Methodological Considerations for Locating and Identifying Submerged Aircraft Sites in Environments with High Acoustic Reflectivity

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Beyond the Battlefield: The Search for World War II’s Missing in Action by DPAA and Its Partners", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Geophysical surveys utilize a suite of equipment to identify and locate submerged archaeological sites. Although the marine magnetometer has been an integral tool in locating shipwreck sites, the primary tool typically employed in the search for aircraft sites is acoustic imagery such as that collected by side-scan and multibeam sonar systems. This methodological preference poses challenges in locating aircraft sites in acoustically complex environments (such as coral reefs) especially for locating debris fields such as crash sites or sites spread out due to other site formations processes. This paper reviews the magnetic signatures of multiple submerged aircraft sites, both intact and scattered. It will explore how submerged aircraft sites are evaluated and interpreted at different parameters including line spacing intervals and collection rates and is intended to further the discussion of appropriate survey planning and interpretation approaches to assist in locating submerged aircraft in acoustically complex environments.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Beyond the Battlefield: The Search for World War II’s Missing in Action by DPAA and Its Partners

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow