofold: to document the extent and nature of the wreck’s physical decay, and to assess the efficacy of photographic analysis as a non-invasive, cost-effective tool in maritime heritage monitoring. Results reveal progressive degradation attributable to environmental factors such as salt-laden fog, wind-driven sand abrasion, and chemical corrosion, as well as biological and human disturbances. The study demonstrates that systematic photographic documentation—when longitudinally applied—can yield valuable insights into heritage site dynamics, particularly in geographically remote or logistically inaccessible locations. The findings support the integration of photographic methodologies into broader conservation strategies and call for enhanced collaboration between heritage authorities and local stakeholders. Recommendations include expanding the methodological toolkit through drone imagery and AI-driven change detection to improve future heritage assessments and inform in situ preservation planning. Photographic Image Analysis Shipwreck Deterioration Maritime Heritage Eduard Bohlen Longitudinal Study Skeleton Coast Namibia Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 24 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8957351","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":601262284,"identity":"5cc83b29-fcdd-459b-ac5e-8f87a06a1124","order_by":0,"name":"Eliot Sibungo Mowa","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAApElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCCtK1nCFZB2MbKar5xQ4fk/g573Ae/7QDbA9+EKNFcnZammTvtsPFErcT2A17iNFicDvH7AbvtsOJDbcT2CR4iNFiD9Ry8++cw4nzgVok/xBli3SO2W3ehsOJG4BapImyReJ2WvpvmWPpiRtvJ7ZJyxCjhX928mHDNzXWifNuJx+TfEOMFiTA2ECihlEwCkbBKBgFOAEAiwgzK0H+O68AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Namibia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eliot","middleName":"Sibungo","lastName":"Mowa","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-24 12:23:39","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8957351/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8957351/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104404642,"identity":"9c3a0746-bfb3-4657-9fa8-fb3a6e8bcf6c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:20:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1792876,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DecayingGiantsALongitudinalPhotographicAssessmentoftheEduardBohlenShipwreckonNamibiasSkeletonCoast..pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8957351/v1_covered_7ada2af7-92c8-45dc-ae19-eb1599b4c35e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Decaying Giants: A Longitudinal Photographic Assessment of the Eduard Bohlen Shipwreck on Namibia's Skeleton Coast.","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"journal-of-maritime-archaeology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jmar","sideBox":"Learn more about [Journal of Maritime Archaeology](http://link.springer.com/journal/11457)","snPcode":"11457","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11457/3","title":"Journal of Maritime Archaeology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Photographic Image Analysis, Shipwreck Deterioration, Maritime Heritage, Eduard Bohlen, Longitudinal Study, Skeleton Coast, Namibia, Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8957351/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8957351/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study presents a longitudinal analysis of the \u003cem\u003eEduard Bohlen\u003c/em\u003e shipwreck, located along Namibia\u0026rsquo;s Skeleton Coast, employing photographic image analysis to evaluate structural deterioration over 27 years (1990\u0026ndash;2017). Drawing on a curated series of images from institutional archives and academic sources, the research applies a visual comparative method to assess preservation status and identify change diagnostic features (CDFs) across multiple time points. The central aims are twofold: to document the extent and nature of the wreck\u0026rsquo;s physical decay, and to assess the efficacy of photographic analysis as a non-invasive, cost-effective tool in maritime heritage monitoring.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResults reveal progressive degradation attributable to environmental factors such as salt-laden fog, wind-driven sand abrasion, and chemical corrosion, as well as biological and human disturbances. The study demonstrates that systematic photographic documentation\u0026mdash;when longitudinally applied\u0026mdash;can yield valuable insights into heritage site dynamics, particularly in geographically remote or logistically inaccessible locations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings support the integration of photographic methodologies into broader conservation strategies and call for enhanced collaboration between heritage authorities and local stakeholders. 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