USS Indianapolis Discovered! Now What?

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Developing Standard Methods, Public Interpretation, and Management Strategies on Submerged Military Archaeology Sites" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The 2017 discovery of USS Indianapolis, one of the Navy’s most storied ships and sought-after wrecksites, propelled the vessel back into the public eye and highlighted a string of deep-water WWII shipwreck investigations. After the media hype subsided, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), as managers of the U.S. Navy’s sunken military craft, needed to determine the next steps for Indianapolis which would inform how we approach similar site discoveries. Three miles below the surface, Indianapolis is the Navy’s deepest confirmed shipwreck and provides a unique opportunity for research and scientific analysis. The study of Indianapolis also underscores new challenges for cultural resource managers as depth becomes less of a protecting factor and with an increasing interest in deep-water wrecksite tourism. This paper will discuss NHHC’s current research on the vessel and management strategies to best preserve and protect the site, honoring the service of the ship and crew.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019   •
• Developing Standard Methods, Public Interpretation, and Management Strategies on Submerged Military Archaeology Sites

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 218