Contributions in US Navy Underwater Archaeology

This session in US Navy Underwater Archaeology focuses on recent Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) missions on Navy ship and aircraft wrecks. Archaeological survey and recoveries include projects dating from the Revolutionary War, early 19th century, American Civil War, and World Wars I and II. The archaeological research on these varied sites encompasses the history of the United States from its inception during the Revolution through World War II. These wreck sites thus represent important historical events and personages. The papers incorporate the emerging new methodologies of documenting underwater sites and interpreting the data. Certain papers also look at the threats created by an evolving industrial world that requires ordnance clearance, dredging operations for increased deep draft ship traffic, and in the developing world the illegal salvage of entire wrecks for their scrap iron.