Archaeology

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Archaeology

Underwater Archaeology Digs

Several universities around the world conduct the specialized form of field school that takes place under the lakes and oceans of our planet. Many, but not all, involve investigation of shipwrecks. Here's a selection of archaeology digs taken in the watery deep.

Field schools listed below with dates older than the current year may indicate an ongoing project that has not yet established dates for this season.
Biscayne National Park (Florida USA)
August 1-12, 2005. PAST Foundation. Basic underwater documentation techniques, and the exploration of how archaeological information is translated into the creation and management of underwater parks. Part of a multi-year project to establish a Maritime Heritage Trail within park waters.
Black Sea Shipwrecks
July 1-September 23, 2007 (Several sessions). National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. The Black Sea Shipwreck Research Project explores and studies archaeological materials that have been found on the shelf of the Black Sea.
Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
TBA 2009. James Cook University. Maritime archaeological field school.
HMF Firebrand (Isles of Scilly)
July 22-August 7, 2006. Bristol University. HM Fireship, Firebrand was launched at Limehouse in 1694 and served in the Caribbean and Mediterranean before sinking in October 1707 as a consequence of navigational error off the Isles of Scilly. The wreck site will be examined and recorded.
Mount Dutton Bay, South Australia
January 31-February 15, 2009. Flinders University. Maritime Archaeology Field School at Mount Dutton Bay, South Australia.
Sanitja (Spain)
April 27-November 14, 2009. Ecomuseum of the Cape of Cavalleria and the Sa Nitja Association. For 2009, the Ecomuseum of the Cape Cavalleria will be exploring the Roman port of Sanitja and the coast of the Cape of Cavalleria, identifying structures of the Roman city of Sanisera as well as shipwrecks.
St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum (Florida)
June 8-26, 2009. Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program. Focus on the testing of an unidentified ballast pile to make a determination whether it represents the remains of the Confederate privateer Jefferson Davis, lost on the St. Augustine bar in August 1861 after the most successful cruise of the entire war.
Tile Wreck (Dominican Republic)
January 3-November 13, 2009 (weekly sessions). Anglo-Danish Maritime Archaeological Team (ADMAT), ADMAT-FRANCE and ADMAT USA. Maritime Archaeological Field School to continue the Survey work on The Tile Wreck 1720's wreck in Monte Cristi, in the Dominican Republic.
Tonawanda Shipwreck (Florida, USA)
Dates not established yet for 2007. Anglo~Danish Maritime Archaeological Team. Under a NOAA permit, the ADMAT team will investigate the remains of an unknown wooden shipwreck situated about 5 miles off shore, and about 10 miles from the dock in Key Largo. The wreck is thought to be the Civil War Union Steamer, the Arkansas, later renamed the Tonawanda.
Wreck of the Menemon Sanford (Key Largo, Florida)
July 27-August 8, 2008. The PAST Foundation. This year's field project will focus on the wreck of the Menemon Sanford, a coastal paddle steamer wrecked on Carysfort Reef in 1862.

Explore Archaeology

About.com Special Features

Archaeology

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Archaeology
  4. Archaeology Digs
  5. Underwater Digs

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.