TAG Maritime Conference Session: Maritime identities: museum, communal and personal uses of heritage

The forthcoming TAG conference in Southampton includes a maritime session. The call for papers is now open, and the deadline for submissions is the 1st September 2008.

This session explores the ever-expanding intersection of uses of the sea and uses of the past. Maritime heritage is a distinctive area of heritage and museum studies, maritime history and archaeology, as indicated by the rapidly growing genres of maritime museums and maritime history. The diverse meanings and manifestations in this arena are not simply united by descriptive coincidence or reductive supraculturalism, but constitute a rising research agenda brimming with a comparative potential that preserves and renews case specificity. However, the idea of what constitutes maritime heritage as a realm of cultural production, remains remarkably narrow and conceptually immature. Given the fundamental relationship between identity and heritage, the processes of identity construction and negotiation within and across the spheres of maritimity and heritage require special attention.

The two-fold aim of this session is thus to expand conceptions of maritime heritage as an ethnographic object of study, while pushing forward a more clearly articulated framework for this area of heritage and museological analysis. We invite papers analysing constructions of maritime heritage and maritime ‘pasts’ by museums, nation-states, communities and individuals with notions of identity at their centre. Papers will be focused on meaning-making rather than methodologies, as well as the tensions and interactions of varied voices and experiences.

The call for papers is now open, and the deadline for submissions is the 1st September 2008. Further details on the session are available on the TAG website. Submissions to the session can be made online.

Research Agenda for the North Atlantic Conference

A Research Agenda meeting for the North Atlantic, is to be held at the University of Bradford between the 29th August and the 1st September 2008.

The meeting is designed to review and report on existing research projects and to formulate an Agenda for Future Archaeological Research in the North Atlantic. The conference is in two parts; discussant-led theme sessions with invited specialist contributions will provide the framework for the research agenda, alongside open sessions on current research. Paper contributions to be published in the new Journal of the North Atlantic (JONA). For more information contact the conference organisers , by email NABO08.bradford@googlemail.com, or the meeting website.

European Maritime Archaeology Programmes

MAG has been notified of additional maritime archaeology course available in Europe. Potential post graduate candidates for Underwater Archaeology Courses at the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar and the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa are invited to apply. More information is available at the course website (Portuguese language site).

The Syddansk Universitet is also offering a two year masters programme in maritime archaeology, free for EU/EEA students. This course also offers the opportunity to obtain a commercial SCUBA qualification. More information is available on the course website.
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National Archaeology Week set to be called the Festival of British Archaeology in 2009

The Council for British Archaeology has announced the Festival of British Archaeology, the new name for National Archaeology Week.

Due to the continued success of National Archaeology Week, from 2009 it will be extended to a fortnight long festival of archaeologically inspired events.

The Festival of British Archaeology 2009 will run from Sat 18th July - Sun 2nd August. It will retain the general format of National Archaeology Week but with more opportunies to participate in a wide range of archaeology related activities across the UK.

Other News

Montenegro has ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage on July 18th, 2008. This ratification brings the number of signatory State Parties to 18, which means only two more signatories are needed before it can enter into force.

The Antikythera mechanism has revealed details of lost ancient Greek calendars following careful analysis of the mechanism using X-Ray CT analysis. The findings are reported in Nature.

Ruins found in west Greenland, that may be the remains of a ship dock may indicate the most northerly Viking hunting outpost on the island.

The remains of a submerged landscape have been identified off Rathlin Island in the north of Ireland

Securing a Future for Maritime Archaeological Archives

This project has been formulated in response to the work undertaken by MAG to highlight the dire situation relating to maritime archaeological archive provision in the UK. The project is seeking to:

• Understand how museum and archive repository collection areas and collection policies consider the marine zone (phase one);

• Review where maritime archaeological archives are currently held and assess their public accessibility (phase two); and
• Analyse present maritime archive creation and assess the scale and nature of future maritime archives (phase three).

Without this baseline information it is impossible to gauge the current provision for maritime archives and the numbers and diversity of current collections. This project is a vital first step in defining the extent of the problem to enable appropriate responses on a national level to be formulated.

As part of phase two we are targeting a wide range of individuals, organisations, exhibits, groups etc. who may hold maritime archaeological archive material. We ask all MAG members who hold relevant material to complete the questionnaire.

You can go directly to the questionnaire or visit the project website where you can find further information on the project, a number of downloadable documents and links to relevant projects and information.

NEW Edition of Nautical Archaeology Society’s Underwater Archaeology: Guide to Principles and Practice

MAG members take note, the new edition of Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice (Edited by Amanda Bowens), provides a comprehensive summary of the archaeological process as applied in an underwater context. The new edition contains extensive practical advice and information, including how to get involved, basic principles, essential techniques and approaches, project planning and execution and publishing and presenting results.

Fully illustrated with over 100 drawings and new colour graphics, this second edition contains additional chapters on geophysics, historical research, photography and video, monitoring and maintenance and conservation. With ‘Underwater Archaeology’ the NAS reveals the real underwater treasure - a rich cultural heritage that has helped shape the world in which we live. By outlining the principles and practices, this book will enable the reader to make informed and responsible decisions about how to get the most from their involvement with underwater archaeology.

The text can now be purchased from the NAS Head Office in Portsmouth. The paperback is priced at £19.99 for NAS Members / £24.99 non members and the hardback is £50.00 for NAS Members / £60 for non-members. For more information, or to order, phone/fax (+ 44 23 9281 8419) or email nas@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org the NAS Head Office with payment and delivery details. Prices are exclusive of postage and handling.

Other News

A 21 metre long ancient Greek vessel dating to c. 500 BC has been raised to the surface off Sicily. The wooden vessel was found by scuba divers in 1988, 800 metres from the ancient Greek colony and port of Gela. Parts of the vessel and the cargo have already been raised.

Ancient Greek Wreck (Image via ANSA/PAl)

The timbers are to be stored tanks containing PEG, and will be transported to Portsmouth where they will be conserved by Mary Rose Archaeological Services.

Further details have been reported at: http://www.bigpond.com/news/technology/content/20080729/2317354.asp and http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=10447

ACHWS 2007/2008 Report Now Out

The National Heritage Act (2002) enabled English Heritage to assume responsibilities for maritime archaeological sites of all types from low water out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit around England. The Act also allows the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport to direct English Heritage to undertake functions relating to the Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites (ACHWS).

The ACHWS was set up to advise Government on the suitability of wreck sites to be designated for protection on the grounds of historical, archaeological or artistic interest in accordance with the Protection of Wreck Acts 1973. The ACHWS Annual Report 2007, comprising an account of both the general work of the ACHWS and its activities throughout April 2007 to March 2008, is now available to download from the Maritime Archaeology pages of English Heritage’s website.

Scottish Marine Bill Consultation

Sustainable Seas For All - A consultation on Scotland’s first marine bill was launched by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, on July 14 2008 during a visit to Storehouse of Foulis, north of Inverness.

The consultation period for Scotland’s first marine bill is now underway and will run until October 6 2008. The consultation can be viewed online and hard copies can be requested from marinebill@scotland.gsi.gov.uk . If you are responding, you do not have to respond to all questions, you may wish to answer only a few relating to your area of interest or expertise.

If you have any enquiries, please contact marinebill@scotland.gsi.gov.uk .

Last Day to apply for EH training Scheme!

English Heritage is launching an exciting new training scheme in October 2008. Trainees will be placed within our regional teams across the country and will gain experience in the application of professional conservation management skills in a planning and development context. The traineeships will be for a period of two years and up to ten places are available. Units are planned that include marine historic advice to planning and the marine consent system. Appointments will be made on a two-year fixed term basis. Salary from £18,500 p.a. with an additional allowance of £2,316 p.a. for Trainees based in London.

Please note that the closing date is today -apologies for the late notice
More details are available here.

Other News

The new Heritage at Risk Register, which includes designated wrecks has been noted in an Early Day Motion tabled by Gordon Marsden.

Wrecks at Risk

English Heritage launched the Heritage at Risk register today.

This new programme makes England the first country in Europe to have such a comprehensive knowledge of the state of its protected heritage. The maritime element of the programme comprises an assessment of England’s Protected Wreck Sites and has been based upon an objective audit and Annual Licensee Reports.

Cannons on the Hazardous (Courtesy HWTMA)

10 of England’s 45 protected wrecks have been listed on the register:

• Northumberland
• Restoration
• Rooswijk
• Stirling Castle
• Hazardous
• HMS/m A1
• Iona II
• Salcombe Cannon Site
• Coronation
• Royal Anne

More details can be found on EH’s Shipwrecks at Risk page

University of Plymouth New Diving Courses

The University of Plymouth has its own Diving & Marine Centre and is the only University in the country to offer students the opportunity to gain the Professional Diving (SCUBA) qualification as part of their marine-based academic degree programme. The Centre is now offering the Pro Scuba course to any archaeologist or student doing an archaeological degree/Masters. The Centre runs intensive courses through the summer which are priced at about half the commercial rate.

As part of the training they are hoping to ground truth anomalies in Plymouth Sound identified through geophysical (sub-bottom profiling, magnetometer and side-scan) surveys and search for 4 wrecks, including the East Indiamen Palsgrave/Paulsgrove (1637) and the Dutton (1796).

The Centre is also planning to provide surface supply training to the students in Plymouth from this autumn and will make this available to a wider community next year.

Further details about the course can be found on their Diving & Marine Centre website (under the Prof Diving tab).

MAG notes from the HSE diving Industry Committee

Mark Dunkley of MAG reports the following from the committee meeting:

ADC Information Note 4/08 on the use of the Scientific & Archaeological ACoP when conducting pre-commencement inspections or surveys on construction related or wind farm development sites (dated 28th June 2008 ) has now been issued. Contact the ADC for more information.

New HSE Research is to include a Helmet Noise Project (research paper in prep.), Differential Pressure Hazards and Helmet Protection Testing. All HSE Research Reports for Diving can be found on the HSE Diving Homepage.

A major revision to USN Tables was completed in April 2008 which includes more conservative approach to air decompression (though they are still less conservative than RN and DCIEM tables). The revised tables are available within Section 9.8 of the US Navy Diving Manual (Revision 6, April 2008 ) .

The European Scientific Diving Committee was set up as interim commission based on a meeting of experts in scientific diving and underwater sciences held in Berlin in June 2007. The 2nd International Symposium on Occupational Scientific Diving (ISOSD2008 ) of ESDC is to be held in Helsinki in October 2008.

Other News:

Horsea Island dive centre, which contains the remains of the Gresham Ship (also known as the ‘Prince’s Channel Wreck‘), has been closed to public diving access .

Forthcoming English Heritage ‘On the Waterfront’ Conference

This conference is intended to explore port cities and how we can protect the integrity of historic maritime ports and ensure their distinctiveness is retained.

This major international conference will be held in Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture 2008 in November. It will explore the future of port cities from Shanghai to Mumbai.

This is an essential event for all those who believe in the important role heritage plays in regeneration and placemaking. Further conference details can be found here, and a full conference programme can be viewed here.

Booking forms can be downloaded here (Word) and returned to onthewaterfront@sam-culture.com

Swash Channel Wreck Under Threat.

The protected 17^th century Swash Channel wreck is under threat from a warm water shipworm, previously unknown in British waters. The blacktip shipworm (Lyrodus pedicellatus) is particulary destructive as it can bore through wood throughout the year, a trait that could eventually destroy the site’s remarkable carved decorations and surviving hull timbers.

Archaeologists from Bournemouth University, who have been monitoring the wreck for two years, plan to retrieve the wreck’s decorated rudder to save it from damage from the worm. The site will be included on English Heritage’s new Heritage at Risk register, which is due to be published next week. A more detailed article on this story has been published by Maev Kennedy in the Guardian.

Other News

The debate on the UK’s failure to ratify the UNESCO convention, sparked by an article on the wreck of La Vierge, continues to be played out in letters to the Independent. For more background see this previous MAG update.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology is posting regular updates on the West Florida University field school in underwater archaeology and their experiences on the 16th century Emanuel Point II and the 19th century “Brick” shipwrecks.

The world’s oldest ropes have been found in an Egyptian cave.

Call for Papers AIMA/AHSA/AAMH Conference September 2008

Proposals for papers and posters are requested for this forthcoming conference to be held in Adelaide, South Australia. A list of session abstracts are now on the conference website. The online form should be used to submit paper and poster proposals of no more than 150 words. Papers will be either 15 or 20 minutes long depending on the number of papers proposed. The deadline for paper and poster proposals is 31 July 2008. Early bird registration deadline is 31 July 2008.

Registration for conference workshops should be conducted through the workshop organisers. Workshops on offer include:

• Geophysics for Archaeologists and Heritage Consultants
• Data Management in Maritime Archaeology Using Site Recorder 4
• Don’t Just Dig It - What about the Future of Archaeological Collections?
• Introduction to Conservation Issues Related to Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites

The conference website will continue to provide updates on events and speakers.

Other News

The Independent article on the new treasure controversy surrounding La Vierge du Bon Port- previously mentioned on the MAG updates and blog- has drawn a swift response from an opponent to the UNESCO convention (you will need to scroll down the letters page). MAG members may remember a letter to the Times in 2007 featured by MAG calling for the Government to ratify the convention.

English Heritage Comment of Draft Heritage Bill

English Heritage’s comment on the Draft Heritage Protection Bill is now available to download from MAG. For more context EH have also published additional information on the EH website.

Observant MAG members using the blog may have noticed that MAG’s draft response to the consultation is also now available to view/download from the new MAG Consultations page. (as ever comments on the blog or stories/features are welcome!)

In Poseidon’s Reich XIV Call for Papers

The POSEIDONS REICH XIV conference- “Underwater Archaeology in Northern European Rivers and Lakes”to be held at: the University of Kiel on 20th - 22th February 2009 in collaboration between the German Society for the Promotion of Underwater Archaeology (DEGUWA), the Department of Prehistory at the University of Kiel and the Workgroup for Maritime and Limnic Archaeology (AMLA)

In Europe the term ‘underwater archaeology’ is associated with spectacular discoveries, like wrecks in the Mediterranean or in the North and Baltic Seas or also pile-dwellings in the alpine foothills. For solving questions related to settlement archaeology, mainly archaeological research in inland waters is of importance. In the past decades impressive results were achieved - mainly in the Circumbaltic area and on the British Isles through maritime and limnic surveys as well as excavations in rivers and lakes.

The DEGUWA-conference in Kiel aims to illuminate three related subject areas. The first deals with settlements and their locations on lakefronts as well as on natural or artificial islands. The second focusses on infrastructural facilities for crossing or traversing waters in wetlands as well as on fortification and harbour facilities. The third concerns mobile traffic facilities for the transportation of goods and passengers over water.

All interested in underwater archaeological research in northern European rivers and lakes are sincerely invited to attend this conference as auditors, as speakers and/or as contributors to the poster presentation. Paper proposals are to be submitted not later than the 1st October 2008 with an abstract in English, German or French of not more than 200 words.

Further information and registration forms are available on the deguwa website.

New Jetties and Piers of Victoria Publication

In 2003/4 the Heritage Council of Victoria commissioned a historical and archaeological study of maritime infrastructure sites around Victoria’s coast and waterways. The Heritage Council and Heritage Victoria have now published Jill Barnard’s Jetties & Piers: a thematic history of maritime infrastructure in Victoria, the history-focussed partner document to the Maritime Infrastructure Assessment Project which has investigated potential archaeological sites of this type.

The document has been published electronically and is now available to download from the Heritage Victoria website.

Heritage Victoria hopes to have the Maritime Infrastructure Assessment Project Report (Stage 1: Melbourne Region) by Brad Duncan available for downloading from our website later in 2008, so please check the site for updates.

New MSc in Maritime Archaeology

A new masters course in maritime archaeology (MSc School of Conservation Sciences) has been created at Bournemouth University For more details contact Paola Palma (ppalma@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Dave Parham (dparham@bournemouth.ac.uk)

The MSc Maritime Archaeology consists of 5 units plus a Personal Research project. The aim of the programme is to develop the skills and initial experience required to undertake maritime archaeology in the field and/or prepare students for further study. Key skills taught during the programme, such as project management and analytical skills are widely transferable to a range of disciplines.

Jobs

The Newport Medieval Ship Project is advertising for a waterlogged wood conservator. The new post is full time and permanent. Closing date: 20 June 2008 Full details are available here.

The SS Great Britain Trust, in Bristol is looking for a Curator. Requirements: a qualified museum professional with at least 3 years experience and specialist knowledge of maritime history/archaeology. Full details and application forms are available from recruit@ssgreatbritain.org. Closing Date: 20 June 2008.

Other News

Work has recommenced on the Alderney Elisabethan wreck and material including a musket has been retrieved

More treasure controversy, this time over a 17^th century French vessel La Vierge du Bon Port.

A wonderfully preserved Royal Navy ship believed to be the HMS Ontario lost in 1780 has been discovered in approximately 150m of water in Lake Ontario.

Commentators explore the news of an archaeological survey of the lost town of Dunwich in the context of modern coastal erosion and flood defences in the Times.

Apologies to MAG members for the recent problems with the email updates! Some IT problems meant the mailing list database was lost so we are now working from a backup and hope to replace any missing names from the list soon.

New MAG Spring Bulletin

The latest MAG Bulletin is now available and can be found here!

IKUWA3 Early Bird Discount ends this Friday 6th June!

Under the patronage of UNESCO, the Third International Congress on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA3), will be held in London this coming July. Organised by the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS), the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA), and the Institute of Archaeology University College London (UCL), and supported by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives of NAS, IFA, UCL, DEGUWA, DAI, HWTMA, GSU, Verband der Landesarchaologen, English Heritage, and Historic Scotland, IKUWA3 will be the largest conference on underwater archaeology ever held in Britain. More than 120 papers will be delivered on topics as diverse as:

• Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology

• Traditional Indian Boat Carpentry

• Acoustic Positioning Systems

• Fresh Water Archaeology

• Shipwreck Collecting Behaviour

• Maritime Landscapes

• Seismic Reconnaissance

• Managing Underwater Cultural Heritage

• Integrated teaching and research

• Ethics and Economics of recovering material from the sea, and much more.

The Congress will take place from the 10th July to 12th July 2008 (official opening evening of the 9th July).

This will be preceded by a 3-day Professional Development Field School from 7th July to 9th July 2008, and followed by a range of optional excursions including a tour of the Mary Rose (13th July 2008).

For more information, please visit the recently updated IKUWA3 website , or to register visit here.

UNESCO Cultural Heritage Database

UNESCO has launched a new online database of cultural heritage laws around the world. Relevant statutes are available for consultation in their original languages and in their official English-language translations.

To date, 757 legislative measures, from 113 UNESCO Member States, have been published on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Laws Database, which has been created to aid international efforts to stem looting, theft and illicit trafficking in cultural property. UNESCO hopes that the database will ‘make it harder for traffickers to claim to be ignorant of the law and thus of the illegal nature of what they are doing’.

Underwater Cultural Heritage is a searchable field!

Heritage at Risk

English Heritage is creating the first all-encompassing register of the country’s neglected or decaying historic treasures and introducing new ways to save them. Its Heritage at Risk project, to be launched on Tuesday 8 July 2008, will make England the only country in Europe to have a comprehensive knowledge of the state of its protected heritage and the analysis to save this precious and finite resource for the future. An article explaining the project in the Times is also available

For more information on this initiative, visit here.

MoRPHE Courses

Details of this years training courses in the guidelines on Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment are now available . Several places are still available on the Newcastle courses - the 2 hour Familiarisation course on 17th June and the full day Project Managers course on 18th June. MAG members shouldn’t forget: free courses in MoRPHE from English Heritage are only planned for this year and for 2009, and opportunities for future free training are not guaranteed!

Any bookings or enquiries should go to morphe@english-heritage.org.uk

Other News

Sadly, tragedy has struck an archaeological project on the Elizabethan wreck site in Alderney.

What is possibly the oldest representation of Caesar known has been found by Divers in a river in Southern France.

TAG Conference

TAG is to be held on the 15-17^th December 2008 in Southampton. The call for sessions is now open and sessions can be submitted via the website.

New Major English Heritage Guidance

English Heritage has published a major document that sets out for the first time the fundamental propositions that serve as the foundation for the way the organisation engages with every aspect of the historic environment.

Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance is the result of four years of extensive debate and consultation within English Heritage and more than 1,000 external consultees. The recently launched Heritage Protection Bill will provide an improved legislative framework for managing change in historic environment in the 21st century; Conservation Principles will serve as its philosophical foundation.

English Heritage Consultation on Views

English Heritage is also developing a method to help it assess the historical significance of views, systematically and consistently. Seeing the history in the view: assessing heritage significance within views are inviting consultation on the document which closes on the 4^th July 2008.

Other News

The diamond mining company De Beers have discovered the wreckage of a sailing vessel in Namibia with a cargo said to include bronze cannon, Spanish and Portuguese coins and elephant tusks. Details here.

The popular BBC2 programme Coast is looking for dive sites to cover for the 4^th and 5^th series of the programme. Details here.

An Estonian dugout canoe building and use program in the Soomaa National Park is seeking support for its participation in the National Geographic’s Geotourism Challenge. More details here.

MAG Updates is having some e-mail blips, so apologies for the delay with the email version of this update.

Registrations for IKUWA3 are now open !

Under the patronage of UNESCO, the Third International Congress on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA3), will be held in London this coming July. Organised by the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS), the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA), and the Institute of Archaeology University College London (UCL), and supported by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives of NAS, IFA, UCL, DEGUWA, DAI, HWTMA, GSU, Verband der Landesarchaologen, English Heritage, and Historic Scotland, IKUWA3 will be the largest conference on underwater archaeology ever held in Britain. More than 120 papers will be delivered on topics as diverse as

• Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology
• Traditional Indian Boat Carpentry
• Acoustic Positioning Systems
• Fresh Water Archaeology
• Shipwreck Collecting Behaviour
• Maritime Landscapes
• Seismic Reconnaissance
• Managing Underwater Cultural Heritage
• Integrated teaching and research
• Ethics and Economics of recovering material from the sea

The Congress will take place from the 10th July to 12th July 2008 (official opening evening of the 9th July).

This will be preceded by a 3-day Professional Development Field School from 7th July to 9th July 2008, and followed by a range of optional excursions including a tour of the Mary Rose (13th July 2008).

For more information, please visit the recently updated IKUWA3 website, or go here to register.

SHA conference 2009

The Society for Historical Archaeology 2009 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology will take place January 6-11, 2009 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada. papers, symposiums and poster displays on underwater, nautical and maritime archaeology subjects are invited for the Underwater Archaeology Program.

The Call for Papers, Submission Guidelines, Forms and contact information can be found at the Society for Historical Archaeology website . Note that the abstract submission deadline is June 15, 2008. Please forward this information to others who might be interested in attending and feel free to add it to websites or newsletters.

Archaeological Report of the Red Bay Wrecks Published

The Canadian Government has just published a major scientific report entitled: The underwater archaeology of Red Bay: Basque shipbuilding and whaling in the 16th century. The report paints a detailed picture of Basque whale hunting techniques, and of the Basque contributions in European shipbuilding and the development of transatlantic trade routes in the mid-16th century.

The report provides details on the four galeones or naos investigated during the project, one of which is believed to be the San Juan that sunk in 1565. Using pioneering techniques, the San Juan was systemically excavated, raised and recorded in pieces on the surface, reburied and monitored ever since in order to ensure its continued preservation

Copies of the Red Bay underwater archaeology report may be obtained through Publishing and Depository Services, Public Works and Government Services Canada; (ISBN 978-0-660-19652-7; Cat. N0.: R62-389/2007E)

Other News

Routine Resurvey Analysis Reports are now available to access on the UK Hydrographic Office website.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology reports that the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on the Island of Saipan has brought in underwater archaeologists Jason Burns and Michael Krivor to inventory the submerged cultural resources related to the Battle of Saipan of June 15th 1944. As part of their public outreach program the project archaeologists are posting updates on how the project is proceeding.

You can read their first entry on the MUA here

If your interests lie more with lighthouses then why not look up the Pharos project (an EC project looking at lighthouses)