An Initial Site Assessment of Submerged Naval Aircraft off the Coast of Pensacola, Florida

Summary

Known locally as the U.S. Navy's ‘Cradle of Aviation’, the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida has been a fundamental training ground for U.S. naval aviation since the beginning of the 20th century. During World War II, the U.S. Navy was eager to train as many young pilots as possible. Many of those inexperienced pilots were quickly processed through an accelerated flight-training program. Often aircraft would be lost during training missions and left to sink in the Gulf of Mexico. Available naval reports provide the authors with basic contextual information however, no scientific documentation of submerged aircraft in this area has been done. This paper presents the initial steps undertaken to recognize site formation processes of submerged aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico. Through the use of photogrammetry, annual site assessments will allow local archaeologists to monitor the degradation, and set a precedent for future researchers working in the area. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Practicing Maritime Cultural Resource Management: Directives for Assessment, Active Conservation in situ, Partial Excavations, and Public Stewardship   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 652