Archaeology and the Battle of the Atlantic: Approaches, Methods and Results of Studying and Underwater Battlefield

Summary

Seven years of focused research has been directed towards studying and characterizing WWII losses off the coast of North Carolina. During this time, NOAA has worked with multiple state, federal, academic and private sector partners to increase our understanding of this large collection of resources. This project evolved over time in both theoretical approaches as well as methodologies employed to collect data. Over the course of seven years an incredible amount of information has been uncovered: Newly discovered wreck sites, detailed site-specific assessments, vast wide-area remote sensing, intensive historical analysis, high-resolution acoustic surveys and a wide range of photo/video documentation. Likewise, this project also employed nearly every tool available to archaeologists: Staged-decompression diving, side-scan sonar, multibeam surveys, magnetometry, AUVs, ROVs, native 3D video and partnerships with avocational groups. Each of these tools allowed for the collection of an unparalleled data set on WWII shipwrecks in U.S. waters.   

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Battle of the Atlantic: Seven Years Expanding the Horizons of Collaboration and Research   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 218