Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology

Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology," at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Researchers theorized about aviation archaeology as early as the 1980s, and the first methodology publications, mainly by government agencies and archaeology students, appeared in the 1990s. Since, state and federal agencies, university scholars, and independent researchers have attempted to explain, expand, and formalize the sub-discipline. The focus has been on looking beyond historical documentation and artifact-centric salvage. Archaeological surveys on terrestrial aviation heritage sites and objects, and underwater aircraft of all types include site formation processes, battlefield, and landscape studies. A return to theoretical frameworks for studying aeronautical heritage is a recent development in academic work. Around the world, archaeologists are taking multiple scientific approaches to evaluate aviation heritage sites and objects in all environments. The papers in this session will serve to account for the current practices and help determine the next steps to achieve a standard methodology in aeronautical archaeology.

Other Keywords
Aviation • Aviation Archaeology • aircraft • Archaeology • Photogrammetry • conflict archaeology • Aeronautical Archaeology • National Park Service • Archeology • Methodology

Temporal Keywords
WWII • 20th Century • Second World War • Twentieth Century • Historical • World War II • 1949 • Contemporary Archaeology • 1950-1957 • 1941-1951

Geographic Keywords
Massachusetts (State / Territory) • New York (State / Territory) • New Hampshire (State / Territory) • Idaho (State / Territory) • Maine (State / Territory) • Wisconsin (State / Territory) • Michigan (State / Territory) • Washington (State / Territory) • Minnesota (State / Territory) • Vermont (State / Territory)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-15 of 15)

  • Documents (15)
Documents
  • Archaeological Investigation and Identification of USS Independence Aircraft Through Telepresence-Enabled Exploration (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Russell E Matthews. James P. Delgado. Megan Lickliter-Mundon. Michael L. Brennan. John G Lambert.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. August 2016 saw the first archaeological survey conducted at the wreck of USS Independence (CVL22), a USN carrier scuttled off California in 1951 following use in atomic testing. A team of experts in nautical archaeology, physics, marine biology and historic aviation worked to document the sunken warship...

  • Aviators Down! Tuskegee Airmen in Michigan (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Wayne R. Lusardi.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. During the middle years of World War II, Michigan was selected by the U.S. Army Air Force as a place for advanced training of African-American pilots that had graduated from the Tuskegee flight program in Alabama. The potential for Tuskegee Airmen-related archaeological sites worldwide is low. Outside of...

  • Broken Wings, Recovered Souls: Understanding Site Formation Processes and Developing a Lexicon for Terrestrial Military Aircraft Crash Site Types Associated with the Recovery of Missing Personnel Remains (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Christopher Eck.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. This presentation is intended to serve as a basic guide for archaeologists to the several types of military aircraft wreck sites and debris fields that may be encountered—describing both the processes that created the incidents and the processes that subsequently affected the aircraft wreckage and human...

  • Building Collaboration and Sustaining Partnership for the Recovery of Missing American Airmen from the Second World War in Austria (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Adam Fracchia. Sarah A. Grady. Claudia Theune. Peter Hinterndorfer. Marilyn London. Katherine Boyle. Claire Seeley.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. For the last three years, the University of Maryland, College Park, has partnered with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the University of Vienna to seek out and recover missing US airmen from World War II. Through archaeological field schools utilizing forensic protocols, our...

  • Developments in Methodology in Aeronautical Archaeology (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Hunter W. Whitehead.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Aviation cultural materials and landscapes are a budding area of study in both underwater and terrestrial archaeology. Since the 1990s, professional archaeologists have advocated for adequate protection of aviation cultural heritage, and the establishment of a standard methodology and theoretical framework....

  • Engaging the Public at the Crossroads of the World: Methods and Site Preservation of Aviation Archaeology Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Lisa M. Daly.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Formal aviation archaeology has been occurring in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, since 2004, but the foundation started when the Provincial Archaeology Office of NL stopped the salvage of a B-24 in Labrador in 1988. From this time, regulations were developed to protect aviation material culture resources...

  • Evolving Partnerships for Underwater Aircraft Research and Survey (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Megan Lickliter-Mundon. Pat Scannon. Mark Moline. Anthony Burgess.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Project Recover (PR) is a private non-profit dedicated to helping the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in their mission to locate, document, identify, and repatriate missing US servicemen remains from overseas. A PR team, under contract with DPAA, conducted dive and remote sensing surveys to locate...

  • Flying High In An Unfriendly Sky: The Aviation Cultural Landscape of Malta During The Second World War (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Anthony Burgess.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. While concepts of cultural landscapes are firmly entrenched within terrestrial and maritime archaeology, their utilisation within aviation archaeology has been far less consistent. What might such a landscape consist of, and what new insights could it invoke, if any? Can we simply transplant existing...

  • Lake Mead's Cold War Legacy: The Aviation Archeology of a Secret Mission (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew Hanks. Dave Conlin.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 1948, at the dawn of the Cold War, B-29 ser. # 45-21847 crashed into Lake Mead while engaged in top secret scientific research tied to intercontinental ballistic missiles and heat seeking sensors for air to air combat. Located in 2001 and actively managed by the National Park Service through the present...

  • Monitoring Underwater Aircraft in Washington State (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Kees Beemster Leverenz. Megan Lickliter-Mundon. Maurice Major. Claudia Chemello. Alexis Catsambis.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. A Martin PBM-5 Mariner rests in 24 m at the south end of Lake Washington in Seattle, WA. This WWII-era aircraft presents as typical for the situation of most aviation heritage objects in freshwater lakes and reservoirs in the US, as an un-regulated dive site. It exemplifies universal challenges for public...

  • Moving Between Disciplines: Investigations Of Crashed Aircrafts in Archaeology and Forensics (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Anna V McWilliams.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Aviation archaeology finds itself at the intersection of several disciplines. Although the physical remains may be the focus of our investigations they are accompanied by a myriad of other data such as documents, witness accounts and legal frameworks. Often the border between what is a forensic investigation...

  • Mystery Rocket Recovered From Lake Ontario: Avro Arrow Or Other Cold War Relic? (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Nancy E. Binnie. Erin Gregory.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In August 2018 a delta winged object was recovered under archaeological permit from Lake Ontario by the OEX Recovery Group Incorporated. It was hoped that this was one of nine 1/8 scale Avro Arrow free flight models (AAFFM) launched from the Point Petre CARDE firing range between 1954-1957, and thought to be...

  • Patterns Of Preservation In WWII Aircraft And Their Importance (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Adrian Hunt.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The aircraft of World War II (WWII) provide the largest volume sample in aircraft archaeology with potential to investigate broad patterns. These aircraft represent both combat and training losses. Over 10,000 total planes were lost over the UK during this period and over 7,000 USAAF aircraft were lost in...

  • The Tanapag PBM Mariner: Aircraft Identification through Site Formation Processes (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jack A. Adamson.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. During the Second World War, flying boats were crucial in the roles of reconnaissance, patrol, rescue, and transportation. This was especially true in the Pacific Theater. One such flying boat, a United States Navy (USN) PBM Mariner, has rested on the bottom of Tanapag Harbor, Saipan since the waning days of...

  • Two TBD-1s Devastators BuNo. 0298 and BuNo 1515; Fifteen Years of In Situ Monitoring, Documentation and Planning. (2020)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Peter D. Fix.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. "This is 5-T-7. 5-T-7 and 5-T-6 are landing at Jaluit. Are landing alongside one of the northwestern islands of Jaluit. That is all." That was the final message received aboard the Yorktown at 0811 from Lt. Harlan T. Johnson, ranking officer of two TBD-1 Devastators that were about to make water landings in a...