Thistlegorm: 360° Underwater Video
Take a virtual dive on the S.S Thistlegorm shipwreck with 360°
underwater video.
Data Collection
The 360 degree underwater videos were shot with a Kolor GoPro Abyss rig, this comprised of six individual cameras in an array, each shooting 4K Ultra HD footage.
Our aim was to capture both static shots from inside and outside the wreck as well as moving footage from around the wreck site. The final dive involved mounting the Abyss system to the front of a DPV (underwater scooter) and using this to create a complete 360 degree virtual dive around the wreck site. Due to the high resolution, the total file size from all the cameras was roughly 50GB per dive. In total we recorded over 1.5Tb of raw 360 footage during the project.
Processing
The process began with cutting ‘rushes’ (best clips) from each dive. This required finding the same point in time from each of the six cameras, generally a starting point where we had tapped the camera to create an audio synchronization marker for the software to detect.
The second stage involved aligning and stitching the videos, the most complicated part of the process. Using specialist software the rushes were synchronized and control points added to align each of the videos into their fixed position. The individual videos were then merged together into a single 360 video file and exported in high resolution (up to 8K).
360° Virtual Dive
Take a virtual 360 degree dive around the site of the S.S. Thistlegorm shipwreck. Using a GoPro Abyss rig mounted to an underwater scooter, let the diver guide you around the wreck to see all the main features including the cargo of railway carriages on the forward deck, the broken field of debris where the explosion took place and finally the guns mounted onto the stern section.
Note: Make sure to use modern browser that supports 360 video, such a Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.
Static 360 Videos
View a selection of static 360 degree videos from locations both inside and outside the S.S. Thistlegorm Wreck.
Make sure to use modern browser that supports 360 video, such a Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.
Static 360 Videos
Mobile Users: Please visit the Presence in the Past YouTube Channel in the YouTube App to experience these videos in the interactive 360 degree format.
