31/05/2026
Con orgullo les comparto un artículo que salió hoy sobre nuestro trabajo en la Lonsdale. Me he permitido traducirlo en inglés, para quiénes no hablan español. / I am proud to share an article published today about our work on the Lonsdale. I have taken the liberty of translating it into English for those who do not speak Spanish.
The Digital Rebirth of the Lonsdale: Historic Frigate Begins Its Path Toward Heritage Rescue
From underwater work and aerial documentation, specialists in underwater archaeology, digital modeling and heritage studies are carrying out the first scientific survey of the old iron vessel built in the late nineteenth century.
For decades, thousands of residents of Punta Arenas have lived alongside the Lonsdale. It stands there, motionless, facing the strait, resisting the wind, tides and the passage of time. It appears in tourist photographs and has become part of the everyday visual identity of the city’s coastline. Yet, despite its presence, there was until now very little precise information about the real condition of the frigate.
That is exactly what a group of specialists began to investigate a few days ago in Punta Arenas, as part of the first stage of a major project promoted by the Corporation for the Rescue of Maritime Heritage, Crespam. The final objective is to open the way toward the preservation of one of the most emblematic maritime remains in the Magallanes Region.
Funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation in Germany, this initial stage seeks to obtain for the first time a complete technical survey of the vessel. To achieve this, a tool will be used that combines archaeology, technology and digital modeling: photogrammetry.
The technique consists of capturing thousands of images from different angles in order to reconstruct an object in three dimensions. In the case of the Lonsdale, the challenge is even greater, since part of its structure remains underwater.
“We are going to combine different techniques. The section that is underwater will be recorded through subaquatic photogrammetry, and the visible section will be captured by drone flights,” explained underwater archaeologist Paulina Acuña, who is responsible for the survey.
The result will be a digital replica of high technical precision, capable of showing dimensions, deformations, structural losses and levels of deterioration. A three-dimensional model will allow the third party involved in the project to study the wreck without physically intervening in it, and it will serve as a basis for future conservation decisions.
The importance of this work lies in the fact that, until now, there has been no detailed scientific information about the current condition of the Lonsdale. The initiative also includes a preliminary analysis of conservation and the compilation of historical and technical records that will help understand the evolution of the vessel over time.
Specialists Unique in Chile
In order to develop the project, it was necessary to bring together an interdisciplinary team composed of archaeologists, underwater archaeologists, drone pilots, digital modelers and heritage specialists.
Among them is archaeologist Paulina Acuña y Nicolás Lira, archaeologists who in recent years have gained experience in underwater photogrammetry in different parts of the country.
Paulina Acuña Leyton is an underwater archaeologist and specialist in photogrammetry, including underwater photogrammetry. She leads the technical team responsible for the photogrammetric survey before the National Monuments Council.
Nicolás Lira is an underwater archaeologist, Doctor in Archaeology and academic at the University of Chile. He will participate on site and in the technical validation of the three-dimensional model. He also serves as scientific advisor to the project.
Álvaro Delgado is an archaeologist, drone pilot and specialist in Geographic Information Systems and photogrammetry. He is responsible for the automated flight planning and ex*****on.
Digital modeling will be carried out by Víctor García Pavón, specialist in digital model development and a member of the Corporation for the Rescue of Heritage Assets.
In the audiovisual field, Omar Lavín, audiovisual specialist from Crespam, will be in charge of the audiovisual record of the project and the generation of content for public dissemination.
The team is no stranger to this field. One of its best-known works was carried out in Bahía del Águila, near Faro San Isidro, where they documented the remains of whaling-era vessels belonging to an old whaling station. They later participated in the recording of a monoxyle canoe, a Mapuche vessel found in the basin of Lake Ranco, facing complex current and visibility conditions.
“Photogrammetry has revolutionized the documentation of underwater heritage because it allows us to obtain much more precise records, faster than traditional methods,” said Lira.
Experience, accumulated over years, was one of the factors that led Crespam to bring them in for this initiative.
Much More Than an Abandoned Ship
For those promoting the project, the Lonsdale represents much more than a deteriorated iron structure facing the sea.
“It is part of the collective imagination of Punta Arenas. People come closer to it, take photographs with it; the vessel has become a visual structure. It is a milestone within the city,” said Víctor García, a member of the digital documentation team.
Precisely because of its condition as an urban symbol, the specialists believe it is urgent to move forward in its protection. Not only because of the progressive deterioration of the vessel, but also because of the risks that its current condition could generate for those who interact with it on a daily basis.
Digital documentation will allow the vessel to be observed at a level of detail that is impossible to obtain through simple visual inspections. Based on that information, it will be possible to develop a technical model capable of identifying materials, structural damage and possible intervention scenarios.
The Beginning of a New Voyage
This first stage corresponds only to the beginning of a process that includes three phases. After the diagnostic survey and the preparation of a heritage management plan and intervention criteria, Crespam hopes to evaluate the implementation of concrete conservation measures.
The questions that arise are as complex as they are urgent: should the Lonsdale remain in the place where it is located? Is it advisable to remove it from the water? Is it possible to transform it into a museum site? Who should be responsible for its future maintenance?
For now, there are no definitive answers.
“It has never been considered to reconstruct it. What exists today is what must be consolidated and protected,” stated García.
Beyond technical decisions, the promoters hope that the project will help generate a broader conversation about maritime heritage in the region and about the value of historic vessels that formed part of the Magallanes identity.
The Lonsdale could become a case study not only for future initiatives involving coastal conservation, where other historic structures face similar challenges.
Meanwhile, during these days, drones, cameras and archaeologists are working silently around the old frigate. Thousands of photographs will be captured from the air and from underwater. Each image will contribute one more fragment of the puzzle.
For the first time in its long history, the Lonsdale will begin to reveal, with scientific precision, the secrets that time and the sea have kept beneath its structure.
Photo Captions
Built at the end of the nineteenth century as one of the last large windjammer-type sailing vessels, the Lonsdale ended its days as a dock pontoon in the Strait of Magellan, where part of its bow and hull still remain visible today.
The photograph shows the moment when reference points are installed for the subsequent processing of aerial and underwater images.
The photograph shows the state of internal deterioration of the vessel.
From left to right: Víctor García, Paulina Fajardo, Paulina Acuña and Nicolás Lira.
On site: Nicolás Lira, Paulina Acuña and Álvaro Delgado.
