Lophelia II Shipwreck Component: End Game

摘要

In 2008 the Minerals Management Service, now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureauof Safety and Environmental Enforcement BOEM/BSEE in partnership with the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP),sanctioned a deepwater study in the Gulf of Mexico. Officially designated as the Deepwater Program:Natural and Artificial Hard Bottom Habitats with Emphasis on Coral Communities: Reefs, Rigs andWrecks “Lophelia II”, it is typically referred to as the “Lophelia II” Project. A substantial component ofthe contract was the examination of several deepwater shipwrecks. The “Wrecks” component of theproject called for the archaeological examination of several shipwrecks as a continuation of the 2004Deepwrecks Study in the Gulf of Mexico. These wrecks covered a broad time period from 19th centurywooden sailing vessels to World War II era vessels. Between 2008 and 2010 three field seasonsincorporated shipwreck investigation cruises that culminated in an Archaeological Assessment Reportsubmitted as part of the larger Lophelia II Project Draft Report submitted to BOEM/BSEE in 2013. Thispresentation will provide a final analysis of the Lophelia II shipwreck sites based on data acquiredbetween 2008 and 2010. In addition to the shipwreck findings, it will also present an analysis of the projectitself and provide recommendations for future deepwater shipwreck studies of this type.