Determining NRHP Eligibility of Artificial Reefs: A Hypothetical Case Study of Intentionally Sunk Ships and Other Objects in Pensacola, Florida

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Artificial reefs are human-created structures such as retired ships, barges, bridges, reef modules constructed of various materials, and other objects which are placed underwater to promote marine life. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission claims that Florida’s artificial reef program is one of the most active in the United States with more than 3,800 public deployments within state and federal waters since the 1940s. Submerged in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico offshore Pensacola, Florida are over 500 artificial reefs including the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, liberty ship Jospeh F. Meek, several M60 Sherman tanks, and numerous other ships and structures.

This paper briefly discusses the cultural significance of artificial reefs and focuses on their importance to the fishing and SCUBA community in Pensacola. Several reefs are examined here to explore how National Register criteria for evaluation might be applied to determine NRHP eligibility.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow