In August 2011 Garry Gitzen  accepted an offer as a member of the Oregon Mystery Galleon with some members from the former Beeswax Galleon team as Historical Advisor.  The new research team consists of area residents and the former lead archeologist from the Beeswax Galleon.  The team will be led by underwater archaeologist Mitch Marken, PhD from Southern California.  Other members are Scott Williams, archaeologist; Dave Mathews and Bob Caulkins, divers; John Dubé, porcelains and stoneware;  Tom Mock, President of the Nehalem Valley Historical Society as facilitator; Gene Dieken, webmaster. 

Dr. Marken graduated from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland where he earned his Ph.D. in maritime archaeology.  Concentrating his research on Spanish Galleons, his field experience included supervising the excavation of Mel Fisher’s find- the Atocha - in the Florida Keys, under requirements of the state of Florida.

Gaining an international reputation, he has consulted on several other famous projects in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Britain, Greece, Mexico, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Ecuador to name a few.  For the past decade, Mitch has also worked as a Native American and archaeological consultant to US government agencies on highly sensitive projects throughout the western United States and Hawaii.  He is a former University of San Francisco professor.

Most recently (October, 2008), the PBS series History Detectives featured him as an archaeological expert helping their team discover the origins of a mysterious marking on an ancient block of wax that washed up on the Oregon coast. Other past appearances include the BBC documentary series Discoveries Underwater, and for the History Channel, The Curse of the Somers: Billy Budd’s Ghost Ship.  For more info on Mitch go to: www.OregonMysteryGalleon.com